It may be difficult for some listeners to adequately define lyric and dramatic musical expression. Drama is often associated with theatrical excitement. Consider moments of great tension in movies and operas that are accompanied by music that is tense and exciting. The fire and spirit of a fuoco (Italian - a burning passion in a figurative sense. Source: Daily Italian Words) and the grandeur and majesty of a grandioso are just two ways to express drama in the language of music. In short, the music needs to suit the mood and occasion.
Within the first year of moving to New York City after high school, I found a small apartment with a Greek family in Queens. Living in the same home with a Greek family opened up a whole new world for me. My new life was now about Greek food, soccer, politics and the Greek Orthodox church. This new world felt so comfortable from the food, camaraderie and especially the music. The only music heard over the radio in the house was Greek. I fell in love with it as I listened for hours during the weekends.
During the week I worked in New York City as a legal secretary. On weekends I was becoming a Greek. I even took music lessons for a short time from a teacher who knew how to play the bouzouki. Not only was I the only American student, but the only female student for about six months. You can learn more about Greek and Italian music by visiting travel sites on the internet. You can learn more about my experience as a music student in my book From Piano to Puccini available online at book sites like Amazon. Thank you for listening. Have a wonderful day and stay tuned for the next episode about music.
