Paula's picks

Words are snippets from three different Maya Angelou poems; Woman Work, Caged Bird, and Still I Rise. Music arrangement by Ellen Torrie

 I've got the children to tend
The clothes to mend
The floor to mop
The food to shop
Then the chicken to fry
The baby to dry
I got company to feed
The garden to weed
I've got shirts to press
The tots to dress
The cane to be cut
I gotta clean up this hut
Then see about the sick
And the cotton to pick.

Shine on me, sunshine
Rain on me, rain
Fall softly, dewdrops
And cool my brow again.

The free bird leaps
On the back of the wind
And floats downstream
Till the current ends
And dips his wings
In the orange sun rays
And dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
Down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through
His bars of rage
His wings are clipped and
His feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

Shine on me, sunshine
Rain on me, rain
Fall softly, dewdrops
And cool my brow again.

Storm, blow me from here
With your fiercest wind
Let me float across the sky
'Til I can rest again.

The caged bird sings
With fearful trill
Of the things unknown
But longed for still
And his tune is heard
On the distant hill 
For the caged bird
Sings of freedom

Fall gently, snowflakes
Cover me with white
Cold icy kisses and
Let me rest tonight.

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I rise
(Shine on me sunshine)
I rise 
(Rain on me rain)
I rise
(Fall softly dewdrops)   
And cool my brow again

I Rise - Words by Maya Angelou

The source flows from life itself
Timeless stream of night and day
Dark and light, body and mind
Mars and Venus intertwined
Illumined by the fire of sun

Life bursts forth
Body taken from the rose of the moon
And all that is, comes from this
Wolfen cries across the darkness
Housed in the shelter of yin

We were made for each other
We are one in the other
We bow and kiss the roots
Embrace, then eat the fruits
The orchard of souls
Born of one soil
Growing from one earth

Hildegard von Bingen was a Benedictine abbess and composer in Germany during the 12th century. She founded and facilitated two monasteries and wrote several volumes of text concerning theology, medicine, botany, and poetry. She is also considered a mystic, experiencing "holy visions" from a young age.

The lyrics of this composition are my own interpretation of her philosophical principles. Each of the three verses in my piece “Hildegard” is based on three of the six philosophical/theological principles von Bingen discusses. First, Hildegard maintains that there is a dynamic interaction of feminine and masculine energy within the “divine being”; Second, Hildegard asserts that Jesus took his body from a woman, so it is woman rather than man who represents the humanity of the son of God (when composing the lyrics, I gave this a slightly different context. I interpreted it in such a way that makes it applicable outside of Christianity as well); Thirdly, she posits that man was made for woman and woman was made for man equally. Hildegard’s main principles promoted the inclusion of women within Christianity which was an extremely radical notion at a time of entirely male-centric Christian practice.

The first verse is meant to represent the power found in the unity of binary ideals. Night and day, dark and light, body and mind, Mars and Venus (the astrological, archetypal representations of masculine and feminine) are all sets of perceived binary opposites in our society. Von Bingen, however, says that the integrality of these opposing ideals is what characterizes something as divine and enlightened.

I interpreted von Bingen’s second theological provision as a celebration of the life-giving power of women. Using imagery traditionally associated with femininity such as the rose, the moon, the archetypal she-wolf, and the yin force described in Chinese philosophy as the passive but compassionate female principle of the universe, I attempt to evoke a quintessential representation of the feminine. While this verse is a celebration of “yin”, the last verse of the piece seeks to express the necessity for unity of both “yin” and “yang” together.

The third verse is meant to express von Bingen’s idea that in order for balance and order to be achieved, equality in social status must be granted. She refused to allow the church to treat women as inferior and subservient to men. I employ the metaphor of an orchard to imply we should serve one another as fellow humans, regardless of gender, so that we may all reap the benefits of a society where we commit ourselves to bettering one another. 

Typical defining features of plainchant in Hildegard von Bingen’s time include monophonic, unaccompanied melodies often moving in stepwise motion. However, Von Bingen’s music goes far beyond the average plainchant in terms of its complexity. It is characterized by wide melodic leaps and its broad vocal register, particularly her emphasizing of the high register. I tried to include these musical aspects in my composition and sought to capture a sense of mysticism. But I also wanted “Hildegard” to be primarily my own interpretation of her work through my own musical lens. While her style was far more virtuosic than other composers of the 12th century, von Bingen’s compositions take on the musical system of her time. That system is in high contrast with the Western world’s current perception of harmony and dissonance, and our adherence to rules imposed upon these concepts in the 21st century.

Light

Ellen Torrie