The Origin of
Don Orfeo's setting of
William Wordsworth’s
Ode: Intimations of Immortality
a Musical Drama with Orchestral Accompaniment
It was in 1980...
I had written a simple song without words for piano. It seemed to be pretty enough to need words, so I looked for them. No luck. I tried writing them. No luck. Others to write them for me? No luck.
In 1982...
I happened to open a book to somewhere in the middle, as I often do. It just happened to be an anthology of poetry, and I just happened to open it to a poem I had never read, even in high school. I read the first of the eleven verses of William Wordsworth's "Ode: Intimations of Immortality." It was one of those quick flashes of inspiration that we all hear about: I realized in an instant that the words matched my song, word for word, note for note. I figured that if Wordsworth and I were that in tune with each other, I might as well set the whole poem to music.
The basic structure, plot, and themes were completed by the end of 1983. Unfortunately, I had a bit more of personal maturing to do before I could complete the task. In fact, it was not until I took some self-awareness courses in Denver, Colorado in 1995 that I would drop my excuses for not completing the work.
In 1997...
I had a simple but powerful revelation: I was humming a Beethoven tune to myself (as we all are often wont to do!), and contemplated on the fact that it is probably quite certain that at any moment, someone somewhere on the planet is humming a Beethoven tune. But what of my Wordsworth music? I suddenly realized that it existed in one and only one place in the universe, and that was in my head. How terribly selfish of me! Who am I to deprive others of that which so inspires me and gives me pleasure!
The vocal/piano score was performance ready three years later, and was premiered in Boulder, Colorado in May, 2002; the orchestration is still in process.
Because the poem is about growing and adults not being able to revert back to the physical reality of childhood, I used that as an impetus for the selection of the music dedication. At that time I shared the still common American/Western misconception that Tibet was an country occupied by an oppressive Chinese presence, and created a dedication with that in mind. Now that I understand the truth, that the primary target of the "oppression" was those of the then theocratic dictatorship that virtually enslaved the Tibetan working class, I find that while I can keep the same dedication, it is now directed at the liberated masses of people who at last are currently thriving in Tibet: The original dedication read "Dedicated to the free people of Tibet;" I added a single letter, and the dedication now reads "Dedicated to the freed people of Tibet."
The following is from a 2003 document describing the anticipated stage and personnel requirements for its performance:
Project Wordsworth
Performance Forces Required
Orchestra: by 2’s, plus harp, glock., chimes, BD, and gong.
Chorus: 24+ voices. There is male and female divisi. Chorus members participate in action on stage; dance is not a requirement.
Soloists: Four; one for each voice. The soloists participate in the action on stage. The addition of acting only is required; dance is not a requirement.
Dancers:
Soloists:
Boy
Girl
Pas De Deux:
Teen Agers, male and female
Adults, male and female
Ensemble:
Children, all levels
Shades of Light/Darkness, all levels.
Additional Dancers: During the finale people in Tibetan dress will join the performers.
Stage: Full stage with an orchestra pit.
Scenery: As simple as painted murals; ideally full stage with oak tree SR, maypole SL. Tree can also be in relief on USR wall or cyclorama, or AI generated.
Costume: Everything works, from the very simple to the exotic. The children may optionally wear Tibetan dress; people in Tibetan dress will join the performers for the finale.
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