THE JABBERWOCKY (2014/2020)

for coloratura soprano and piano or ensemble

fl, ob, tromb, perc, vln, cl, db

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Duration: 05:14 min.

Recording: Composers and the Voice workshop in South Oxford Space, Brooklyn Soprano: Deborah Lifton Piano: Mila Henry

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After the poem “The Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carrol from the second Alice book, Alice Through the Looking Glass

Carrol’s nonsensical masterpiece “The Jabberwocky” has a sense of drama to it, yet it is ultimately about whatever the listener chooses the words to mean; I decided to give the words plenty of emotional depth, creating an operatic aria in ABA form (a palindrome). The aria contains plenty of musical palindromes as a not to the book “Through the Looking Glass”.

Premiered at Composers & the Voice: First Glimpse 2014, May 18 2014

South Oxford Space, Brooklyn

Jabberwocky

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
      And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
      The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
      The frumious Bandersnatch!”
He took his vorpal sword in hand;
      Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
      And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
      The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
      And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
      The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
      He went galumphing back.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
      Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
      He chortled in his joy.
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
      And the mome raths outgrabe.

Source: The Random House Book of Poetry for Children (1983)

The poem Jabberwocky is in the public domain.