je crois entendre encore 1925

[Benjamin]

I think I still hear

hidden under the leaves of time

honey tones of a shoe maker's son

who sang a song that touched my soul

 

the mad welsh master's eulogies

up and down the aisles

as hopeless boys flicked spittle

from their fingers to his back

 

and though the veil of time's half drawn

I think I still hear

that voice on his gramophone

where even the scratches are sublime

[Benjamin]

The music is from Bizet's "The Pearl Fishers" which I first heard on a 1925 recording by Beniamino Gigli. The hero of a boyhood Welsh music master; who tried to teach musical appreciation under difficult circumstances, with his own collection of operatic arias and an old gramophone.

[dr_con]

a lovely reflective piece. I found it moving and nostalgic with a creamy dollop of profundity;-)

 

Juris

[poetjohncompton]

the second stanza i think is the best.

[Tinker]

"The mad Welsh masters eulogies". Love the sounds! The rhythm of this piece just pulled me along. Nice

 

~~Tink

[David W. Parsley]

A piece where "even the scratches are sublime." I appreciate the note on Bizet, since though I love the piece (especially the opening scene), I had not made the connection on my own. Richly textured and nostalgic.

 

Thanks Geoff,

- Dave