John Pickard
THE PHOENIX
Bardic Edition BDE316
Catalogue Number: BDE0316
ISMN: 9790502442699
Text adapted from Cynewulf (translated by R. K. Gordon) for Soprano voice and piano.
The text of “The Phoenix” is freely adapted from R. K. Gordon’s translation of the 9th Century poem of the same name found in the Exeter Book. The poem was long thought to be by the Northumbrian, Cynewulf, though modern scholarship now suggests otherwise.
In its full version, the poem is a Christian allegory in the manner of the rather later Bestiaries. These were medieval tracts (themselves derived from the Ancient Greek 'Physiologus') which describe fabulous animals in vivid language and which end by drawing a mora’ from the description. In The Phoenix the mythical bird’s ability to rise from its own ashes becomes a symbol of Christ’s resurrection.
The Phoenix is a long poem - almost 700 lines - so the text prepared for this piece uses only a fraction oft the original. It concentrates on the first half of the poem, using very little of the specifically Christian allegory of its second part. So the shape of the original poem has been completely distorted.
Additionally, the text is not only translated to modern English, but the translation in turn has been freely adapted by myself for the purposes of setting to music and, where certain words have seemed inappropriate for setting, I have simply substituted my own versions. Naturally, all of this takes us a long way from the original text.
However, what I have attempted to retain and to amplify in musical terms is the ecstatic lyricism of the original poem. In contrast with the prevailing gloom of much Anglo-Saxon poetry, The Phoenix is suffused with light and warmth and these are the features which I have tried to reflect in the music.
The Phoenix was commissioned by the Department of Extra-Mural Studies, University College, Aberystwyth, with funds from the Welsh Arts Council. It was written for Delyth Hopkins Evans and Lyn Davies. The work lasts about fifteen minutes and runs continuously. John Pickard, 1992
Duration 15 minutes
The text of “The Phoenix” is freely adapted from R. K. Gordon’s translation of the 9th Century poem of the same name found in the Exeter Book. The poem was long thought to be by the Northumbrian, Cynewulf, though modern scholarship now suggests otherwise.
In its full version, the poem is a Christian allegory in the manner of the rather later Bestiaries. These were medieval tracts (themselves derived from the Ancient Greek 'Physiologus') which describe fabulous animals in vivid language and which end by drawing a mora’ from the description. In The Phoenix the mythical bird’s ability to rise from its own ashes becomes a symbol of Christ’s resurrection.
The Phoenix is a long poem - almost 700 lines - so the text prepared for this piece uses only a fraction oft the original. It concentrates on the first half of the poem, using very little of the specifically Christian allegory of its second part. So the shape of the original poem has been completely distorted.
Additionally, the text is not only translated to modern English, but the translation in turn has been freely adapted by myself for the purposes of setting to music and, where certain words have seemed inappropriate for setting, I have simply substituted my own versions. Naturally, all of this takes us a long way from the original text.
However, what I have attempted to retain and to amplify in musical terms is the ecstatic lyricism of the original poem. In contrast with the prevailing gloom of much Anglo-Saxon poetry, The Phoenix is suffused with light and warmth and these are the features which I have tried to reflect in the music.
The Phoenix was commissioned by the Department of Extra-Mural Studies, University College, Aberystwyth, with funds from the Welsh Arts Council. It was written for Delyth Hopkins Evans and Lyn Davies. The work lasts about fifteen minutes and runs continuously. John Pickard, 1992
Duration 15 minutes
