I'd like to say another belated thank you to Lawrence for an excellent
colloquium. I also enjoyed Trevor Joyce's reading that evening, in spite
of exhaustion, and it was good to see Harry's intro. republished here.
Amongst other interesting aspects of "Syzygy" is Trevor's use of the
mediaeval palindrome, in which 'imitating voice or voices give out the
melody backwards'. This seems to have been the basis of 'The Net' section
of the poem, although to a different effect, as different as the
palindromic form is in fourteenth century music to contemporary serial
music.
Certainly not towards a divine harmony. An analogous formal precedence
came into the collaboration I did with Elizabeth James. I was interested
in the work of Hildegard of Bingen, and the way her music scurries rapidly
up and down the scales in wide melodic leaps.
Best wishes, Frances
p.s. if Trevor reads this, could you let me have your email?
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|