music-literature-ideology: two composers, one...

Music-Literature-Ideology: two Composers, one Poem

Dr. Georgia Maria Tserpe Department of Music Studies, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

[email protected]

Dr. Marialena Karamouzi Bulgarian Academy of Science, Institut of Literature

[email protected]

Proceedings of the fourth Conference on Interdisciplinary Musicology (CIM08)

Thessaloniki, Greece, 3-6 July 2008, http://web.auth.gr/cim08/

Background in music history. In the various ton-settings the relation between music and language is formed by the features of each language, by the composer’s personal perceptions and aims and by the traditions of the era. (Dürr, 1994). Especially for Greece, the spread of the idea of national music at the beginning of the 20th century and its connection with the modern Greek literature are closely related to the important cultural and social changes and with the liberal progressive tendencies in the politics. (Yannou, 1996).

Background in literature. According to the principles of symbolism (Chadwick, 1978), the poet Yannis Kambysis uses the objects of the material world as symbols in order to express ideas and sentiments. His poems reveal reverie and melancholy, as well as an idealism that almost reaches mysticism. All this is achieved by innovations in the use of language and the verse technique, which make poetry almost identical to music.

Aims. We aim to analyse the structure of two different works (opera and Lied), based on the same poem, by two Greek composers (M. Kalomiris and A.Riadis), in connection with the research of the semantics of the text, regarding the ideological and sociological aspects of their era (first half of the 20th century)

Main contribution. The deeper messages of the text, which belongs to the movement of Symbolism and aims to express ideologically the speculation of the Greek thought of the first half of 20th century, are musically reflected in both ton-settings. In the Kalomiris’ setting the combination of tonality and modality and the frequent passing chords in the musical surface express the hero’s visions. However, in the deeper structural level a harmonious stagnation exists, as is resulted from the rhythmic - melodic and harmonic reduction and expansion, which implies the ambiguity of this era for the course of Greek culture and its relation with the past and the future. Similar meanings are revealed also in the Riadis’ setting, who, in addition, underlines the erotic element, by changing, among others, the title of the song. The texture elements of the music that refer to structural-syntactic features of the Greek traditional music are in Riadis setting profoundly clear and obvious, unlikely Kalomiris’ setting.

Implications. The results of this study can be a point of reference for later studies on other works of Kalomiris and Riadis. In an interdisciplinary aspect an object of examination could be the relation between music and text in the area of literature or theatrical performance. Moreover, in a comparative frame it could be searched on the basis of how other composers, Greek or Europeans, have influenced the music of Kalomiris and Riadis. For example, it would be interesting to make a comparison between Kalomiris and Wagner and between Riadis and some composers of the French school (Debussy, Ravel), especially in the way they use tropical material in their music.

The subject of this study is the examination of the last aria from the opera "The Mother’s Ring" (1917), created by the composer Manolis Kalomiris (1883-1962), as well as of the song for voice and piano titled "Erofili" (sine dato), written by the composer Emilios Riadis (1880-1935). Both musical texts are based on the verses of the last monologue from the theatrical play "The Mother’s Ring” (1898), written by the symbolist poet and playwright Yannis Kambysis (1872-1901).1 The "Mother’s Ring", published in 1898, is a

symbolistic music drama with both realistic and fictitious elements, a form that was common in the European literature of the era.2

Kambysis’ “The Mother’s Ring” and Kalomiris’ opera: Text and

conceptual connections Manolis Kalomiris’ second opera, “The Mother’s Ring”, based on Kambysis play, was written in 1917 and published later, in 1939,

CIM08 - Conference on Interdisciplinary Musicology - Proceedings

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with small revisions.3 In his effort to transform the play into a music drama, Kalomiris was aided by the playwright Pantelis Horn to enhance scenic economy and by the poet Georgios Stefopoulos (pseudonym Agnis Orfikos) to improve versification.4 This opera belongs to Kalomiris’ first creative period, that lasts until the early 1920’s,5 an era in which the development of the artificial Greek music is connected with intense historical, sociological and political changes. With this opera, as well as with his first one, the “Master Builder”, Kalomiris creates the background and sets the basic features of a “national musical and theatrical tradition”, by combining music with contemporary literature, with reference to popular legends and symbols.6

The opera begins on Christmas Eve and consists of two parts, a realistic and a dreamy-imaginary one. In the first, realistic part, Yannakis, a singer in the music drama (a poet in the play), is very ill. Therefore, his Mother decides to sell a ring, a family heirloom, connected with legends that forecast disasters for anyone who sells it. Yannakis, while hearing the legends, sleeps and dreams that the Mountain Fairy has seized the ring. At this point the transition from reality to the dream occurs.7 In this part of the story Yannakis takes the ring back, but he does not manage to reach the inaccessible top of the mountain. In the third part of the opera, the epilogue, reality is reinstated. Yannakis recounts his dream, while Erofili, the girl he loves, tries to encourage him. Finally, Yannakis dies unsatisfied in the dream and the reality, because, though he regained the ring, he didn’t reach his objective, to climb the top of the mountain.8

Through the symbols of Yannakis and the Ring historical, cultural and ideological demands emerge, obvious in both the play9 and the opera.10 In his effort to reach the very top, that means the ideal, Yannakis expresses the social and ideological visions of the era and the quest for national identity and completion.11

Though his aim to climb the top was not achieved and the utopia was lost (with the death of Yannakis), the Ring was finally found. The Ring symbolises the values of

national spirit and national culture, the ideals of the Greek nation, the hope for the confirmation of the national cultural heritage and its continuity.12 Those central meanings of the opera could be connected with a basic conception, that prevailed in the Greek literature with main representative the poet Kostis Palamas.13 According to this aspect, the old ideas should be rejected and the new ones should take their place, in order to form the new spirit.14 Kalomiris’ “Mother’s Ring” made a huge impression and became popular as an example of the modern Greek musical culture, because the aims of the composer expressed the general quest for national identity.15

It’s time now to present the poetic text, that was used for both settings. It can be found in Kalomiris’ publication of the musical text of his opera (edition M. Gaitanos, Athens 1937), and is based on the original Kambysis’ poem (edition Maisner & N. Kargadouris, Athens 1898), with a certain standardisation of the extreme demotic and idiomatic features of the original, and not on the libretto by Agnis Orfikos, as it is generally believed.16

Table 1, Poetic and Musical form

Poetic form Musical form

Kalomiris Riadis

1.Κλειούνε τα µάτια µου κι ακούω τη µυρουδιά17

a a

2.λούσε µε, µάγεψέ µε, κοίµισέ µε,

3.κοίµησέ µε στη χιλιοµύριστή σου την ποδιά

a1

4.και πες µου εκείνο που δε λέµε.

5.Σαν όνειρο ας µου έρθει ο λόγος σου

b b

6.γιγάντιος κόσµος δε θα γκρεµιστή,

7.δε θα φκιαστεί


3

8.µόνο η σκιά βεργό-λιγνου κυπαρισιού

9.θα πέση απάνω µου πιστή,

10.πιστή γιατί όνειρο κι αυτή µαζί θα φύγη

c

11.µ’ από της µυρουδιάς σου το µεθύσι,

c

12.ώ ζάλη, ώ γλύκα απέραντη

13.ποιός σ’ είπε λίγη;

14.Του Χάρου η σάλπιγγα θα µε ξυπνήση

The text is a lyric one, consisting of 14 free verses with irregular knitted rhyme. The hero, being in a state of dizziness and ecstasy after his dream, seeks refuge in an imaginary world, because he believes it’s the only way to achieve his objective, to reach utopia. Therefore, his last words are for the other persons incomprehensible absurdities of a dreamer. The hero addresses a woman, but it is not clear whether he means Erofili, the Mountain Fairy or the Mother. According to the theory of G. Fauconnier and M. Turner that concerns conceptual integration networks,18 in the two input spaces belong the two basic points of the text, the dying hero and the collapsing world. In the blended space belongs the hero’s wish to die, in order to save the world. This objective and the hero’s struggle to achieve it are obvious in verses 6 and 7, which are both very important for the understanding of the poem’s meaning. They symbolise, as we have already said, the continuity of Greek spirit and culture, despite the fact that the hero -and with him the utopia also- dies.

Manolis Kalomiris’ setting

Kalomiris’ setting consists of 35 metres and it is formed in four phrases without cadences between them, that correspond to the poetic units of text: a (b.1-6), a 1 (6-11), b (12-20) and c (21-34)19 (see. table 1). Up to the b.15 the music moves in the aeolian scale-model

Bb, while in the next (b.15-29) moves in the

extended Eb minor. The initial scale-model is redisplayed in the b.30. The aria finishes in b.33-34 with a perfect cadence, the only structural cadence of the song, with which is confirmed, in cross-correlation with the corresponding verses, the meaning of the death of lyric J. In the whole composition the music looks elusive and not established. This fact is enhanced by the lack of the fifth chord and from the extended tonal region of Eb, that exists in the b.15-29, in which the coming death of the hero is predicted in connection with the corresponding verses. The poetic text is attributed through the music in asymmetrical musical phrases and the music follows the talkative rhythm of the poem. There are no repetitions of verses.

In this aria, that is not only the last one of the opera, but also the last one of the main hero, Yannakis, the most important Leitmotivs20 of the opera in their initial form21 occur, in melodic, rhythmic variation or in accumulation (see brackets in the musical text). We can hear actually the Leitmotiv of the mountains in melodic and rhythmic variation (b.1-4), part of the same motive original (b.9-10), part of Yannakis’ motive original (b.5-6) and in variation (b.10-11), parts of the motives of the ring and the mountains (b.13-14), parts of the Yannakis’ and mountains’ motives in rhythmic and melodic variation (b.15-16,16, 18-19, 19-20) and the death’s motive (b.31-34). The mountains’ motive symbolises the ideal and Yannakis’ struggle to reach it.22 The death’s motive is found only in the last bars of the song. It is played by the orchestra in accumulation with the phrase “Charon’s trumpet will wake me” and shows characteristic rhythmic form. This accumulation, together with the only structural perfect cadence (b.32-33), create dramatic intensity and imply Yannakis’ distress and death.23

Certain symbolic words and verses of the text are emphasized by the music. In b.8 the word “scented” is underlined by the F5 in the voice and the tonic chord with raised third. In b.14-20 the important verses 6-9 emerge through the high pitch and the rhythmic condensing in


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the melody, the pause sign and the quarter rest (b.14).

It is, also, worth mentioning the tonal ambiguity in the verse “from your sweet scent’s intoxication” (b.23-25) with the aeolian scale-model C# in the voice in the extended tonal region of Eb. In. b.26 the word “dizziness” is underlined by the whole tones of the bells in the orchestra. It is characteristic that in both the poetic text and in the musical one the word “scent” is very important. It is found twice in the poem: first it is combined unexpectedly with the verb “hear”, which is an idiom of Peloponnese, homeland of the poet. But, at the same time, as a poetic choice, it creates a sound picture, that is completed in the last verse with the “trumpet of Charon”. The second time it is combined with the word “intoxication”, that is followed by the word “dizziness” and refers to the ecstatic situation of the hero. We can consider as the third time the adjective “scented”, that is combined with the “apron” and implies the unknown feminine figure, mother, fairy or lover, that dominates in the poem.

From the observations in the musical surface, we come to the conclusion, as mentioned above, that the music moves permanently and that the harmonious structure is unstable. This fact is combined with the meaning of the words “scent” and “scented”. Actually, however, the music does not move. There is a stagnation, obvious in the following reductional middleground voice-leading graph. (Ex.1)

In this graph it is clear that the music can be perceived as a prolongation of the tonic. The permanent presence of the tonic creates a stagnation, that implies, during the whole musical text, the idea of death. The resonances (b.15-29), that correspond, as mentioned above, to the verses of the coming death, can be considered as a large scale connection of b.1-15 (the collapsing world) and b.30-34 (the death of the hero and the Catharsis of the play).

Having in mind that the mountains symbolize the great ideals of the Greek nation, we can connect the above mentioned meaning with the fact that mountains’ Leitmotiv is the only one remaining in the middleground structure as unfolding and resting. We can also connect the death of the hero and that of the utopian ideals with the register transfer to the bass from b.14 to b.30. As a conclusion, we can present the background structure of the aria as following (Ex.2):


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In this background voice-leading structure we can clearly see the structural course of the melody and the register transfer to the bass, as mentioned. It is worth mentioning that the primary tone F5 (b.8) is combined in the musical text with the word “scented’, that is supported by the tonic chord with raised third, while in b.18 the note Eb 5 is combined with the cypress, whose shadow shall fall upon the hero –the cypress being a classical symbol of death. Finally, the end note D n5 (b.33) is the last note of the aria. The aria is not interrupted in this note. This last note is also supported by the tonic chord with raised third, a fact that establishes the tonal and semantic unity of the aria in its background structure.

Emilios Riadis’ setting

Riadis set the poem to music as a song for voice and piano. The date of the setting is unknown. The song was published in 1973 by “Techni” (“Macedonian Artistic Company”) in a collection titled “Nine small Greek songs” together with other songs by Riadis, on verses by Alexandros Pallis, Yannis Kambysis and the composer himself.24

The song consists of 51 bars and it is articulated, according to the units of the poem, in three phrases, without cadences between them: a (b.1-14), b (b.15-39) and c (b.40-51). (see table 1). At the beginning of the song the music moves into the heptatonic mixed scale-model A-B-C-D#-E-F#-G. It ends with the same scale-model, but with a

different interval order. In the whole composition the poetic text is set syllabic in asymmetrical music phrases. The main structural elements of these are the melodic figures and the reciting rhythm.

Words and phrases of the poem, that are very important for the understanding of the text, are repeated in the song. The phrase “like a dream” (twice, b.15-16), the verse “the faithful shadow will fall upon me” (four times, b.23-35) and verse 14 “Charon’s trumpet will wake me“ (twice, b.4-49). Worth mentioning is the fact that the composer chooses as the title of the song the name “Erofili”, the girl for whom Yannakis shows erotic interest.

Though the phrase a (b.1-14) moves to the mixed scale-model A and its tonic appears as tonal centre, at the same time a second tonal centre is implied in the voice, the E. That centre becomes obvious in b.2-3, 6-7 and 10 with the tonicization of the fifth note E5, through the D#5 and with the appearance of the E5 in the melody as the basic tonal centre.

Those tonicizations are connected with words important for the composer. In b.4, in the word “scent” we hear the ascend sixth A4-F#5, that is supported by the same notes in the piano. In b.6 and 7, in the words “enchant me” and “let me sleep” we hear the melodic figures around the note E5, that is tonicized from the D#5, with the chord C4-D#4-F#4-C5 (b.6). In b.9-10 the word “bosom” is emphasized by the ascend third, B4-D5 in the voice and the chord A1-F4-A4-F5.

The ambiguity between the tonal centres A (initial) and E in the musical surface, in connection with the musical painting in the above mentioned words and phrases, as well as with the title of the song, chosen by the composer, leads to an ambiguity between the central message coming from the play and the erotic message sent by the feminine figure.

Both messages can already be traced in b.1, with the chord A1-E4-A4-E5, which implies the two tonal centres. The same chord goes through the whole song, as it reappears in b.9, 18-19, 42 and 49, and transfers those messages from the beginning to the end.


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After the passage in b.12-14, the second phrase of the song is introduced, that extends up to b.39. In this phrase the tonal centre A is more accentuated than the centre E. In b.18 and 19 the note A4 is tonicized through G#4 on the left hand. The same note is enhanced, also, through the chromatic succession F#5-G4-G#4-A4 in b.22-23, despite the fact that in the voice the E5 is implied as tonal centre (b.19-23). It must be noted that the two points in which the note A4 is accentuated coincide with the end and the beginning of the two important verses 5 and 6.

In b.24 appears a new tonal centre, Bb, which dominates until b.39. The appearance and the duration of this centre is identified with all three repetitions of the verse “the faithful shadow will fall upon me”. The meaning of the inevitable death, implied by this verse, emerges emphatically in the music, through the pedal of the tonic Bb1- Bb2 (b.25-28), the cadence to the fifth (b.30), the pedal of the fifth (b.31-36) and the change of the texture. From a poetical point of view, the word “faithful”, key word in the verse that Riadis repeats three times, is connected with both meanings, death and love. Bearing the first meaning, it can be translated by “true” (as in Shakespeare’s song “Sad cypress” in “Twelfth Night “-“My part of death no one so true did share it”).25 Bearing the second meaning, it refers to the fidelity in a relationship between a man and a woman. The erotic element in Riadis’ setting is also accentuated by his choice to replace the word “apron” with the word “bosom”, which can be directly implied to Erofili and not to Mother or the Fairy, as in the original poem.

However, although the musical texture elements accentuate the tonal centre Bb, its function is in fact secondary, passing and it reinforces the main centre A, because Bb as a note is only a semitone away from A and therefore is drawn by it. Indeed, the polychord F2-Db3-Bb3-E n5-G5-E n6 in b.37 has only a passing function and connects b.35-36 with b.40. Thus, from a large-scale view, b.40 is connected, through the notes Bb1-A1 in the bass, with b.25.

The last phrase c (b.40-51) moves in the initial mixed scale-motive A, but with a different order of intervals. But, the melodic figures around the note E5 (b.41-43) and the ascend fifth in the voice in b.48-49 create again a tonal ambiguity among the tonal centers A and E. The composer seems to aim not only at the tonal unity of the song, but also at pointing out the meanings of the text itself. It is characteristic that the words “intoxication” and “dizziness” (b.41) are emphasized by the chord A2-F#3-C#4.

We can verify the above observations through the large-scale examination of the song (Ex.3)

In the above middleground voice-leading graph we can see the tonicization of note A4 (b.18-19) and the passing region of the tonal centre B (b.25-40), that emphasize in the musical surface the inevitable death. Besides, in b. 40 and 42 the register transfer of A1 to the bass is accentuated.

Through further rhythmic-melodic and harmonic reductional techniques result the background voice-leading graph, in which the parallel fifths A1-E5 and Bb1-F5, that emerge,


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imply the ambiguity of the two tonal centres and also their balance.(Ex.4)

Comparing the two settings

As a conclusion, we consider it necessary to compare the two settings, in order to make it clear how each one of them expresses its ideas.

In both settings there exist similar texture elements, that refer to the features of a national character in music, like in melody the scale-models and the melodic figures. At the same time, there appear strong differences, especially in harmonic texture. Kalomiris uses especially rich harmony, extended tonality and timbre, that results from combinations of chords. Riadis doesn’t use the harmonic material to unfold his music. There is much less extended tonality and the composer develops his music by using sparingly the tones’ material and by combining resonances of intervals. Therefore, in Kalomiris’ setting, because of the thick harmonic texture, the features of Greek traditional music are not obvious, unlike Riadis’ setting. This observation falls in with the composer’s view on national music, expressed in his Manifesto (1908).26 According to this, the national character of music must not necessarily be always present. Important is, that the spontaneous free inspiration of the composer combines music and text and creates a whole, that embodies the expression of the national soul. That means, the composer writes

intuitively Greek music, by being Greek himself.

In both settings there are differences in the interpretation of the poetic text. The absence of the chord of the fifth in the musical surface in Kalomiris’ setting is connected with the continuous prolongation of the tonic in the background structure of the music and it implies the meaning of the hero’s death, in connection with the national ideals. The music reflects in its external form, as well as in its internal structure, the ideas and symbolism of the poem. The correspondence between the music and the text gives to this aria a certain self-existence and makes it look like a song for voice and piano. This is perhaps why Kalomiris notes at the end of the edition of the music text (b.36): “To end here, if it is sung in a concert”. In the whole opera it is the only aria with this note.

In Riadis’ setting the tonicizations of the fifth note and the music painting on the surface in certain words, emphasize the erotic element, while the ideological part appears secondary. The semantic ambiguity, resulting from the tonal ambiguity, continues up to the end of the song, as we can see in the middleground structure. In the background structure, however, the two meanings, represented by two parallel fifths, come to a balance.

The erotic meaning is enhanced also by the composer’s personal choice to alter the title of the poem. Through the name “Erofili” he refers not only to the woman Yannakis loves, but also to the homonymous play of the 17th century. This famous drama, written in Creta in folk language with local idioms, is one of the most important works of Modern Greek literature.27 Consequently, we can connect Riadis, as well as Kalomiris, with the idea of the creation of a national music, based on the Greek literature and Greek spoken language.

References Fauconnier G. and Turner M. (1994). Conceptual

Projection and Middle Spaces. Department of Cognitive Science Technical Report 9401. San Diego: University of California


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Grammatas Th. (1984). The theatrical work of Yannis Kambysis, Diss. Annex E.E.F.S., no 20. Yannena: Dodoni

Grammatas Th. (1992). Yannis Kambysis, The Kurds, The Mother’s Ring. Modern Greek Theatrical Library. Athens-Yannena: Dodoni

Grey T. (1995). “Motives and Motivations: Leitmotif and “Symphonic Drama”, in: Wagner’s Musical Prose. Texts and Contexts. Cambridge, N. York: Cambridge University Press

Kalomiris M. (1937). Mother’s Ring, music drama in three parts. Athens: M. Gaitanos

Kalomiris M. (1988). My life and my art. Memoirs 1883-1908. Athens: Nefeli

Politis L. (1989). History of Modern Greek Literature. Athens: Educational Foundation of National Bank

Psychopedi-Frangou Ol. (1990), The National School of Music. Ideological Problems. Athens: Foundation of Mediterranean Studies

Rentzeperi A.-M. (2002). “The technique of the Leitmotiv in opera “Mother’s Ring” by Manolis Kalomiris, in Musicology, 16, p. 124-142

Riadis E (1973). Nine small Greek songs. Thessaloniki: “Techni” (Macedonian Artistic Company)

Siopsi An. (2003). “Aesthetic interpretations of Manolis Kalomiris’s opera The Mother’s Ring (1917, minor revisions 1939) and of its reception between the wars”, in: Siopsi An., Three Essays about Manolis Kalomiris. Athens: Papagrigoriou-Nakas

Tsalahouris Ph. (2003). Manolis Kalomiris 1883-1962. New catalogue of works. Athens: “Manolis Kalomirs” Society

Tserpe G.-M. (2006). Musicopoetic form in the songs for voice and piano by Manolis Kalomiris, Diss. Department of Music Studies. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Yannou D. (1994). “Organization of the melodramatic movement in Greece. Short historical review and characteristic features, in: Yannou D., Musicological Questions. Thessaloniki: University Studio Press

Zack G. Z. (1972). The Music Dramas of Manolis Kalomiris. Florida: Florida State University

1 Yannis Kambysis, playwright, novelist, poet and supporter of the demotic (Modern Greek language), had a major influence in modern Greek literature and intellect, by expanding its horizons with ideas by North European and German writers, such as those of socialism and symbolism. His work can be divided in two periods: In the first, that lasts until 1898 he wrote mainly articles and realistic and naturalistic plays. In the second (1898-1902), he created symbolistic dramas with imaginary elements. He turns to the symbolic theatre in an effort to confront reality in an idealistic way. (For more information, regarding his life and work, see Grammatas (1984) and (1992).

2 see Grammatas (1984).

3 The opera is published only in spartito by M.Gaitanos, 1937. In this edition the text is translated in Italian and in French.

4 see Kalomiris (1937). More information about the opera, see Tsalahouris (2003). The whole opera was recorded in vinyl disc, ed. Ministry of Culture and Science, “Manolis Kalomiris” Society, Concert Athens Digital 1983 and in C.D., Lyra p1991.

5 Psychopedi-Fragou (1990) and Tserpe (2006).

6 Yannou (1994).

7 Grammatas (1992).

8 Idem

9 Grammatas (1984). 10 Psychopedi-Fragou (1990).

11 idem

12 Siopsi (2003). 13 Palamas and Kambysis are representatives of Demoticism, an intellectual and political movement, that was popular in the 19th century and it was part of the political quest for progressive, liberal transformation of the Greek society, through the use of modern Greek language and not the “archaistic” one.

14 This idea is expressed mainly in Palamas’ poems “The twelve Commands of the Gipsy” (1907) and “Fathers” (from the collection “Altars”, 1915).

15 Siopsi (ibid.).

16 This libretto can be found in the program of the second performance of the opera, Athens 3/5/1928 (see Rentzeperi, 2002).

17 My eyes close and I hear your scent

cleanse me, enchant me, let me sleep

let me sleep on your scented apron

and tell me that what we never say.


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Let your words come to me like a dream

the large world will not collapse,

nor will it resurge

only the shadow of a tall thin cypress

will fall upon me,

faithful because the shadow too like the dream must fly

but from your sweet scent’s intoxication,

oh dizziness, boundless sweetness

who can call you little?

Charon’s trumpet will wake me.

18 Fauconnier and Turner (1994).

19 In this paper the spartiro of the opera is used (Gaitanos, Athens 1937). For practical reasons we set only for the bars of this aria a special numbering, in which no1 means the first bar of the aria, no. 66 in spartito.

20 The term Leitmotiv was used by Kalomiris for the first time in “Prologos” of his first opera “The Master Builder” (Gaitanos, Athens 1939), under the influence of the Wagnerian theory.

21 The Leitmotivs in their initial form are presented in a catalogue by Kalomiris himself under the title “Parts of the music of Mother’s Ring” (see Rentzeperi, 2002).

22 Zack (1972)

23 Grey (1995)

24 The song can be found in an archive recording, which was kindly granted by Eni Kini, teacher of Monody in the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki.

25 The Song

Come away, come away, death,

And in sad cypress let me be laid.

Fly away, fly away, breath;

I am slain by a fair cruel maid.

My shroud of white, stuck all with yew,

Oh, prepare it!

My part of death, no one so true

Did share it.

Not a flower, not a flower sweet,

On my black coffin let there be strown;

Not a friend, not a friend greet

My poor corpse, where my bones shall

be thrown.

A thousand thousand sighs to save,

Lay me, Oh, where

Sad true lover never find my grave,

To weep there!

(W. Shakespeare, “Twelfth Night”, Act II, Sc IV)

26 “µπορεί πολλές φορές ο εθνικός χαρακτήρας πολύ θεµιτά ή και καθόλου να ξεχωρίζη […] αυτό πρέπει να είναι ο σκοπός κάθε αληθινά εθνικής µουσικής, να χτίση το Παλάτι που θα θρονιάση η εθνική ψυχή!» (“it is sometimes possible for the national character to emerge or sometimes not at all […] this point must be the aim of every truly national music, to build the palace on which the national soul will be installed”) (Kalomiris, 1988)

27 Politis (1989)


10

Kalomiris, Mother’s ring

1

4

10

13

16

20 23

23

26

30

33

23

a

a1

b

c


11

(Riadis 1

5

9

12

16

19

21

26

28

31

40

43

47

a

b

c

23

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