Richard Pennycuick wrote:

>...I find it difficult to justify calling Dion a diva whereas I
>doubt that anyone would quibble over, say, Renee Fleming or Cecilia
>Bartoli being so described, whatever your opinions of their singing.

Personally, I'd like to see the word "diva" expunged from the vocabulary -
it could join "maestro".  But, given that the term will continue to exist,
I have no problem with Celine Dion being called a diva; she is much better
known than Fleming or Bartoli.

One thing I like about the world of Rock is that these elitist terms or
others are generally not used in descriptions.  Artists are people just
like the rest of us with many of the same day-to-day concerns.  I don't
see any reason to inflate them.

Don Satz
[log in to unmask]