"L. E. Modesitt - Archform Beauty" - читать интересную книгу автора (Modesitt L E)

"Anything you want to be good at takes work," I pointed out. "Singing's no different."

She looked at me, with that stubborn expression I'd come to know too well, and said, "If singing isn't fun,
maybe I shouldn't keep taking lessons. It's not as though I could really make a living at it."

I made a living at it, and so did others. That kind of a living was a lot better than settling in as a corporate
sariman, no matter how high the pay and benefits were for multilateral servitude. "I do, but if that's the
way you feel, maybe you shouldn't."

"You do rezads. That's not the same."

"It is the same." I was trying hard to be patient when I really wanted to strangle her. "I couldn't get work
if I couldn't do exactly what the studio wants vocally. I only get a few minutes to study the music before
each session. You can't do that unless you understand music and your voice." When she didn't say
anything, I added, "I also get gigs as a classical singer." Those were almost all art song recitals for one
filch or another in southside. Those recitals were a matter of prestige for the filch, because you can't rez
art song. But it paid, and paid well, if infrequently, and those were the nights I really enjoyed, because I
could make beautiful music. I wasn't going to try to explain that. You can't explain beauty to people who
don't feel it.

"My father says that old-style singing will be gone soon."

"People have been saying that for almost three centuries, ever since the electronic age began. Almost
three thousand years ago, Aristotle wanted to get rid of the singers and poets." I smiled. "We're still
here." Still trying to bring beauty into a world that seemed to want less and less of it.

"You should talk to my father."

That was the last thing I wanted to do. "You need to decide what's best for your future, Synsil. Your
parents can't live your life for you. What do you want?"

"I always thought I wanted to be a rezpop singer. Or maybe rezrom."

"Do you like Elymai?" I asked. Most of the younger students soaked in and praised the romantic
resonance slop that Elymai put out--I had a hard time calling it singing.

"She's good."

Synsil was wary. That I could tell.

"She has the same kind of background I do. It's hard to get where she is without a good education and
training. If you want to be that good, you need to practice. You need to practice the way I've shown
you." I paused, then added, "It's up to you." I kept my eyes fixed on her. She needed to know I was
serious.

After a moment, she looked down. "I suppose I should practice more."
"If you don't, you won't have a chance to find out if that's what you want to do." She might not anyway,
but now wasn't the time to get into that. She had to get serious about something.