July 09, 2008

Charles Edward Ives

There is no word      can hold a chord      no analogy fits ear
forte, into eye

      a stanza      a piano inside it would stifle, would rife with
            hands fitting felt to phoneme, syllables to hammers, signs
                  hinges, singing.

Seized by strings, a stanza      whose whole interior rings
syntax      tightened to tune
to show a word vibrate

                        sympathetic with another—

Structure is image as prayer is      to kneeling      the composer reasons :

   two hands      opens the keyboard       to weird the signature
      raise the voice         music retreats
            into form’s firmament

                                          divinity free to live without—

—Brian Teare

Posted by dwaber at July 9, 2008 01:26 PM