John Burge

Premiere: Bruce Kelly, baritone, and John Burge, piano; Harrison-LeCaine Hall, Queen's University, Kingston, November 23, 1999.

Duration: 8 minutes

Program Note: Blue Psalm, is a setting of a poem by Canadian poet, Dennis Lee.  The text is a modern-day slant on the biblical Psalms of David, even making references to the unstrung harp that is now hanging silently on the wall.  In this particular poem, the text's  viewpoint is very much of someone looking back on their life and finding their values and ideals have been compromised too much in a lifetime pursuit of fame, money and ego.  This present-day angst is given musical colouring in the blues-inspired harmonies that slowly unfold beneath the melody.  While originally written for low voice and piano, the piano part was subsequently rescored for an ensemble of four or more cellos.

This composition is dedicated to baritone, Bruce Kelly.  For many years, Bruce taught vocal students at Queen's University in the office directly beside John Burge's office.  The combination of Bruce's penetrating speaking voice, John's constant piano playing and the lack of sound proofing between the walls, made for close colleagues.  This piece was written to let Bruce know just how much the composer has enjoyed hearing his jokes and pep-talks to students over the years.

Text:   BLUE PSALM by Dennis Lee

                     Keep low, my
                              life.     Be still in the
            cardiac sessions, small when the
                              cornerstone gives.
                 I am not my self, I'm
        foreign goods — things own me,
                             I knw that now.
                     Keep low, little life.

               Nicotine owns me.
                            Cholesterol too, and the sweet deadly
     booze owns my body.     And in my mind:
                      money, security, fame — how many non-stop
               compulsions repeat their
                                     imperious tics in my ego?
                 Even the dream of no-ego, of
                         goodbye desire: it binds me and owns me.

                              And,
                     being: teach me to be.
                          Not crouch like this, in
             cobbled time, in stigma.     Not
                          freak on a leash.  Nor
                listless in slavery trudge,
        captive, abroad, and mouthing the alien tongue ...
                                                                                Yes, and the
   unstrung harp hung high, still dreaming what
                dirge? what rage? what wind-borne snatch of home?

From NIGHTWATCH (McClelland and Stewart Inc., 1996).  Copyright © 1996 Dennis Lee.
With the permission of the author.