[78-L] Early studio singers - question

[Don Cox]

On 10/12/2011, Jeff Sultanof wrote:

> Sinatra could not read music, and he was another singer who learned
> songs from his musical director or others. For instance, Sammy Cahn
> introduced him to songs he was previously unaware of (I Don't Stand a
> Ghost of a Chance and Street of Dreams are two examples that Sinatra
> himself mentioned). He could also sense a melody line from sheet music
> by watching the lines go up and down.
> 
> He was a huge opera fan, and he came to know a lot of symphonic music
> as well; meetings with Nelson Riddle would consist of Frank describing
> the type of accompaniment he wanted with regard to tempo and
> backgrounds, even saying that in an introduction, he wanted a similar
> sound to a work by Brahms, which he would name.
> 
> He turned out to be a fine conductor. Riddle commented that he could
> stand on a podium, give the musicians a look, and they followed. If he
> didn't like something, his piercing stare would precede telling the
> musicians what he wanted.
> 
> Several musicians have told me that if he'd had some real musical
> training, who knows what he could have done.
> 
Sinatra was clearly a very intelligent and talented man.

But compare Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, who did have musical training, yet
his career in the classical field was pretty much the same as Sinatra's
- full time singing with some acting.

Regards
-- 
Don Cox
doncox at enterprise.net