The young woman sang some English pieces at her graduate voice recital. When it came to her selection of German lieder she gave an introduction, “I have no idea what these songs are about.”
Dore, who is a music DJ, says when he auditions a CD, the music comes first and foremost. With music coming from all over the world, it is nearly impossible to know the meaning of each song that he favors, even when the lyrics are printed on a separate pamphlet. Rightly so, Tangents is a music program, not a poetry reading. But as a singer it is imperative to understand the text. Music is not just notes but story-telling and we can’t tell a story without knowing what it is about. I wonder if the young woman was graduated.
