That Shakespeherian Rag

New Zealand Listener, Volume 13, Issue 336, 30 November 1945, Page 12

That Shakespeherian Rag

ATE one night this week I tuned out of the morose buzzing of a Master in Lighter Mood and into a light session from 3ZB, and out of the machine came some unknown young woman, of a dance band whose name I never caught, presenting Shakespeare’s "Sigh no more, Ladies," to the most thoroughly twentieth.century tune imaginable. You shudder. Almost, temembering past horrible experiences, I shudder with you. Yet it was surprisingly likeable, neither grotesque nor pretentious; the singer, rising to her better material, succeeded in making a successful marriage of words and tune-the rather wry tone of both helping her. The points which arise out of this odd little happening are, I think, two: first, it reminds us how much of the horror of the average mush song .

comes n om. the tune but from the utter mechanical nullity of the words; if some thought and feeling and ingenuity goes into the latter, something not too far from a poetic statement can be achieved. Secondly, much of this number’s success came from its salutary lack of awe towards the classic and great, a refusal to regard the sixteenth century hit as frozen in timeless perfection so that the composer set himself to translate into modern terms and did so. I don’t suggest that this should be done often; but I do remove my hat to those who did it once.