A Soprano and A Scribe

(From Wikipedia)

The Soprano: Kathleen Battle is an American soprano known for her agile and light voice and her silvery, pure tone.

The Scribe: Romain Rolland was a French dramatist, essayist, art historian and mystic who was awarded theNobel Prize for Literature in 1915.

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   I'm in the middle of Romain Rolland's "Essays on Music," and I'm in awe not only of the man's ability to write, but also of the breadth and depth of his knowledge on music and history. His life is a testament to his many passions.

   Here are some quotable quotes from the book:

   "Very often, thanks to its depth and spontaneity, music is the first indication of tendencies which later translate themselves into words, and afterwards into deeds. The Eroica Symphony anticipated by more than ten years the awakening of the German nation. The Meistersinger and Siegfried proclaimed ten years beforehand the imperial triumph of Germany. There are even cases where music is the only witness of a whole inner life which never reaches the surface."  (He later on makes the claim that Music and musicians started 'the ball rolling,' so to speak, of the liberation of the individual soul, which eventually affected all of Europe circa 18th century before expressing itself in action by the French Revolution!!)

   "... Thus music shows us the continuity of life in apparent death, the flowering of an eternal spirit amidst the ruin of the world."

   "... What a danger is here! For everything in art that is not subjected to the imitation or the control of nature, all that depends merely upon inspiration or inward exaltation, all in short that presupposes genius or passion, is essentially unstable... Such a flame is subject to momentary eclipses or to total disappearance; and if during these phases of spiritual slumber scrupulous and laborious talent, observation, and reason do not take the place of genius, the result is absolute nullity."

   "...It is curious that so many great musicians -- Schutz, Handel, Kuhnau, Telemann -- should have been obliged to begin by studying philosophy or law. However, this training does not seem to have done the composers any harm, and those of today whose culture is so indifferent would do well to consider these examples, which prove that a general education may well be reconciled with musical knowledge and may even enrich it."

   It is a delight to see how the man mixes dry facts with gorgeous prose, so right after an exposition on the difference of the "Italian overture" (vivamente -- lento -- vivamente) versus the "French overture" (lento -- vivamente -- lento), he intercedes thus:

   "...Music itself is something more than a question of technique. If we really love music, it is because it is the most intimate utterance of the soul and its expression of joy and pain. I do not know which I like the better -- Beethoven's finest sonata, or the tragic Heiligenstadt Testament. The one is equal to the other."

   "...It would be foolish for students of musical history to reject the opinion of everyone who did not follow music as a profession; it would mean confining music to a small circle and being dead to all that went on outside it. An art is only worthy of love and honor when it is a human art -- an art that will speak to all men and not only to a few pedants."   

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   Yesterday was the 61st birthday of one of my favorite sopranos, Kathleen Battle. (I admire her strictly for her voice, not for her persona.) Some of you might know her as a soprano who epitomized what it is to be a "diva," in the negative sense of the word. She was fired from the Met because she was deemed too difficult to work with.

   There are a lot of horror stories about her, but one can't help but fall in love with her angelic singing. I really do not think any other lyric soprano can compare to "The Battle." Don't believe me? Go here and listen to her version of "Ombra mai fu" (which, incidentally, is from Handel's XERXES. Catch it live on August 26 at the CCP!).

   This weekend, I will check the 1st quarter exam papers of my students while listening to Kathleen serenading me through my mp3 player's earphones. :) Here's hoping that I still have some time to finish my Romain Rolland book. Have a great weekend, everyone!!