Ruth Daigon Makes Poetry Sing
The background in music offered a definite advantage. For instance, musical lyricism manifests in her book, Between One Future and the Next. As soon as she started writing, says the poet, "I began reading my poetry in classrooms, libraries, and small gatherings. I used all my skills I learned as a singer-a well-developed voice, breath control, projection, and the ability to interpret an emotion simply and honestly." Much of Ms. Daigon's poetry contains a lyrical, musical flow, as in the poem,Poppy Seed Cookies. These few lines, read aloud, literally sing:
once her words tasted
bitter as yeast
now the distance
between you is gone
she's close by
the sun in her apron pocketyou are partners again
like a batch of dough
and the rolling pin
this is the dream you have been
dreaming all your life
At present, Kimera features Ms. Daigon's poetry, and the zine offers Realaudio files. The musical quality of her voice expresses poems like Samuel Pepys Chewed Tobacco during Plague-Ridden Days eloquently.
Working with Auden
It's almost enough to be able to say you sang at Dylan Thomas's funeral. After all, that's a pretty amazing thing to share. To be able to add that you also worked with W. H. Auden marks you as incredible. Ms. Daigon describes the experience in her own words:
My work with Auden consisted of preparing a concert of Elizabethan verse and music together with the five other Pro Musica singers and Noah, Greenberg, our conductor, to be performed at the 92nd St. Y in New York City, and subsequently recorded for Columbia Recordings with Auden reading the poetry as we sang the musical settings. Actually, I was very much in awe of him. After all, I had just studied his poetry at the University, and here was the great man in person. Although he came directly from his Greenwich Village apartment in his carpet slippers and sweater unraveling at the sleeves, he was at all times the professional.
Ms. Daigon remembers that Mr. Auden was at every single rehearsal, and participated in discussions about the poetry and the performance. She says that he was always polite. "He very rarely spoke to the women, except to talk about specific technical things," she notes. "It was probably our fault. We sat mum." Who wouldn't?
Advice for Aspiring Poets
Ms. Daigon spends at least 4-5 hours each day writing. She says the length of time isn't as important as the intent. "Set aside a
Latest Articles