Скачать или смотреть "The Angel" for mezzo-soprano & Pierrot ensemble + percussion, © 2024 Joel Phillip Friedman

"The Angel" from William Blake’s "Songs of Innocence and of Experience"
For mezzo-soprano and instrumental sextet (flute, clarinet, percussion, violin, cello, piano), 2024.

Intro-program note: 00:00:00
Song: 00:00:45

William Blake’s "Songs Of Innocence and Of Experience" dwells in the realm of nuance, with
multiple, even conflicting interpretations. This ambiguity is what attracted me to his poem, "The Angel." In the beginning an idealistic young girl, in the glow of wonderment, dreams of being a
“maiden queen.” As the poem unfolds, her music moves from chaste pop song simplicity to
complexity. Was her Angel over-protective, even misleading? Did the Angel abandon her in her
time of need? Did she mislead her Angel? The question whether she needlessly sacrificed her
youth and desires leads her to doubt, then anger, but also independence. Aware, and armed
with gray-haired wisdom, she has no need of an Angel. After an intense instrumental interlude,
the opening simple drum groove returns and then is embedded in the pitched instruments,
creating a faint funereal echo. The song’s rueful weariness is disrupted by a last rush of
unresolved sound, which hangs questioning in the air.

The Angel was written as part of a joint student-faculty composition project designed by Dr. Stephen Gorbos of Catholic University. I’d also like thank my performers Balance Campaign, and mezzo-soprano Carolyn Shaffer.

Joel Phillip Friedman
Grey Bird Music
© 2024