Day 62: More Scottish Songs

HaydnCD62The underpinning of Buddhism is a word called dukkha, which is a Pali word often translated as suffering, anxiety, dissatisfaction, un-ease. It is found in the Four Noble Truths – in fact, it is the first of the Four.

The second of the Four Noble Truths tells us where dukkha comes from — ourselves. We crave. Or, another way to describe it is we grasp. Essentially, we want things to be different from how they are.

That has to be the reason why I think differently about today’s Haydn CD from how I did about yesterday’s.

It’s, essentially, the same music. The same performers. The same musicians.

Yet, today, I like it. I don’t mind the near-contralto range of soprano Lorna Anderson, or the lower-range of tenor Jamie MacDougall. For some reason, I actually like today’s selection of songs.

Obviously, there are two possible explanations: (1) The song selections are different, and/or (2) I am different.

Frankly, I think it’s the latter. Maybe I just needed a little time to get used to what I was hearing.

Track 9 (“Hey tutti taiti”), for example. A really fun little ditty.

And Track 16 (“The wish”).

What I’ve noticed about today’s CD is:

A. There are more rolling Rs in this Scottish music than I’ve ever heard in an Italian opera, and

B. MacDougall and Anderson sing well together. Maybe I’m just used to their voices now. Or maybe I’m a different person today listening to these Scottish songs. Either way, I enjoy their ranges now. Go figure.

I really love the whimsey of these songs. Track 22 (“My Love she’s but a lassie yet”), for example. It’s a sprightly song. And the title, alone, makes me chuckle.

Yup. I’m going to have to label this one Favorite Haydn Scottish Songs.

Here’s what I listened to today:

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