The ability to
look upon a sheet of music
and sing
what's written there. The ability has degrees:
some people can read enough to
follow along; to "
fake"
the song; to
carry it off; and finally, to
hear it in
one's head.
Some years ago I was in NYC with a pianist friend who is a
musical prodigy. He often accompanied singers, and
had been asked to learn a particular song. During our
pereginations he stopped somewhere and bought the sheet
music. Later, at lunch, he pulled the text from his
bag, looked it over, and said, "Nice song," as if he
had just heard it on the radio.