I was about 17 when I first heard the piece and it 'bowled me over' as much
as Bach solo violin. What I'm racking my brain to remember right now is the
name of a seventeenth century English composer, who died about as young as
Keats, who did an extraordinary setting of that famous Donne poem, the one
with 'Thou hast done' pun refrain.
Though of course one must mention the astonishing mediaeval setting of
'Sumer is i-cumen in' which some have characterized as the beginning,
development and ultimate achievement of English music!
best
Dave
----- Original Message -----
From: "genet son of genet" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2001 8:35 AM
Subject: Re: syllabics/Hopkins Browning/Dylan Thomas
> -- Now that is very interesting.I was aware that Stravinsky and Thomas
were
> to do an opera of 3 of Thomas' later poems. But I was not aware that
> Stravinsky had done this piece. The work of Thomas and S. were to have
done
> together was thwarted by the former's premature death. I was thinking
about
> the interview with Burgess and I believe in can be found in the New York
> Times the year before Burgess died. There is also an electronic digital
> creation of D.T.'s voice done by a composer. Again, give me time and I
shall
> send that information along. The atmosphere created by the composer is
> uncanny and builds up very gradually and near the middle one hears the
> digital morsels come together to assemble the voice of the Welsh poet. It
is
> very spooky and is there for one phrase and then thunders away and fades
> eventually back into the digital sea from whence it arose
>
> >From: "david.bircumshaw" <[log in to unmask]>
> >Reply-To: Poetryetc provides a venue for a dialogue relating to poetry
and
> > poetics <[log in to unmask]>
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: Re: syllabics/Hopkins Browning
> >Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 07:59:03 +0100
> >
> >That's a thought, Candice, it's years since I heard the James, and I
missed
> >out on Wingrave, perhaps they'd work for me now, must give them a visit
> >when
> >insomnias depart.
> >
> >Perhaps one the most memorable settings of any English language poet I
have
> >heard though is Stravinsky's In Memoriam Dylan Thomas (think that's the
> >correct title) which deploys Do No Go Gentle into that Good Night in a
> >manner which supercharges the poem
> >
> >Best
> >
> >Dave
> >
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Candice Ward" <[log in to unmask]>
> >To: <[log in to unmask]>
> >Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2001 7:49 AM
> >Subject: Re: syllabics/Hopkins Browning
> >
> >
> > > Don't you like the James a la Britten, David? The way he uses "Tom,
Tom,
> >the
> > > Piper's Son" in Turn of the Screw to reinforce the focus on the
> >children?
> > > And the spooky Owen Wingrave is my favorite. I saw a film of the
Britten
> > > Owen years and years ago that was shot in Norfolk in a wonderfully
> > > atmospheric house--maybe it was Britten's house, don't remember--but
it
> >had
> > > windows of a size and shape that let in very little light, all of
which
> > > looked gray all the time from inside the house, and it looked to me as
> >if
> > > the film's lighting was tinted along the same spectrum so that
> > > everything--mobile and stationary--not only had its own shadow but an
> > > unchanging one, always the same length, depth, darkness, etc. One of
the
> > > creepiest effects I've ever seen--Candice
> > >
> > >
> > > on 7/26/01 2:24 AM, david.bircumshaw at [log in to unmask]
> >wrote:
> > >
> > > > I think, if memory serves me, that Britten set Hopkins too, I know
he
> > > > definitely set Blake and Donne, (and unlike much his work, I do like
> >his
> > > > settings of poets).
> > > >
> > > > db
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: "genet son of genet" <[log in to unmask]>
> > > > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > > > Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2001 7:19 AM
> > > > Subject: Re: syllabics/Hopkins Browning
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >> Theres an interview somewhere with Anthony Burgess. In it he speaks
> >of
> > > >> setting various pieces of H's poems to music, and also of finishing
a
> >play
> > > >> of H's. I am sure many people have done things with Browning, and
> >there
> > > > are
> > > >> some French musicans who have sets lots of H's work to music.
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>> From: Roger Collett <[log in to unmask]>
> > > >>> Reply-To: Poetryetc provides a venue for a dialogue relating to
> >poetry
> > > > and
> > > >>> poetics <[log in to unmask]>
> > > >>> To: [log in to unmask]
> > > >>> Subject: Re: syllabics
> > > >>> Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 22:37:48 +0100
> > > >>>
> > > >>> My wife, for whom the research is, wrote:
> > > >>>>>>>>
> > > >>> Of course, Bridges. I should have known. Tried to set one of his
> >poems
> >to
> > > >>> music (about 40+ years ago; problem was not being a good enough
> >pianist
> > > > to
> > > >>> write an adequate piano part), and thinking back over the melody,
> >it's
> > > >>> clear
> > > >>> I was aware of the rhythmic requirements. I think he had a lot
more
> > > >>> influence in his day than his readership these days might suggest.
I
> > > > wonder
> > > >>> now if he himself deliberately set this syllabic hare running,
being
> >as
> > > > he
> > > >>> was in close correspondence with Hopkins and his so different
> >prosodic
> > > >>> developments.
> > > >>>
> > > >>> Do thank Robin for me, I'd be most interested in the article. Am
> >sure
> > > > he's
> > > >>> right about the classical slosh-over, remembering how I tried to
> >write
> > > >>> Virgilian hexameters in the sixth-form, fully expecting to end up
> >with
> > > >>> something vaguely Miltonic, and instead got something like
> >rudimentary
> > > >>> sprung rhythm <<<<<
> > >
>
>
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