Why I Sing: Alan Quarnberg

In July 1981 I heard something transcendent: The American soprano Arleen Auger singing Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Even though I was experiencing her performance via television, never had I heard anything more sublime…seriously! Musical perfection just fell from her mouth as she sang Mozart like I had never heard it sung. I was spellbound and couldn’t believe there could be anything more beautiful than what I was hearing. My guess is you’ve all had similar moments where something so beautiful and so desirable, moves you in such a way that you have to have more of it; you want to be part of it.

So, why do I sing? I believe there is only one Great Song in the universe and all music is a derivative of that song. The Great Song is everywhere, in every moment and space, in every person. It has no future or past – it just is. Some hear the Song more clearly and act as guides for the rest of us. For me, that explains the Mozarts, the Bachs, the Beethovens, the Brahms, and Barlows of this world. The Great Song speaks to them and they in turn unlock its beauty to us. But we’re not totally bereft of ears that hear. We stir at the Song’s familiarity and though we may or may not we have the talent of an Arleen Auger, we have to sing at the Song’s awakening! And in singing something happens: The Song lifts us, fills us, heals us, and changes us for the better – if even for a moment. From a baser and far less romantic perspective, the Great Song is the universal source of feel-good endorphins.

You can hear Arleen Auger sing Exultate Jubilate by watching this clip below: