Kathleen Battle (born August 13, 1948, Portsmouth, Ohio, USA) is an African… Read Full Bio ↴Kathleen Battle (born August 13, 1948, Portsmouth, Ohio, USA) is an African-American soprano known for her agile and light voice and her silvery, pure tone. One of the most prominent recitalists and opera singers of her generation, she is admired for her wide ranging recital repertoire and performances of the operas of Georg Friedrich Händel and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Battle initially became known for her work within the concert repertoire through performances with major orchestras during the early and mid 70s. She made her opera debut in 1975 and by the early 1980s had become a favorite at many of the world's best opera houses within the soubrette repertoire. Battle expanded her repertoire into light lyric soprano and lyric coloratura soprano roles during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1985, Michael Walsh of Time magazine called her "the best lyric coloratura in the world". Although she no longer appears in operas, Battle remains active in concert and recital performances.

As a child and young adult, Battle was both a good student and a good singer, but her ambitions were not grand. She was awarded a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in Ohio, but she chose to major in music education rather than risk a performance career. In 1971, with both bachelor's and master's degrees, Battle set out to teach music to Cincinnati's inner-city youth. While teaching 5th and 6th grade music, she continued to study voice privately, which resulted in an audition with Thomas Schippers (then conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra). He was so moved by Battle's remarkable voice that he hired the almost totally inexperienced singer to perform at the 1972 Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy.

Del Cabello Más Sutil
Kathleen Battle Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Que tienes en tu trenzado
He de hacer una cadena
Para traerte a mi lado.
Una alcarraza en tu casa,
Chiquilla, quisiera ser,
Para besarte en la boca,
Cuando fueras a beber
Que tienes en tu trenzado

He de hacer una cadena
Para traerte a mi lado.
Una alcarraza en tu casa,
Chiquilla, quisiera ser,
Para besarte en la boca,

Cuando fueras a beber
Oooo...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Kathleen Battle's song Del Cabello Más Sutil are in Spanish and express a desire to be close to a woman who has caught the attention of the singer. The opening line "Que tienes en tu trenzado" translates to "What do you have in your braids" and the singer expresses the desire to make a chain out of them to bring the woman closer to him. He then fantasizes about being a pitcher in her house so that he can kiss her when she goes to drink from it. The lines are repeated twice throughout the song, adding to the romantic and sensuous nature of the lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

Que tienes en tu trenzado
What do you have in your braids?

He de hacer una cadena
I must make a chain

Para traerte a mi lado.
To bring you by my side

Una alcarraza en tu casa,
A jug in your house,

Chiquilla, quisiera ser,
Young lady, I would like to be,

Para besarte en la boca,
To kiss you on the mouth,

Cuando fueras a beber
When you go to drink

Oooo...
Oooo...

Writer(s): Fernando Obradors

Contributed by Anna S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Fernando Pinheiro

DO CABELO MAIS SUTIL
Del cabello más sutil, de Fernando Obradors, uma canção
Clássica espanhola, nos revela que nos cabelos da trança
Da mulher amada, o pretendente tem que fazer a ligação
Na corrente para trazê-la ao lado dele, numa esperança

De que a tigela da casa dela, ele gostaria muito de beijar
Quando ela fosse nela beber. É uma arrojada investida
De pensamentos que voam, isso é o que ele pode achar.
No campo magnético acontece, mas a caça não é abatida.

A vontade e a escolha da mulher amada é mantida, pois
Não há gemônias onde não há vínculos. O pretendente
Tem que esperar a vontade dela se manifestar depois.

Na relação de casal, é sempre da mulher a decisão final,
Pois os amores esperam a hora certa, isto é prudente
Numa relação que tende a ser duradoura e imortal. (*)

(*) FERNANDO PINHEIRO, presidente da Academia de Letras dos Funcionários do Banco do Brasil. - DO CABELO MAIS SUTIL (poesia), de Fernando Pinheiro. - in O mundo de Morfeu, de Fernando Pinheiro.