John Burge

Commissioned by: Diana Gilchrist and Shelley Katz

Premiere: Diana Gilchrist, soprano, and pianist, Shelly Katz, at the Herstmonceaux Castle, UK, on March 16, 2001.

Duration: 10 minutes

Text: Jésus Lopéz-Pacheco (1930-95) in Spanish; translated to English by the poet's son, Fabio Lopéz Lázaro.

Program Note: The poem, Our Children, was originally wrtitten in Spanish by Jésus Lopéz-Pacheco (1930-95), with the English translation provided by the poet's son, Fabio Lopéz Lázaro.  Jésus Lopéz-Pacheco's first novel was published in 1953 and his work as a poet, novelist and playwritght was acclaimed by critics in spain and the Hispani world during his lifetime   He moved to Canada in 1968 to write and teach.  His experiences of Spain and living life as an exile colour much of his poetry written in Canada.

John Burge composed the musical setting of Our Children, for soprano, Diana Gilchrist and her husband, pianist, Shelley Katz.  in addition to their successful artistic collaboration over the yeats, Diana and Shelley have also produced two wonderful boys who are very close in age to the composer's own children.  Because of these similar family situations, the sentiments and advice expressed in the poem seemed particularly appropriate.  The poem's inversion of The Lord's Prayer will be apparent to most listeners, but the words soon reveal themselves to be more concerned with a secular spirituatlization of the here and now, rather than any promise of an afterlife.  The declamoary sense of the poetry is conveyed muically by the recitative-like setting of the vocal line and the clearly emphasied chordal writing that is found in much of the piano part.  Throughout the composition there is a strong motivic design with much of the setting being unified by the reworking of the vocal line's first three notes.

Our Children

Our Children who art on earth
and who will still be here
after we are beneath it.
Remember be thy names
for having filled them with hope.
But neither let probable oblivion concern you,
for infinite are those forgotten who are worthy of memory.
The air and time are full of names:
every generation breathes them.
Make of this world your hopes, and ours,
for no one will do it for you;
or, at least, as we strived,
strive and raise your hopes even higher.
Earn your daily bread and your daily life,
for they are never given while life and bread have owners.
And yet beyond bread and life, earn as well
that light that dark powers try to extingquish,
and with it give light to our daily shadows.
Forgive us our weaknesses
and let the memory of them give you more strength,
Because no one will ever free you from anything
if you do not free yourselves,
and nothing will ever be built on this earth
if the building is not done by your hands
as other hands have done before you and after,
forever and ever.
Our children who art on earth
and who will be the parents of your own.
For all children will one day be parents
and all parents will one day be parents of orphans
and orphans must needs be parents for themselves
and parent of this earth, daughter of man,
of this terrible and beautiful earth, heavenless and fatherless.

     -by Jésus Lopéz-Pacheco, from POETIC ASYLUM, Brickbooks, 1991; translated by Fabio Lopéz Lázaro; poem used with kind permission of Fabio Lopéz Lázaro.