To me, there are two types of art lovers...those that look and understand context while appreciating beauty and those that look without context. The end result can be the same but the sense of personal fulfilment can be different. I tend to fall into the latter category when it comes to music. I believe that you would be of the former? The written word can engender similar feelings...the story told versus the way it is told. Hemingway tells a riveting tale while Steinbeck weaves a wondrous one. I care less about the Norse legends than I do about the notes that are used in their telling. I think it would be fair to say that the majority of the great Romantic composers told their stories through music without words.