Mark the Music

“The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils;
The motions of his spirit are dull as night
And his affections dark as Erebus:
Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music.”

William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, V, 1

Enjoy.

Incidentally, the whole first scene of Act V of the Merchant is interesting in the above mentioned respect.  So why not dust off your Collected Works, grab a cup of tea and enjoy some more…

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3 Replies to “Mark the Music”

  1. Vaughan Williams set that text in his beautiful Ode to Music. Rachmaninoff attended its first performance and was in tears by the end. The original setting was for 15 solo voices. VW also set it for choir and I once had the joy of singing in that version.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. So I am in good company concerning the tears. If music says something about the listener, how much more about the composer… Surely, it must have been a wonderful experience for you!

      Liked by 1 person

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