Opera Pause 02 - The Misogynist's Song

First of all, I'd like to introduce a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laX6Ktt6dZU

This is a song from the operetta ''The Beggar Student'' or ''Der Bettelstudent'' by Millocker. In this song, a Polish baron swears revenge on a woman who slapped him with a fan at the theatre. The lyrics of the song are below. Their English translation is placed below it.

Und da soll man noch galant sein
Mit dem schöneren Geschlecht,
Katzenbuckeln, und galant sein,
Spielen den ergebenen Knecht.
Einen Helden, den in Polen
Wie in Sachsen jeder kennt,
Den Wolhynien und Podolien
Nur mit Schreck und Zittern nennt;
Der mit seiner Augen Blitzen
Hat entschieden manchen Krieg,
Dem das Brüllen der Haubitzen
Klingt wie liebliche Musik. - Hat
Diesen Helden, nie geschlagen,
Ueberall hochverehrt,
Durft' ein Weib zu schlagen wagen,
Der Gedanke mich empört.
Die Erinnerung macht mich beben,
Mich so tätlich zu insultieren'!
Doch soll sie etwas von mir erleben,
Meine Rache spüren!
War es denn eigentlich
Gar so fürchterlich, -
Warum ich so schwer gebüsst? Hai
Ach, ich hab' sie ja nur
Auf die Schulter geküsst
Hier hab' ich den Schlag gespürt
Mit dem Fächer ins Gesicht. -
Alle Himmelmillionendonnerwetter, heiliges Kanonenrohr.
Mir ist manches schon passiert,
Aber so etwas noch nicht!

And when should we be more gallant
With the fair sex,
Cats bosses, and his gallant,
Play the devoted servant.
A hero, in Poland
As everyone knows in Saxony,
The Volhynia and Podolia
Only calls with fear and trembling;
With his eyes flashing
Has held some war
The roar of the howitzers
Sounds like sweet music. - Hat
This hero, never beaten,
Everywhere highly revered
Could 'a woman dare to beat,
The idea appalled me.
The memory makes me tremble,
Sun violent insult me! "
But do they want something from me,
Feel my revenge!
Was it really
Even so terrible -
Why am I so heavily fined? Hai
Alas, I have it so only
Kiss on the shoulder
Here I have felt the impact
With the fan in the face. -
All heaven million damn, holy gun barrel.
Me much has happened already,
But such a thing yet!

This song is one which I can really identify myself with. In fact, I don't think I'm the only one who can identify myself with it. Most of my circle of friends have had similar experiences before: trying to get a female friend or girlfriend only to be rebuffed, being treated as transparent or as a fourth-class citizen by the opposite sex, being seen as an ''It'' with whom being seen is a sin of the first order..the list is endless.

This is one of the reasons why opera's a genre which I can feel better able to identify myself with. I don't think there are songs in popular music that reflect such experiences or echo such thoughts. Popular music's there to provide songs to reflect the experiences of the ordinary man and portray things running through in his mind. Ordinary man is well able to get along with the opposite sex. He might not be able to strike a relationship with them but as a mate, even though he might not meet the over-stringent and ridiculously exacting criteria of the opposite sex but he has not failed them by too great an extent. I think my experience differs greatly from the experience of the ordinary man so I felt popular music's unable to act as my voice. Hence I went into opera, finding songs which reflect experiences of characters I can identify myself with, such as these. There are hundreds of opera characters, cut from the same cloth but made differently. There might be one out there whom you can identify with.