Preface

The music of Four Poems of Garcia Lorca has been directly inspired by Lorca's poetry, andthe constancy of theme in the poems is echoed by a consequent unity of atmosphere in themusic. For in these poems we have Lorca's perpetual obsession with darkness and death,with his Andalucia as the 'dry, quiet land of eyeless death'. Even the Dance (2nd move-ment) is in the twighlight darkness with 'long shadows stretching to the violet sky'.

The first movement — Lamentacion de la Muerte (The Lament of Death) — alternatespercussive effects such as the drum roll and tamburo with an intense melody, played almostexclusively on the vibrant fourth string. The Danza, moving rapidly, but with a sombreundertone, is made out of a minimal amount of material. Both the chord schemes andscale figures are made with symmetrical fingerings which once memorized, should help theperformer considerably.

Tierra Seca (Dry Earth) is a landscape picture of the dry, quiet earth under the 'immensenight', again using percussive effects against a quiet, almost immobile background. Thefinal piece Clamor pictures the high yellow towers where the death bells ring, with thewind carrying silver veils of dust. Ringing chords alternate with whirling figurations and aplaintive 'cantabile'.

As in my El Polifemo de Oro, parts of the music have been composed with the serial tech-nique, so that the emotive, poetic imagery of the words is tempered by a musical languagewhich has a certain rational discipline.

R. Smith Brindle

Lento J' = 90

Four Poems of Garcia Lorca1 Lamentacion de la Muerte

("Sobre elcielo negro . . .") Reginald Smith Brindle

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S& Co. 7012 Music processed by Collyer-Macdonald, Headstone Lane, Harrow, Middlesex