Devices and Delights in Poetry

Abstract

Abstract The essence of song, especially of the Romantic Lied, is an equality of music and text, a synthesis of a new art form out of two disparate media. Those who fail to understand the meaning of the poem fail, as well, to understand the meaning of the music that sets it. Indeed, performers who have not thoroughly studied the poetry cannot sing or play the Lied with the focus, the imagination, and the vitality that is essential for both the musicians and their audience. The necessity of studying the poetry in Lied performance preparation is not optional; rather, it is a major part of the basic work of both singer and accompanist. We thus begin with a word of encouragement to those who feel intimidated about studying poetry, who feel ill equipped, inexperienced, or even wholly ignorant. Earlier in this century, the study of poetry, and of literature in general, was considered a vital part of a standard secondary education. More recently, however, the spread of specialization and the advancement of technology have pre-empted the time once dedicated to the study of language and the other arts. Many college music students who are interested in the Art Song, therefore, have never had the opportunity to study language as an art, be it in poetry or in prose.