I've tried explaining this before, and I don't know if I've been understood those times, but here it goes again. Music and lyrics and how they have nothing to do with each other.
A foreword: this is probably better understood if I say that this's been swelling in my head ever since my sister refused to listen to the tracks that were in Chinese and Japanese on a CD I gave her for Christmas. Which, IMHO, was just odd.
I cannot really understand people who only listen to vocal music in languages they know and understand. I mean, it's only natural to be curious about what the lyrics might be about, but. Music, music on the purest, rawest level has nothing to do with understanding - it's all about feeling. Which is something language has no direct tie to, I think. The high and low points of musical pieces come from everything but the words sung, though the lyrics might punctuate them.
Not understanding the lyrics should be of the same level of importance as not recognising the solo instrument, or something. ...Also of note is that all of this isn't really-really-really what I honestly think all the time, but the basic idea works for me almost always?
And for my mother, who thinks that music and dance are inseparable (meaning dance with music, not vica versa): music and dance may support each other but they certainly do not define each other. The thing that ties them together is mostly rhythm, but both of them can be done without it. Honest. I have several dancers - and musicians! - with me behind this one.
( Music a'la grati )
For some reason most of the songs are very melancholic. It's the early summer, it makes me wistful.
A foreword: this is probably better understood if I say that this's been swelling in my head ever since my sister refused to listen to the tracks that were in Chinese and Japanese on a CD I gave her for Christmas. Which, IMHO, was just odd.
I cannot really understand people who only listen to vocal music in languages they know and understand. I mean, it's only natural to be curious about what the lyrics might be about, but. Music, music on the purest, rawest level has nothing to do with understanding - it's all about feeling. Which is something language has no direct tie to, I think. The high and low points of musical pieces come from everything but the words sung, though the lyrics might punctuate them.
Not understanding the lyrics should be of the same level of importance as not recognising the solo instrument, or something. ...Also of note is that all of this isn't really-really-really what I honestly think all the time, but the basic idea works for me almost always?
And for my mother, who thinks that music and dance are inseparable (meaning dance with music, not vica versa): music and dance may support each other but they certainly do not define each other. The thing that ties them together is mostly rhythm, but both of them can be done without it. Honest. I have several dancers - and musicians! - with me behind this one.
( Music a'la grati )
For some reason most of the songs are very melancholic. It's the early summer, it makes me wistful.
