Pyromancer's Opera

The question of how to best share the beauty of music with the deaf has long been a matter of debate. Some believe that as music is something felt in the soul, music should be conveyed physically through vibrations and the like, much the way Beethoven cut the legs off of his piano so he could feel the music he composed. As such, their clubs tended to emphasize overpowered basslines so the deaf could understand the rhythm, the pulse, and the visceral joy that a good song captures. Others felt that since man's two primary senses are sound and sight, music should be portrayed visually. Size conveys volume and color is pitch (or vice versa) and it can throb with the rhythm to provide a much more layered representation of sound. The latter school of thought typically found more success, for it allowed the deaf and those with hearing to enjoy together without risking the sense of sound of anyone present. Still, LEDs and iTunes visualizers lacked the primal power that many felt music should have. To remedy this, a collection of singers and dancers banded together to form the Pyromancer's Opera. They performed the works of Wagner and Verdi, Rossini and Bellini, and everywhere inbetween. The music itself was traditional, but the staging was far more theatrical. They lined their stage with fire dancers, each of whom would move to the rhythm of one voice or instrument, casting their flame high or low for general pitch, bold or elegant for volume, and with flames of various colors to indicate whether the the singer was an alto, soprano, tenor, or bass. For the most part, the Pyromancer's Opera was a great success, though it was very weather dependent. Few indoor venues trusted all that open flame, and a fire dance in the rain did not go over well. This, however, was a small price to pay for the joy of sharing your favorite song with a friend who couldn't hear.

- Originally mailed to K. Valencia-Bravo in Olathe, Kansas