Howard's new challenge

Yesterday instead of going to the St. Patrick's Day parade like a normal human being I went and heard the tenor David MacAdam sing Schubert. That is a picture of the occasion up above! I took it with my phone. By the way I invite everyone to click on that link. Let's make my nerdy Schubert review the most-read story in The Buffalo News!

Anyway I really enjoyed the concert and I came home and told Howard he would have to sing a Schubert song.

I am married to a tenor, dammit, and it is high time he sang Schubert!

Enough with this Bobby Troup and Tom Jones and whatnot!

Luckily Howard did not put up a fight. And so I printed out the music to "An die Musik" which, I informed him, means "To Music." It is such a moving song. You give thanks to the art of music and, the way I see it, to all the musicians who have gone before you. To all the musicians you love. Bobby Troup is included.

There are a million versions of "An Die Musik" on YouTube because it is so famous. It is usually one of the first songs and singer sings and one of the last. When singers give their farewell concerts at the end of their careers it is traditional they sing "An Die Musik."

I love the old-fashioned, stentorian videos.

The great bass-baritone Hans Hotter. He died in his 90s just a couple of years ago. Herr Hotter was kind of handsome back in the day! I love how he sings the end of the song. Very moving. "Du holde Kunst, ich danke dir" means "you sacred art, I thank you."

 

Last night we watched this clip of a baby-faced Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, with the great Gerald Moore on piano. Gerald Moore always played with the best singers. On the, ahem, Music Critic weblog today you may see Moore accompanying the Irish tenor John McCormack.



"Um, Mary, this is all very nice, but can we hear someone living?" The answer is no.

We like these elegant old-fashioned videos here at the Leonard Pennario desk!

Finally here is Elizabeth Schwarzkopf looking beautiful. Howard said, "Women can sing this song?" The answer is yes. Best of all in this video you can hear Gerald Moore introducing and explaining the song.



So beautiful. Such a great song.

Have at it, Howard!