Butterfly Garden
Nicholas Chase
About this work:
Butterfly Garden
Butterfly Garden is the first in a series of duets for turntable and second instrument. The text, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is a fairly rare, or at least difficult to find, excerpt from the farce by Goethe entitled Hanswursts Hochzeit, probably written for puppet theater. In the farce the main character, Hanswurst, is being lectured on his wedding night of the virtues of marriage, while he himself is openly obsessed with the events that will surely ensue on the honeymoon night.
I must gratefully acknowledge the following for their inexhaustible and invaluable help in procuring this text: Kenneth Calhoon, professor of Germanic Literature and director of Comparative Literature at the
University of Oregon who first quoted me the passage used here; Barbara Koppelberg, scholar and writer, for her aid in tracking down the actual text and in the translation of the text; Lemia Mahayni, library assistant, for her aid in procuring the text in hard copy.
‘Butterfly Garden’ is a euphemism from the Thai language.
…seht meine Figur
Wie harmoniert sie mit meiner Natur
Meine Kleider mit meinen sitten
Ich bin aus dem Ganzen zugeschnitten
Mir ist das liebe Wertherische Blut
Immer zu einem Probirhengst gut
Den lass ich mit meinen Weib spazieren
Vor ihren Augen sich abbranliren
Und hinten drein komm ich bey Nacht
Und vögle sie dass alles kracht
Sie Schwaumelt oben in höhern SphärenLässt sich unten mit Marcks der Erder nähren
Das giebt Jungs Leibseelig brav.
Allein macht ich wohl ein Schweinisch Shaf
Version: 2
Year composed: 2003
Duration: 00:14:00
Ensemble type: Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble:Solo Voice with One Non-keyboard Instrument
Instrumentation: 1 Soprano, 1 Countertenor, 1 Turntable(s)
Instrumentation notes: For Soprano or Countertenor and turntables- or any other instrument.