Words and Music

Once upon a time when I was a theatre reviewer for a journal called The South Wales Spectator which no one I knew read, I invented sur-titles. Well, I didn't invent them so much as had the idea for them. Well, rather, my idea was for sub-titles. Since few people read the magazine (the only ones who did were probably photographed in it since it was, like Tatler, a magazine devoted mainly to high-up marriages: "pictured are the bride, Elizabeth Manly-Crossbow, with her groom, Captain Shafstebury Watson-Beaver, together with Miss Manly-Crossbow's father, Lord Hillougby Manley-Crossbow..... blah blah blah) I am pretty sure the idea of sur titles wasn't taken up from my invention (idea) of sub-titles. But it may have been and, anyway, I was first.
In those days, in my monthly article on local theatre goings-on (for which I was paid a fiver), I used to put forward the argument that opera should be in English. Why? So that the audience could understand it of course. Surely, I argued, the text is as important as the music: might as well just go "la,la,la".
Now I'm not so sure. Some songs are worsened by the words; some songs use words as musical background - take "A brighter shade of pale": it doesn't matter what the words say, if anything at all. I recall one the group who recorded that number saying he didn't know what the hell it was about. I think it got to No.1.
And take "Send in the Clowns". Does anyone know what that is about? You can understand what the singer is saying - sentences that don't add up to much: "Isn't it rich/ Are we a pair, me with my head in the clouds/ you in mid air" (or vice-versa) etc. But it doesn't matter; it's a joy to hear; you can interpret it as you wish.
Sur-titles are a great invention (I was first): you can now see Berg's "Lulu" and follow the plot as well as enjoy the music.... if you like that sort of thing.
Which bringfs me to a composer named Ruggels, an American avante garde conmposer. He was informed that one of the concerts in which his music was being played was full to capacity with music lovers to which his reaction was "what is the organistion catering to the public for?" As Alex Ross says in his book "The Rest is Noise": "As so often in the modernist saga, revolutionary impulses went hand in hand with intolerance and resentment."
Just like Sondheim who seems to resent the success of "Send in the Clowns" because it's too popular or something. Shouldn't be able to remove a song from its context he says, or some such thing. He hated Sinatra's version. It's great.