Thursday, December 10, 2009
Composers and Poets
As I was reading "The Tiger", I suddenly had this strange harmonious tune in my head and realized that I had sung a song based off of this poem in seventh grade. The same thing happened when I read "My mistress' eye" because the poem below it "Crossing the Bar" was one of the SSAA pieces at Honor's Choir this year. This has happened with about 15% of the poems I've had to read in high school. I find it helpful to have a song to go along with the poem because the tempo, key, and what time it's in show a lot about the poem. Also the length of the note help show which words should be emphasized. Just a little thing I found interesting as I was reading.
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ReplyDeleteI like this, Andrea. As a musician, your methods for studying other subjects are influenced by your vocal expression. This is why the math/science minds often take a literal approach to literature and struggle with the "meaning behind the meaning." We all bring skills sets to the reading of poetry that enhance our experience and help us to understand what the poet and speaker intended.
ReplyDeleteLyrical poems of the medieval period were set to music and they gained popularity when performed rather than read. Perhaps we can hope for a personal rendition of one of the assigned poems in class on Friday? Maybe?
I wasn't sure if you were serious or not in class. I could sing "Crossing the Bar", but I am definitely not a composer and there is no way that I could create a musical composition with all the intricacies needed to get across everything that is meant to be said.
ReplyDeleteHowever, singing chorally definitely does help with this because nearly every director wants their singers to know what they are singing about (otherwise it's just notes on a page). And some of them are more difficult and you need a dictionary :)
I would be delighted to hear you sing a song Andrea.
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