× the rain is a handsome animal ×

Transcription

× the rain is a handsome animal ×
1 7 S O N G S F R O M T H E P O E T RY O F E . E . C U M M I N G S
2
1.
a cloud on a leaf
3:59
2.
the rain is a handsome animal
4:21
3.
sweet spring
4:21
4.
if up’s the word
4:47
5.
open his head
2:47
6.
unchanging
3:39
7.
buffalo bill
3:31
8.
the enormous room
7:13
9.
so shy shy shy
1:39
10.
2 little whos
4:39
11.
yes is a pleasant country
2:43
12.
grapefruit
6:06
13.
human rind
4:39
14.
anyone lived in a pretty how town
4:27
15.
diminutive
2:28
16.
little i
3:45
17.
now(more near ourselves than we)
3:20
1, 5, 6, 10, 12, 17 by B. Goldberg, Njamin Music (ASCAP)
3 , 1 1 , 1 6 b y C . K i h l s t e d t , B r o c a ’s F o l d , ( A S C A P )
2 , 7 , 1 3 , 1 5 b y M . O r t o n , Tu n g u s k a M u s i c ( B M I )
4, 8, 14 by R. Reich, Robreichmusic (ASCAP)
9 by R. Reich, Robreichmusic (ASCAP), vocal melody transcribed from E. E. Cummings’ recitation.
3
1 . a c l o u d o n a l e a f ( d e d i c a t e d t o Yo k o O n o )
speaking of love(of
which Who knows the
meaning;or how dreaming
becomes
if your heart's mind)i
guess a grassblade
Thinks beyond or
around(as poems are
made)Our picking it. this
caress that laugh
both quickly signify
life's only half(through
deep weather then
or none let's feel
all)mind in mind flesh
In flesh succeeding disappear
music by ben goldberg
ben goldberg: clarinet
carla kihlstedt: violin & voice
mark orton: guitar
rob reich: accordion
2. the rain is a handsome animal
music by mark orton
carla kihlstedt: violin
mark orton: guitar
4
3. sweet spring
“sweet spring is your
time is my time is our
time for springtime is lovetime
and viva sweet love”
(all the merry little birds are
flying in the floating in the
very spirits singing in
are winging in the blossoming)
lovers go and lovers come
awandering awondering
but any two are perfectly
alone there’s nobody else alive
(such a sky and such a sun
i never knew and neither did you
and everybody never breathed
quite so many kinds of yes)
not a tree can count his leaves
each herself by opening
by shining who by thousands mean
only one amazing thing
(secretly adoring shyly
tiny winging darting floating
merry in the blossoming
always joyful selves are singing)
“sweet spring is your
time is my time is our
time for springtime is lovetime
and viv sweet love”
music by carla kihlstedt
strings arranged by carla kihlstedt & mark orton
carla kihlstedt: violin, viola & voice
mark orton: guitar
rob reich: piano
5
4. if up’s the word
if up’s the word;and a world grows greener
minute by second and most by more—
if death is the loser and life is the winner
(and beggars are rich but misers are poor)
—let’s touch the sky:
with a to and a fro
(and a here there where)and away we go
in even the laziest creature among us
a wisdom no knowledge can kill is astir—
now dull eyes are keen and now keen eyes are keener
( f o r y o u n g i s t h e y e a r, f o r y o u n g i s t h e y e a r )
with a great(and a gay
and a steep)deep rush through amazing day
it’s brains without hearts have set saint against sinner;
put gain over gladness and joy under care—
let’s do as an earth which can never do wrong does
(minute by second and most by more)
with a strange(and a true)
and a climbing fall into far near blue
if beggars are rich(and a robin will sing his
robin a song)but misers are poor—
let’s love until noone could quite be(and young is
t h e y e a r, d e a r ) a s l i v i n g a s i ’ m a n d a s y o u ’ r e
with a you and a me
and an every(who’s any who’s some)one who’s we
music by rob reich
mark orton: guitar
6
5. open his head
open his head,baby
& you’ll find a heart in it
(cracked)
open that heart, mable
& you’ll find a bed in it
(fact)
open this bed,sibyl
& you’ll find a tart in it
(wed)
open the tart,lady
& you’ll find his mind in it
(dead)
mark orton: guitar
rob reich: piano
7
6. unchanging
one
t
hi
s
snowflake
(a
li
ght
in
g)
is upon a gra
v
es
t
one
ben goldberg: contra alto clarinet
mark orton: guitar
8
7. buffalo bill (dedicated to Eric Beenfeldt)
Buffalo Bill’s
defunct
who used to
ride a watersmooth-silver
s t a l l i o n
and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat
J e s u s
he was a handsome man
and what i want to know is
how do you like your blueeyed boy
Mister Death
music by mark orton
carla kihlstedt: voice
mark orton: strummed piano, autoharp & marxophone
withandy harris: euphonium & trombone
james gregg: trumpet
jen harrison: french horn
mark vehrencamp: tuba
8. enormous room
music by rob reich
mark orton: guitar
9
9. so shy shy shy
So shy shy shy(and with a
look the very boldest man
can scarcely dare to meet no matter
how he’ll try to try)
So wrong(wrong wong)and with a
smile at which the rightest man
remembers there is such a thing
as spring and wonders why
So gay gay gay and with a
wisdom not the wisest man
will partly understand(although
the wisest man am i)
So young young young and with a
something makes the oldest man
(whoever he may be)the only
man who’ll never die
vocal melody transcribed by carla kihlstedt
from ee cummings’ reading - (caedmon classics)
clarinet trio written by rob reich
ben goldberg: clarinet and contra alto clarinet
carla kihlstedt: voice
10
1 0 . 2 l i t t l e w h o s ( d e d i c a t e d t o N e l s C l i n e & Yu k a H o n d a )
2 little whos
(he and she)
under are this
wonderful tree
smiling stand
(all realms of where
and when beyond)
now and here
(far from a grown
-up i&youful world of known)
who and who
(2 little ams
and over them this
aflame with dreams
incredible is)
mark orton: guitar
11
11. yes is a pleasant country
yes is a pleasant country;
if’s wintry
(my lovely)
let’s open the year
both is the very weather
(not either)
my treasure,
when violets appear
love is a deeper season
than reason;
my sweet one
(and april’s where we’re)
carla kihlstedt: violin, viola, bass harmonica & voice
mark orton: guitar
12
12. grapefruit
mark orton: guitar
rob reich: piano
13. human rind
this is a rubbish of human rind
with a photograph
clutched in the half
of a hand and the word
love underlined
this is a girl who died in her mind
with a warm thick scream
and a keen cold groan
while the gadgets purred
and the gangsters dined
this is a deaf dumb church and blind
with an if in its soul
and a hole in its life
where the young bell tolled
and the old vine twined
this is a dog of no known kind
with one white eye
and one black eye
and the eyes of his eyes
are as lost as you’ll find
music by mark orton
m a r k o r t o n : d o b r o , t e n o r g u i t a r, h u r d y g u r d y , a u t o h a r p , t r e m o l o a ,
marxophone, pump organ & bass harmonica
13
14. anyone lived in a pretty how town
this is a rubbish of human rind
anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn’t he danced his did
Wo m e n a n d m e n ( b o t h l i t t l e a n d s m a l l )
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn’t they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain
children guessed(but
and down they forgot
autumn winter spring
that noone loved him
only a few
as up they grew
summer)
more by more
when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone’s any was all to her
someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream
stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)
one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was
14
all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.
Wo m e n a n d m e n ( b o t h d o n g a n d d i n g )
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain
music by rob reich
m a r k o r t o n : d o b r o , t e n o r g u i t a r, s t r u m m e d a n d p l u c k e d p i a n o , y o u n g
bell, tubular bells, hurdy gurdy & bass harmonica
15
15. diminutive
dim
in
nu
tiv
e this park is e
mpty(everyb
ody’s elsewher
e except me 6 e
nglish sparrow
s(a
utumn & t
he rai
n
th
e
raintherain
music by mark orton
carla kihlstedt: violin, viola & voice
mark orton: celesta
withmegan orton: violin
marilyn de oliveira: cello
16
16. little i
who are you,little i
(five or six years old)
peering from some high
window;at the gold
of november sunset
(and feeling:that if day
has to become night
this is a beautiful way)
carla kihlstedt: e-string violin, voice
mark orton: dobro
17
17. now(more near ourselves than we)
now(more near ourselves than we)
is a bird singing in a tree,
who never sings the same thing twice
and still that singing’s always his
eyes can feel but ears may see
there never lived a gayer he;
if earth and sky should break in two
he’d make them one(his song’s so true)
who sings for us for you for me
for each leaf newer than can be:
and for his own(his love)his dear
he sings till everywhere is here
mark orton: guitar
rob reich: piano & accordion
18
the rain is a handsome animal
By John Schaefer
T i n H a t ’ s p o l y g l o t c h a m b e r m u s i c i s e a s y t o l i k e , h a r d t o d e s c r i b e . Ye s , y o u c a n p o i n t t o
the various threads they weave together: small-ensemble jazz, vintage pop, film music,
and that vast swath of traditional music we’ve taken to calling Americana.
Or you can
refer to some of the touchstone figures who seem to loom large in the band’s pantheon:
Erik Satie, Astor Piazzolla, Ennio Morricone, Django Reinhardt. But all the talk about
what kind of band Tin Hat is misses an important point: Tin Hat is a quartet of composers.
And those four composers share a love for the poetry of E.E. Cummings.
It actually makes perfect sense: Cummings also drew freely on high art (classical forms
and poetic devices) and the sounds of what we might call “just plain folk” (including the
b l u e s ) . H e t o o k t h e s e e l e m e n t s a n d m a d e s o m e t h i n g u n i q u e f r o m t h e m . C u m m i n g s ’ p o e t r y,
when seen on the page, can be a disorienting experience, with its quixotic spacing, word
breaks, and punctuation. But it is also inherently musical, and - like Tin Hat’s music profoundly American.
T h i s a l b u m , t h e r a i n i s a h a n d s o m e a n i m a l , i s t h e q u a r t e t ’ s t a k e o n a 2 0 0 - y e a r- o l d
classical music form - the song cycle. They’ve done occasional songs before; violinist
Carla Kihlstedt also sings, and prior Tin Hat records have seen guest vocals by friends
l i k e W i l l i e N e l s o n a n d To m W a i t s .
But this project gave the band a chance to showcase
Carla’s expressive and slightly husky/velvety voice, and to respond to the singular sound
o f C u m m i n g s ’ w o r d s . T h a t ’ s n o t j u s t a m e t a p h o r, b y t h e w a y. I n t h e s o n g s o s h y s h y s h y ,
the music literally does grow out of the sound of the words, as recorded by in 1958 by
Cummings himself. The poet’s reading has a strongly implied tune, which Carla turned
into an explicit melody; then keyboardist Rob Reich arranged a clarinet trio to accompany
Carla’s voice. The result has the spare, elegant appeal of a classical art-song, albeit
one inspired, Rob says, by Duke Ellington’s clarinet writing (as well as the playing of
clarinetist Ben Goldberg).
Of course this is a Tin Hat album, so there are as many species of art-song as there are
varieties of poems. Cummings himself once said that some of his poems were meant to be
heard, while others were strictly meant to be read, with their placement on the page an
integral part of the work. These latter poems pose some intriguing challenges, although
as Carla explains, the poet himself offered some guidance:
“Even in his own readings,
Cummings chooses musical phrasing over visual spacing.
Sometimes a parenthesis
w o u l d i n f o r m m y d e l i v e r y, b u t i n m o s t c a s e s m y a l l e g i a n c e s a n d p r i o r i t i e s w e r e w i t h t h e
music and not with conveying the peculiarities of the syntax.”
So while diminutive appears choppy and hard to read on the page, in guitarist Mark
Orton’s setting the poem genuinely “sings” – as the subtle interplay of strings and
celesta follows the descent of “the rain the rain the rain.”
On other occasions, though,
19
Cummings’ unconventional orthography made for some remarkable choices. In unchanging,
a poem that describes a snowflake’s gentle landing on a grave stone, the text, Carla says,
“is fairly falling down the page in a line, with letters and syllables disjointed from each
o t h e r, b u t m a k i n g o n e s h a p e t o g e t h e r. T h e l a s t w o r d , g r a v e s t o n e , i s s p l i t s o t h a t t h e l a s t
line simply says ‘one,’ making the first and last words of the poem the same. Although
sometimes live I do sing ‘gravestone,’ on the record I sing ‘grav-est one’.”
That decision highlights the collaborative nature of Tin Hat’s process, since the composer
of unchanging was Ben Goldberg. The ostinato figure that recurs in the song was something
he’d already written, and he was looking for “a poem that could push against the music in
t h e r i g h t w a y. ”
creative way in.
On the album’s opening track, a cloud on a leaf, Ben found an even more
The poem is usually known as speaking of love(of
(like most Cummings’
poems, it has no title and is usually referred to by its first line). But by taking a line from
a p o e m t h a t B e n h i m s e l f h a d o n c e w r i t t e n , a n d d e d i c a t e d t o Yo k o O n o , a n d u s i n g t h a t a s
t h e t i t l e , “ t h e n , r i g h t a w a y, ” h e s a y s , “ i t ’ s m y s o n g , u s i n g h i s w o r d s . ”
The album is bookended by another Ben Goldberg setting, of now(more near ourselves
than we), which returns to the opening track’s sound-world, one haunted by the ghosts
of long-gone tangos and popular jazz combos – not a dance, but a dream of a dance.
In
b e t w e e n a r e f i f t e e n o t h e r, v a r i e d a p p r o a c h e s t o C u m m i n g s ’ w o r k , i n c l u d i n g t h r e e t h a t
are purely instrumental.
O n e i s M a r k O r t o n ’ s t i t l e t r a c k , a t r i c k y, T h e l o n i o u s M o n k - s t y l e
melody driven by Mark’s urgent, slapping guitar; another is Rob Reich’s the enormous
room, which refers not to a poem but to Cummings’ early autobiographical novel.
(Not
s u r p r i s i n g l y, C a r l a d i d n ’ t t u r n i n a n i n s t r u m e n t a l p i e c e , b u t s h e d i d o f f e r a s t r i k i n g “ v o c a l ”
solo on the violin in the enormous room – sure to be a highlight of the band’s live sets.)
Mark points out that responding instrumentally to a poem is the way he would normally
work anyway; but Cummings’ poetry suggested other avenues.
“His particular way of
presenting the poems on the page only serves to widen the possibilities,” he says.
poems can serve as a great lesson in deconstruction I think.”
“His
Mark’s own setting of
buffalo bill, for example, mines a single phrase – where the poet, mourning the loss of the
war hero-turned-international showman, asks Death “how do you like your blueeyed boy”?
“There’s something so melancholic to me about calling him a ‘blue eyed boy’,” he says.
The resulting piece, with its strummed piano and plaintive brass, is one of the album’s
most poignant moments. But as the brass choir grows more chromatic, simple melancholy
g i v e s w a y t o a c u r i o u s , i n d e f i n a b l e m i x o f e m o t i o n s … A n d t h a t , s o m e w o u l d s a y, i s p o e t r y.
S o m e o f t h e “ d e c o n s t r u c t i o n s ” g o e v e n f u r t h e r.
liberties with the poems:
Carla claims that Ben took the most
“My favorite example is open his head. In the first statement of
the poem, Ben leaves out all but the basic elements of each image. Then when it comes
back, he uses the whole thing, so that ‘open his head, you’ll find a heart’ becomes ‘open
h i s h e a d , b a b y, a n d y o u ’ l l f i n d a h e a r t i n i t ( c r a c k e d ) . ’ I t w a s s u c h a g r e a t i n t u i t i o n t o
withhold parts of the image at first.”
20
The word play in open his head is accompanied by some Impressionist touches of clarinet,
piano, and violin.
Other poems, though, were more straightforward, and led in different
musical directions. Rob Reich chose two poems, anyone lived in a pretty how town and
i f u p ’s t h e w o r d , w h i c h “ r e p r e s e n t h i s m o r e t r a d i t i o n a l s t y l e . T h e y a r e a l r e a d y v e r y c l o s e
to songs, and therefore obvious choices for setting to music.” anyone lived in a pretty how
t o w n i s a c a t c h y f o l k s o n g , d i s t a n t k i n t o R a l p h Va u g h a n W i l l i a m s ’ O n W e n l o c k E d g e , a n
early 20th century song cycle that used the language of English folk music.
Only here,
the pastoral countryside is not Shropshire, England, but someplace closer to home –
Carolina’s Piedmont Mountains, perhaps.
Even simpler is little i – wherein Cummings captures the essence of both sunset and the
young boy watching it.
Carla Kihlstedt’s setting is built around her e-string violin (an
i n s t r u m e n t s h e h a s u s e d t o m a g i c a l e f f e c t i n h e r s o n g “ H o l d M y O w n ” w i t h h e r b a n d Tw o
F o o t Ya r d ) .
Using four e-strings, the thinnest, highest of the usual four fiddle strings,
s h e c r e a t e s t r e m u l o u s , g l i t t e r i n g t e x t u r e s t h a t i l l u m i n a t e t h e p o e m ’ s c r e p u s c u l a r, a l m o s t
spectral mood.
There is much more here, from the calliope waltz of yes is a pleasant country to the
j a n g l y, b r o o d i n g d a r k n e s s o f h u m a n r i n d .
B u t s o m e h o w, a l l o f t h e s e d i s p a r a t e p a r t s
cohere, both because of their shared source of inspiration and because of the musicians’
shared sense of adventure and collaboration.
cycle.
the rain is a handsome animal is a song
But it is also something else, equally traditional, and perhaps these days, equally
old-fashioned: it is an album. Its effect is cumulative, and while you can easily pick out a
few tracks for an iPod playlist, the best way to experience this fusion of poetry and music
is as a whole.
*****
J o h n S c h a e f e r i s t h e p r o g r a m d i r e c t o r a n d h o s t o f W N Y C ’s S o u n d c h e c k a n d N e w S o u n d s a n d h a s w r i t t e n
extensively about music, including books, TV programs, and magazines.
w w w. t i n h a t . o r g
R e p r e s e n t a t i o n : w w w. h a n s w e n d l . c o m
L a b e l : w w w. n e w a m s t e r d a m r e c o r d s . c o m
“anyone lived in a pretty how town”, “if up’s the word and a world grows greener”, “now(more near
ourselves than we)”, “open his head,baby”, “sweet spring is your”, “yes is a pleasant country”, “So shy shy
shy(and with a”, “Buffalo Bill’s”, “dim”, “2 little whos”, “speaking of love(of”, “one// t”, “this is a rubbish
of human rind”, “who are you,little i”, from COMPLETE POEMS: 1904-1962 by E. E. Cummings, edited by
George J. Firmage. Copyright 1923, 1925, 1926, 1931, 1935, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1944, 1945, 1946,
1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, (c) 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961,
1962, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982,
1 9 8 3 , 1 9 8 4 , 1 9 8 5 , 1 9 8 6 , 1 9 8 7 , 1 9 8 8 , 1 9 8 9 , 1 9 9 0 , 1 9 9 1 b y t h e Tr u s t e e s f o r t h e E . E . C u m m i n g s Tr u s t .
Copyright (c) 1973, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1991 by George James Firmage. Used by
permission of Liveright Publishing Corporation.
21
p r o d u c e d b y T I N H AT
the words of e.e. cummings used by permission of liveright/norton.
a l l p o e m s i n c l u d e d i n t h e c o m p l e t e p o e m s o f e . e . c u m m i n g s .

× the rain is a handsome animal ×

Transcription

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