(Improvised Whisper) Bum… Bum… Bum…
The beat of the drum
Constantly reminds me of how the music once was
(echo) The music once was
The beat of the drum
Constantly reminds me of when the people could feel
(echo) The people could feel it
(Improvised Whisper) I never meant… Drawn out… Just one thing
Up out of the ground
Up through our bodies and out through our mouths
Down out of the sky
Down into our fingers and back up through the clouds
Last night I was gunned down by an angel
I took my last breaths
Suspended over a creature I no longer recognized as self
The blood on her back mingled with the dark red color of her coat
Making it appear as if she were just sleeping
Back broken open and dry
She was just sleeping off the stupor, the sickness
Sleeping off each shattered vertebrae in her spine
She couldn’t remember a time when sleeping had ever caused her pain
Couldn’t remember the feeling of pain
Couldn’t feel
I gently molded my fingers into the cracks
In her spine trying to give her a piece of me
To mend her
Meditating on the ocean
(Improvised Whisper) Lord… I am not worthy to see you… if only… say the word and I shall be you…
She whispered apologies of her situation, singing to me in her sleep,
“Death is not an absence but a passage from one state to the next.
Break down my bones, scatter my ashes, find them new homes.”
Last night you drew yourself a smile
False sophistication, a perpetual scoff, you scoff at this sleeping woman thinking
If she had a better dry cleaner
If only she were more
She could have bought herself out of this war
That has manifested itself in a bullet in the back
This is your reincarnation, my good fellow
Without your body we could never harvest your blood
Blood that will one day end up on your back
Just like this lady here
Last night I made love to your stars
At a dry attempt for compassion
Though we had no complimentary organ
She raised her beautiful foreign cunt to the skies
And allowed herself to be injected with my melancholy justifications
We lay together in the midst of surrender
Mouths drawn open in ecstasy, singing
The beat of the drum will forever remind me
Of a time that once was
(Echo) A time that once was
The beat of the drum will forever remind me
Of the woman that once was
(Echo) The woman that once was
Once was is now everything
Deep in the dreams of a forever body
In the collective subconscious of our modes
We were one once
Bent spine shattered across highways
Dreaming in the midst of war
Praying for anything that might allow us passion
I carry the savior
Written between your stars
(Improvised Whisper) Drawn out… Bum… Just say the word… Bum… one thing…
WOW. i can still hear your voice singing "the beat of the drum"- it's a really loaded tune that you sang to, and combined with your high voice, it was so pleasant to listen to. What i find exciting is that you stop singing to read in a normal tone, yet the music still continues. It was very unexpected, i thought you were going to sing the entire piece, but the contrast of your lower toned speaking voice with your high-noted singing voice was a captivating element. I honestly couldn't pay attention to the words being said because of the soothing music, but written as a poem, here, the words are all kinds of metaphorical! "she allowed herself to be injected with my melancholy justifications"! lol. I'm drawn to the repeating like of "last night..." and the changing scene which follows. It is familiar each time, and thus incredibly inviting to read. i love repetition. repetition. rep.
ReplyDeleteI loved your performance! The contrast between your singing voice and your speaking voice was so beautiful. It almost reminded me of a church service, where singing is often interwoven with spoken word. It gave it a very somber feel. It also provided an interesting contrast to the textual work, especially because the parts you sang are not marked. If I had read the text alone, I never could have imagined your performance. They each have wonderful merits when taken alone. As Kay said, reading the text version gives you a chance to really absorb the lyrics in a more logical way, but I think hearing you sing them gives you a more visceral awareness of their meaning. It’s a very beautiful and melancholy piece, and I think your singing voice conveyed the heaviness of the lyrics well.
ReplyDeleteIt has already been noted, but you have a great voice. Great job on this performance! I'm sorry I didn't improvise when you called us to...
ReplyDeleteI liked that you added extra emphasis in different places in the spoken text vs. the sung text, but it wasn't referenced on the paper? I don't think that makes a difference though.
Great job!
The tones you achieved with your voice in this piece were hauntingly beautiful. Your performance evoked strong emotions that to me felt eerie, mournful and macabre. Your singing is absolutely GORGEOUS—gave me goosebumps. One detail I thought was particularly effective was the emphasizing pause you made before speaking the word "sleeping," this increased the sense of mystery and danger that your words alluded to. I kept thinking that the sound aspect of your performance was so powerful, and that I'd love to experience it paired with some sort of visual element. Formally choreographed dancers might enhance your piece as a whole, or perhaps video images projected across your body/the stage as you perform.
ReplyDeleteProfessor Darling recorded your performance and allowed me to view it after class last Wednesday, and I'm so grateful that she did, because the text alone could never have conveyed the level of emotional intensity that your vocal performance would rouse. The way you transitioned between sung and spoken language was absolutely entrancing, and I found myself slipping into a state of disquieted reverie as I watched. And as has been previously mentioned, the mournful nature of the reading gave it a visceral impact that transcended the written word, almost making it inconsequential, and that's no small feat. (Note: the odd light in which the video was captured added a fever dream-like quality to the atmosphere of the presentation, and I'm sure this affected my interpretation. Whether this is to be seen as a positive or negative thing, I can't be the one to say.) Lastly, I agree with Miranda that some sort of interpretive enactment could only have enhanced this already well-conceived piece. Regardless, this is a really impressive bit of work. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteBowling,
ReplyDeleteOh my God, Bowling. You really impressed me. This piece was so beautiful. The mixture of your singing and speaking was brilliantly done. Let me say I'm sorry none of us stepped up to the challenge of improvising whispers. It interested me that you did mix forms of performing, as well as music. It made me think about how I can use singing and writing in my own work, though it will surely not be as beautiful as yours. Keep. Singing. And don't EVER be embarrassed to perform. You were born for that stage, Dahhling.
-E
Upon reception of my classmates/colleagues works I became entranced by a single word that I unconsciously associated to each piece. Now I don’t want these words to be misunderstood as entrapments to their art; these words are purely a minimalist’s interpretation of the works. So with this understanding in mind, the word that I intuited from your piece is…
ReplyDelete< Baroque >
I didn’t know… I just didn’t know that your voice is as lively and ornamental as it is. I was in awe at the very crisp and clear tones you were able to project so effortlessly. It was a beautiful way to interject a different voicing into your piece. I hope you continue to explore that effect in future pieces and performances.