Music Finland Core

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Additional title

Description

<p>The poetry collection Chansons de Bilitis is one of the better 
literary hoaxes of the nineteenth century. Published as translations of 
ancient Greek verses by a courtesan and  onetime lover of Sappho, they 
were in fact wholly fabricated by the poet Pierre Louÿs, though his 
depth of knowledge of the period and style in question, and the richness
 and daring of his imagery, deceived readers and scholars for quite some
 time (an accomplishment in itself). When Debi Wong approached me about 
setting a cycle of these poems for her, she expressed interest in 
evoking the pseudo-antiquity of the words through the instrumentation. 
My wife’s instrument, the zither-like kantele, resembling the bardic 
lyre, seemed perfect for the task, as well as for the overtly Sapphic 
eros of Louÿs’s words.</p><p>The collection itself consists of several dozen poems tracing the 
entire life of the fictitious Bilitis, in addition to three epitaphs on 
her death. In collating the texts for the songs, I did take some 
editorial liberties, cutting names of people and appeals to various 
deities to keep the focus on Bilitis and her private world, in one case 
conflating two different poems with similar themes. I chose to focus 
throughout on a small set of recurring images: trees and leaves, night, 
darkness and stars, rain, innocence, and an abiding sense of loss. The 
piece begins with the final epitaph of the collection, the poet herself 
standing over her grave and lamenting her passing from the world. From 
there, the music returns to her earliest memories of sexual awakening 
and youthful delight in nature, touching on her midlife passions, and 
ending with her last, lonely thoughts. The music itself is a kind of 
hoax, a simultaneous homage to, and parody of the fin-de-siècle French 
style of song setting, beginning in a nostalgic, Impressionist dream 
world of recollection, and gradually taking on more contemporary ideas 
as it moves into the poetic here-and-now, to bear witness to Bilitis’s 
final moments.</p>

Year of composing

Arranger

Movements

Availability

Abbreviation	Instrument
Woodwind
acl	alto clarinet
afl	alto flute
arec	alto recorder
asax	alto saxophone
barsax	baritone saxophone
barhn	baritone horn
bcl	bass clarinet
bfl	bass flute
bob	bass oboe
bsax	bass saxophone
bsn	bassoon
cbsn	contrabassoon
cl	clarinet
ehn	English horn
fl	flute
hn	French horn
ob	oboe
pic	piccolo
rec	recorder
sax	saxophone
srec	soprano recorder
ssax	soprano saxophone
trec	tenor recorder
tsax	tenor saxophone
Brass
ahn	alto horn
atrb	altotrombone
barhn	baritone horn
btrb	bass trombone
cornet	cornet
euph	euphonium
fhn	flugelhorn
hn	French horn
tba	tuuba
thn	tenor horn
trb	trombone
trp	trumpet
Percussion
dr	drums
glock	glockenspiel
mar	marimba
perc	percussion
timp	timpani
vibr	vibraphone
xyl	xylophone
Strings
db	double bass
gamba	viola da gamba
str	strings
vla	viola
vlc	cello
vln	violin
Other
acc	accordion
cel	celesta
cemb	harpsichord
chords	chords
elbas	electric bass
elg	electric guitar
elorg	electric organ
elpno	electric piano
guit	guitar
harm	harmonium
hca	harmonica
hp	harp
instr	instrument
kantele	kantele
keyb	keyboard
live electr	live electronics
mand	mandolin
mel	melody
org	organ
pno	piano
synth	synthesizer
tape	tape
Vocal
alto	alto
baryt	baritone
basso	bass voice
ch	choir
chc	childrens choir
chf	female choir
chm	male choir
chx	mixed choir
cten	countertenor
mezzo	mezzo-soprano
sopr	soprano
speaker	speaker
ten	tenor
voc	vocal

Symphony orchestra
2222 4331 11 1, str = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, one other percussionist, harp and strings
Wind band
2252 3 423 21212 3 = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 5 clarinets, 2 bassoons - 3 saxophones - 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones - 2 cornets, alto horn, 2 tenor horns, baritone horn, 2 tubas - 3 percussionists
Big band
221 4 4, pno, guit, db, dr = 2 alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones, baritone saxophone, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, piano, guitar, double bass, drums
Additional codes
+	fl+pic = flutist doubles on piccolo
/	pno/org = can be played on either piano or organ
lib	ad libitum
obl	obligato
str	str: 65432 = specified number of string players
str min	str min: 65432 = at least 65432
str max	str max: 65432 = not more than 65432
solo	vln solo = violin is the solo instrument in a work not obviously for solo violin

Mémoires de Bilitis