CHARIOTEER, Voice, Vla, Guitar After James Merrill
Harold Blumenfeld
About this work:
James Merrill's "Charioteer of Delphi", with celebrated opening line "Where are the horses of the sun?" for Baritone, Viola, Guitar.......
Merrill's "Charioteer" was inspired by famed ancient piece of statuary, much as is case with Rilke's great "Archaischer Torso Apollos", after which composer is certain it was modeled...... [The Rilke poem itself is set in composer's "Rilke for Voice & Guitar", recorded VOXBOX CDX 5145.].....
>Former Pub. MMB Music, now closed. COMPOSER is now publisher, blumenf@wustl.edu: .
Score: $30...
Three playing scores: $60.......
Text Excerpt---
WHERE ARE THE HORSES OF THE SUN?..
WATCH NOW,
THE FLUTINGS OF HIS DRESS HANG DOWN
FROM THE BRAVE PATINA OF BREAST.
HIS GENTLE EYES, GLASS BROWN
NEITHER ATTEND US NOR THE LATEST ONE
BLISTERED AND STAMMERING
WHO COMES TO CRY,
VILLAGE IN FLAMES AND RIVER DRY;
NONE TO CONTROL THE CHARIOT
AND TO CALL BACK THE KILLING HORSES, NONE, NOW THAT THEIR MASTER,
EYES ASHINE, WILL NOT........
Voice part: lyric, painterly, dramatic.
Guitar part coloristic, demanding.
Year composed: 1985
Duration: 00:07:00
Ensemble type: Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble:Voice with Chamber/Jazz Ensemble, 2-5 Players
Instrumentation: ,1 Viola soloist(s), ,1 Guitar (Classical/Acoustic) soloist(s), ,1 Medium Voice soloist(s)
Instrumentation notes: Setting of Merrill's "Charioteer of Delphi", poet's response to celebrated sculpture.
Viola, guitar, medium voice