Rumsfeld’s ‘poetic’ voice set to music

SAN FRANCISCO – After hearing Defense Secretary Donald H Rumsfeld dress down the media at Pentagon press briefings, two San Francisco musicians came to an inevitable conclusion:his words simply must be set to chamber music.

So they’ve taken Rumsfeld’s explanations of world affairs and set them to airy classical compositions. ‘The Poetry of Donald Rumsfeld and Other Fresh American Songs’ includes ‘The Unknown’ from Rumsfeld’s February 12 2002 briefing on the situation in Iraq:”As we know, “There are known knowns. “There are things we know we know. “We also know there are known unknowns…”Now those words are lyrics sung by soprano Elender Wall, set to the lofty chords of composer and pianist Bryant Kong.The self-published CD has been featured on National Public Radio and several Web sites.Kong – no fan of the Bush administration – says Rumsfeld’s unscripted remarks are at once deliberate and casual, and often simply odd.The combination is perfect for classical music, Kong said in an interview with The Associated Press.”What we show in the songs is that we believe that Rumsfeld is telling a story that doesn’t hold up – that he is trying to sell a war that is not justified,” Kong said.”These classically based forms are a great way of doing that.”Last year, journalist-humorist Hart Seely took selected Rumsfeld briefings and without changing a word, presented them in the form of free verse, sonnets and haiku in his book ‘Pieces of Intelligence:The Existential Poetry of Donald H Rumsfeld’.- Nampa-AP’The Poetry of Donald Rumsfeld and Other Fresh American Songs’ includes ‘The Unknown’ from Rumsfeld’s February 12 2002 briefing on the situation in Iraq:”As we know, “There are known knowns. “There are things we know we know. “We also know there are known unknowns…”Now those words are lyrics sung by soprano Elender Wall, set to the lofty chords of composer and pianist Bryant Kong.The self-published CD has been featured on National Public Radio and several Web sites.Kong – no fan of the Bush administration – says Rumsfeld’s unscripted remarks are at once deliberate and casual, and often simply odd.The combination is perfect for classical music, Kong said in an interview with The Associated Press.”What we show in the songs is that we believe that Rumsfeld is telling a story that doesn’t hold up – that he is trying to sell a war that is not justified,” Kong said.”These classically based forms are a great way of doing that.”Last year, journalist-humorist Hart Seely took selected Rumsfeld briefings and without changing a word, presented them in the form of free verse, sonnets and haiku in his book ‘Pieces of Intelligence:The Existential Poetry of Donald H Rumsfeld’.- Nampa-AP