Rubaie | 2016
I.
II.
III.
IV.
For flute and celesta
For Mehrdad Gholami, flute
– ca. 20'
II.
III.
IV.
For flute and celesta
For Mehrdad Gholami, flute
– ca. 20'
Omar Khayyam (1058-1131) remains one of the most influential figures from the Middle Ages. The Persian scientist became known for his work in mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy, but is most widely known for his poetry. A collection of his quatrains, probably resting on many of your bookshelves right now, was most famously compiled, egregiously translated, and published by Edward Fitzgerald in the mid-19th century. Despite its relative infidelity to the original, the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam became one of the most influential works of the 19th Century.
When my good friend Mehrdad Gholami asked me to write this piece, we discovered our mutual interest in these poems. The piece contains four movements, each based on a different quatrain of Khayyam's, the originals of which will be recited (in Farsi) before each movement. Mehrdad has been helping me with the translations and meanings of the original Farsi text. We have selected four quatrains that are all connected by a common theme, and that work together as a set - a quatrain of quatrains. The title "Rubaie" ("quatrain"), the singular form of "Rubaiyat" ("quatrains"), refers to this organization. The English translations below are by E. H. Whinfield. Done in 1883, only four years after Fitzgerald's fourth edition of the Rubaiyat, these versions more closely retain the meaning of the originals while also being high-quality English poetry.
When my good friend Mehrdad Gholami asked me to write this piece, we discovered our mutual interest in these poems. The piece contains four movements, each based on a different quatrain of Khayyam's, the originals of which will be recited (in Farsi) before each movement. Mehrdad has been helping me with the translations and meanings of the original Farsi text. We have selected four quatrains that are all connected by a common theme, and that work together as a set - a quatrain of quatrains. The title "Rubaie" ("quatrain"), the singular form of "Rubaiyat" ("quatrains"), refers to this organization. The English translations below are by E. H. Whinfield. Done in 1883, only four years after Fitzgerald's fourth edition of the Rubaiyat, these versions more closely retain the meaning of the originals while also being high-quality English poetry.
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I.
Once, in a potter's shop, a company Of cups in converse did I chance to see, And lo! one lifted up his voice, and cried, "Who made, who sells, who buys this crockery?" |
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This first quatrain clearly represents an ideology that has persisted throughout Persian culture to the present day: our bodies return to the soil after death, become part of the clay, and eventually part of pottery. This shows the great importance of pottery in Persian culture, but more importantly represents the cycle of life and reminds us of our place in time; many people have come before us, and we are in the middle of a great timeline. Nihilism also plays a part in this ideology. When we die, our makings stay behind - another product of the timeline narrative. The last line clearly expounds upon this, asking, "Who is the potter, the seller, the buyer? Where have they gone?" Throughout Khayyam's quatrains, pots are used to symbolize people.
In this quatrain, Khayyam paints a picture of himself walking into a potter's shop, surrounded by many anthropomorphized pots, all conversing with one another. Musically, we can hear a number of these conversations that Khayyam is listening to, resulting in both a fleeting, loose nature in the musical delivery, and a free musical form.
Khayyam's quatrains follow a specific poetic rhythm that fits into a 6/8 meter, easily heard in the spoken Farsi. The main theme of the first movement follows this rhythm, and can be heard throughout in various forms. The last line of the quatrain, the pot's actual words, are spoken by the flutist while also performing a clear, slow statement of the main theme at the very end of the movement.
In this quatrain, Khayyam paints a picture of himself walking into a potter's shop, surrounded by many anthropomorphized pots, all conversing with one another. Musically, we can hear a number of these conversations that Khayyam is listening to, resulting in both a fleeting, loose nature in the musical delivery, and a free musical form.
Khayyam's quatrains follow a specific poetic rhythm that fits into a 6/8 meter, easily heard in the spoken Farsi. The main theme of the first movement follows this rhythm, and can be heard throughout in various forms. The last line of the quatrain, the pot's actual words, are spoken by the flutist while also performing a clear, slow statement of the main theme at the very end of the movement.
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II.
I saw a busy potter by the way Kneading with might and main a lump of clay; And, lo! the clay cried, "Use me gently, pray, I was a man myself but yesterday!" |
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In this quatrain we again see this ancient concept acutely exhibited by the animated clay. To musically represent the rebirth, or reuse, of people in pottery, this movement is written as a chaconne: a strictly repeated chord progression. However, the chord progression is not easy to hear, and acts more as a compositional tool to organize pitches (perhaps this draws yet another parallel with that notion). At the beginning (and end) of the movement we can hear the potter kneading, "beating," or "thumping," as other translations say, the wet clay. While the chaconne brings a certain inherent structure to the piece, other structural elements come into play as well; only a few rhythmic and melodic motives are used and developed throughout.
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III.
There is a chalice made with wit profound, With tokens of the Maker's favor crowned; Yet the world's Potter takes his masterpiece, And dashes it to pieces on the ground! |
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This third quatrain begins by describing a beautiful clay creation. The chalice, in fact, was one of the most important and respected items in Persian culture. Khayyam describes this chalice as one of the best, created with astounding intellect by the "world's Potter," who, the Farsi says, gives the chalice one hundred kisses on the chin, a symbol of deep appreciation. However, the nihilism in Khayyam's writing is quickly given prominence in the third line, an example that nothing lasts forever. Keep in mind that pottery still represents people in the mind of Khayyam. In two lines he both comments on the inevitability of death and perpetuates the cyclical theme found in the previous two quatrains.
To represent this intricately crafted chalice, the third movement is the most structurally-minded and detailed in its construction. It has a well-defined, although unorthodox form, delineated by texture. The harmonic content is built note by note, adding one at a time as the piece continues, and only using those notes that have been introduced at the time, much as a pot is built from the bottom upwards. The Golden Mean (or Golden Ratio) plays an important role in this movement, adding to the structural complexity. The last new note introduced lies directly at the Golden Mean of the movement, and we can see its subtle use in the structure of some individual phrases. The peak of the poem, the destroying of the pot, happens musically at the very end of the movement, where we are left with only remains of the very first note; this event is hinted at throughout the movement, much as it seems to remain constantly in the back of Khayyam's mind.
To represent this intricately crafted chalice, the third movement is the most structurally-minded and detailed in its construction. It has a well-defined, although unorthodox form, delineated by texture. The harmonic content is built note by note, adding one at a time as the piece continues, and only using those notes that have been introduced at the time, much as a pot is built from the bottom upwards. The Golden Mean (or Golden Ratio) plays an important role in this movement, adding to the structural complexity. The last new note introduced lies directly at the Golden Mean of the movement, and we can see its subtle use in the structure of some individual phrases. The peak of the poem, the destroying of the pot, happens musically at the very end of the movement, where we are left with only remains of the very first note; this event is hinted at throughout the movement, much as it seems to remain constantly in the back of Khayyam's mind.
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IV.
When I am dead, take me and grind me small, So that I be a caution unto all, And knead me into clay with wine, and then Use me to stop the wine-jar's mouth withal. |
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This final quatrain seems to be only indirectly related to the previous three, but there lies much more complexity in its lines than at first perceived. The cultural significance in these few lines is immense: wine in Khayyam's poetry is commonly regarded as a metaphor for both divine love and his love for God - wine represents what is sacred to him. This works in conjunction with the fact that washing a body with wine was very taboo in Persian culture, a great sin; Khayyam shows his complete disregard for this in an effort to more fully worship his deity.
In this quatrain Khayyam speaks about his death. He knows he will naturally become part of a pot over time, but is consciously putting himself into one, quickening the process. Because of this, the movement incorporates elements from each of the other movements. Musically, I wanted this movement to be a new perspective on the previous three while adding a new element (the new material bookends the movement). This poem is very nihilistic, like III., and very literal, like I. and II. The fourth quatrain continues the cycle, something at which the musical structure hints. Khayyam is also very direct in his desires, so the form and structure of this movement are also very strict, albeit unusual.
I. introduces the concept, II. puts the concept into practice, III. expands upon the concept in theory (versus the tangible reality of the first two), and IV. is a mixture and summary of all three, the author directly addressing the concept and inserting himself into it, theoretically or not. This relationship between the four quatrains adds to the idea of them forming a "quatrain of quatrains." Khayyam's quatrains typically follow the same format: the first line introduces an idea, the second expands upon that idea, the third provides a contrast of some kind, and the fourth line provides synthesis. In this same way, each of these quatrains we have selected acts as their own respective line in this meta-quatrain.
In this quatrain Khayyam speaks about his death. He knows he will naturally become part of a pot over time, but is consciously putting himself into one, quickening the process. Because of this, the movement incorporates elements from each of the other movements. Musically, I wanted this movement to be a new perspective on the previous three while adding a new element (the new material bookends the movement). This poem is very nihilistic, like III., and very literal, like I. and II. The fourth quatrain continues the cycle, something at which the musical structure hints. Khayyam is also very direct in his desires, so the form and structure of this movement are also very strict, albeit unusual.
I. introduces the concept, II. puts the concept into practice, III. expands upon the concept in theory (versus the tangible reality of the first two), and IV. is a mixture and summary of all three, the author directly addressing the concept and inserting himself into it, theoretically or not. This relationship between the four quatrains adds to the idea of them forming a "quatrain of quatrains." Khayyam's quatrains typically follow the same format: the first line introduces an idea, the second expands upon that idea, the third provides a contrast of some kind, and the fourth line provides synthesis. In this same way, each of these quatrains we have selected acts as their own respective line in this meta-quatrain.