"Its father is the Sun. Its mother is the Moon. The Wind carries it within its belly. Its nurse is the Earth."

Join us at our album release June 23, 2018 at Taborspace in Portland, Oregon! http://tinyurl.com/sw1release

This is the fourth movement (of twelve) from The Emerald Tablet, for four singers and string quartet, by Cult of Orpheus. From the album Sacred Works I: The Emerald Tablet.

Music composed by Christopher Corbell. 

Performers: Sadie Gregg (mezzo-soprano), Dan Gibbs (baritone), Ray Jackson (tenor), Jocelyn Claire Thomas (soprano), Chris Fotinakis (violin 1), Esther Shim (violin 2), Nick Shadow (viola), Betsy Goy (cello).

Sacred Works I: The Emerald Tablet

Its father is the Sun (Emerald Tablet)

The Emerald Tablet is a teaching of ancient Hermetic alchemy which is set to music here for string quartet and vocal quartet. There are twelve movements in all, here combined into a single track so it's easy to take in the whole composition and its different energies and moods.

The Cult of Orpheus album Sacred Works I: The Emerald Tablet is available for download or CD purchase at
https://cult-of-orpheus.bandcamp.com/

"Full of delicate instrumentation and divine harmonies, the album is fervently beautiful." - Willamette Week

music by Christopher Corbell
soprano: Jocelyn Claire Thomas
mezzo-soprano: Sadie Gregg
tenor: Ray Jackson
baritone: Dan Gibbs
violin 1: Chris Fotinakis
violin 2: Esther Shim
viola: Nick Shadow
cello: Betsy Goy
recorded and mixed by Kris White
The Emerald Tablet text English translation by Christopher Corbell (from De Alchemica Latin source)
Copyright © 2017-2018, Cult of Orpheus

The Emerald Tablet (12 movements)

A sonnet for Carnival, from Cult of Orpheus. Words and music by Christopher Corbell. Performed by Christopher Corbell (vocals, guitar) and Sonja Myklebust (cello). Recorded by D. Neil Blake in Portland, Oregon.

The crows are on the wing, the people stream
into the street awash with sweat and beer.
The deep nocturnal river shows the gleam
of Carnival. Ash Wednesday's almost here.

The King and Queen are drunk, the jester jests,
the serpent booms, the drums thrash every ear.
The masqueraders bare their moonlit breasts
and ghostlike dance. Ash Wednesday's almost here.

All our frenzied lessons have been learned.
All our heat has melted frigid poles.
All our shining ecstasies have burned
and turned our hearts to diamond-ready coals.

The year ascends. The crocus shows no fear
so bloom, sweet sins. Ash Wednesday's almost here.

Copyright (c) 2016-2019, Cult of Orpheus

Carnival

Original sonnet/song-setting by Christopher Corbell. Sonja Myklebust, cello. Christopher Corbell, voice/guitar.

Lyrics (original sonnet):

Inversion

Our world’s a cornucopia of trash,
bright with all our aimless art’s depicting.
This habit’s an abundant source of ash —
every thing that burns can be addicting.

A flaming branch of bad and worse decisions
forks off universes, all entangled
quantum thoughts with infinite revisions,
cruelties, missteps, consequences mangled

in the predatory maw of time.
What if we just lie creature-still, and feel
the terror-gratitude of the sublime
and in our brokenness forgive the real?

Salvation is inverted.  In this trying
some dreaming god gains mercy from the dying.

- C. Corbell

Inversion

Original sonnet/song-setting by Christopher Corbell. Performed by Sonja Myklebust, cello, and Christopher Corbell, voice/guitar.

Safety Nets

Original sonnet/song-setting by Christopher Corbell. Performed by Sonja Myklebust, cello, and Christopher Corbell, guitar/voice.

On Her Walk

Cult of Orpheus is the opera and art-song vehicle of Portland composer and musician Christopher Corbell.

cultoforpheus

Popular tracks