Overflow Poem by gershon hepner

When singers can’t depend on the security
of high notes they rely
on musicality and tone whose purity
all errors may belie.
We don’t excuse inaccuracies when they hit
the low notes, though
perfection turns into the lowest form of wit
when there’s no overflow.

In the September 2008 issue of Commentary, Terry Teachout writes about Lotte Lehmann:

A “heavy” lyric soprano whose voice was more warm than brilliant, Lehmann was never known for the security of her high notes. Instead she opted for sincerity over showiness, singing with a heartfelt quality that Kater (Never Sang for Hitler: The Life and Times of Lotte Lehmann,1888-1976) nicely describes as “soulfulness enhanced by chastity.”

8/30/08