Wow! Having studied piano since I was 6, singing in a community chorus, studying the guitar, and trying to write literary fiction, i must say this was inspiring and informative. Thank you.
I've sung in languages I speak besides English: French and German. But even then I've checked translations and sometimes re-translated them for myself or found a word that's poetic or old-fashioned. One of my first songs was in Swedish which I can speak a little and was studying at the time, but I did need to understand the poem it was based on to find the emotion, so I read the translations. Whatever works, right? In this case especially, some of the words were archaic.
And I discovered that knowing how to speak a language was very different than singing it. So many discoveries--and one of the first personal essays I published early in the pandemic was about that: https://www.levraphael.com/healthyaging-levraphael.pdf
Wow! Having studied piano since I was 6, singing in a community chorus, studying the guitar, and trying to write literary fiction, i must say this was inspiring and informative. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
When songs are in a language I don't speak, I tend not to seek out the translation. I let the accompaniment and the sound of the words tell the story.
I've sung in languages I speak besides English: French and German. But even then I've checked translations and sometimes re-translated them for myself or found a word that's poetic or old-fashioned. One of my first songs was in Swedish which I can speak a little and was studying at the time, but I did need to understand the poem it was based on to find the emotion, so I read the translations. Whatever works, right? In this case especially, some of the words were archaic.
That makes sense. I would need to know the meaning of the words to sing a song in a different language.
And I discovered that knowing how to speak a language was very different than singing it. So many discoveries--and one of the first personal essays I published early in the pandemic was about that: https://www.levraphael.com/healthyaging-levraphael.pdf
Beautiful post. I hadn't thought about understanding the accompaniment, and then the words. Each is its own offering to the listener. Wonderful.
Thanks! I'm working on something now and listening to the piano's moods and what they might indicate.
My range as a bass/baritone has expanded thanks to this amazing new teacher.