(Raimon) discusses the art of the listener (li auzidor) and [their] responsibility to understand the troubadour works. Raimon’s insistence that the audience understand what is sung and that they keep silent during its singing has been regarded as seminal in the history of classical music.
–Wikipedia
Raimon Vidal de Bezaudun was a Catalan troubadour and poet who lived during the 13th century. He’s credited with the revolutionary, possibly crankypants idea that an audience should shut their mouths during performances and make an effort to understand song lyrics.
Outside of classical music, many of us struggle to be understood by our audience—whether we’re performing live or promoting our recorded work, it’s hard just to be heard; even harder to be understood.
Meanwhile, as songwriters ourselves, we listen deeply to the recordings of others to hear, to understand, and to learn.
During your next live performance, or on your next recording, what are you going to do to ensure that you’re more interesting and commanding than the cellular phone that every one of your listeners carries? How are you going to earn being heard, and how are you going to ensure that your songs are understood?