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Description
for Soprano, Violin, Cello, and Percussion
1998
12:05
This is based on the biblical text of the same name, sometimes called "Song of Solomon," a lengthy poem about love told from three different points of view.
The two principal characters are male and female, as indicated by the gender of the Hebrew pronouns used, and their narratives are interspersed with occasional commentary by others, called "friends," who serve a role akin to the chorus in the plays of Greek antiquity. Biblical commentators suggest the text was written by different authors at different times, as the style and content is not consistent.
I chose to set only a small fraction of the text to music, all of it from the point of view of the female, or "beloved." I was attracted by the sensuous quality present in much of the "Song." My musical setting is fairly simple, basically tonal, and in sections corresponding with the mood changes of the text, which I chose and adapted freely.
It takes a while to get going, so you may want to dim the lights, slip on the headphones, and relax! Oh, and for the most part, the cello represents the male character, and the violin the female. The percussionist is helping to set the overal mood, and providing commentary occasionally.
1998
12:05
This is based on the biblical text of the same name, sometimes called "Song of Solomon," a lengthy poem about love told from three different points of view.
The two principal characters are male and female, as indicated by the gender of the Hebrew pronouns used, and their narratives are interspersed with occasional commentary by others, called "friends," who serve a role akin to the chorus in the plays of Greek antiquity. Biblical commentators suggest the text was written by different authors at different times, as the style and content is not consistent.
I chose to set only a small fraction of the text to music, all of it from the point of view of the female, or "beloved." I was attracted by the sensuous quality present in much of the "Song." My musical setting is fairly simple, basically tonal, and in sections corresponding with the mood changes of the text, which I chose and adapted freely.
It takes a while to get going, so you may want to dim the lights, slip on the headphones, and relax! Oh, and for the most part, the cello represents the male character, and the violin the female. The percussionist is helping to set the overal mood, and providing commentary occasionally.
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Lyrics
Song of Songs
(excerpts from Biblical text, a.k.a. Song of Solomon)
O, kiss me with the kisses of your mouth,
for your lips are more delightful than wine.
Oh how handsome you are,
pleasing is your fragrance,
take me to your chambers.
I am a rose of Sharon,
I am a lily of the valleys,
(let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth)
for his love is more delicious than wine.
My perfume spreads its fragrance.
I am dark, and lovely,
my lover is to me a sachet of myrrh
resting between my breasts.
My lover is mine and I am his,
he browses among the lilies.
Let him kiss me among the lilies,
among the lilies.
Oh how handsome you are,
and our bed is luscious.
All night long on my bed
I looked for the one my heart loves,
I then got up to go about the city,
through its streets and squares;
So I searched for the one I love,
but did not find him.
The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.
“Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
Scarcely had I passed them
when I found him!
Then I held him and would not let him go,
till I had brought him to my mother's house,
to the room in which I was conceived.
He kissed me with the kisses of his mouth.
My lover is mine and I am his,
he browses among the lilies,
among the lilies.
(excerpts from Biblical text, a.k.a. Song of Solomon)
O, kiss me with the kisses of your mouth,
for your lips are more delightful than wine.
Oh how handsome you are,
pleasing is your fragrance,
take me to your chambers.
I am a rose of Sharon,
I am a lily of the valleys,
(let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth)
for his love is more delicious than wine.
My perfume spreads its fragrance.
I am dark, and lovely,
my lover is to me a sachet of myrrh
resting between my breasts.
My lover is mine and I am his,
he browses among the lilies.
Let him kiss me among the lilies,
among the lilies.
Oh how handsome you are,
and our bed is luscious.
All night long on my bed
I looked for the one my heart loves,
I then got up to go about the city,
through its streets and squares;
So I searched for the one I love,
but did not find him.
The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.
“Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
Scarcely had I passed them
when I found him!
Then I held him and would not let him go,
till I had brought him to my mother's house,
to the room in which I was conceived.
He kissed me with the kisses of his mouth.
My lover is mine and I am his,
he browses among the lilies,
among the lilies.
ktb
From the slow and emotional almost arabic opera parts to the lushed
faster paced string sections this was totally engrossing. imho, a
magical assortment of well-chosen and beautifully played tracks. The
female vocal was stunning. Deep sadness and even dark at times it still
conveyed a very direct link to my core. Clark, you challenge your
listeners. :-) in all good ways