The Idiot in the bath
A story in 7 tableaux
— Lieder cycle on poems by M. Vasalis —
This fourth song in this cycle based on poems by Vasalis is called The Idiot in the bath. Probably one of the most famous of Vasalis's poems. The story of dependence and resignation to destiny. Beautifully illustrated by Vasalis.
The poem appeared in the first published collection of Vasalis Parks and Deserts in 1940.
I made up the subtitle myself, because the poem consists of seven verses and my musical interpretation - logically - consists of seven tableaux.
I write the word 'Idiot' personally - always with a capital letter out of respect for the main character portrayed. In the present time, that takes something away from the probably un-felt disdain from the name in the 1940s.
This fourth poem in the cycle is called The Idiot in the bath . It appeared in the first published collection of Vasalis Parks and Deserts in 1940.
For people who do not know her yet: M. Vasalis is the pseudonym of Margaretha Droogleever Fortuyn-Leenmans. She was a Dutch poet and a psychiatrist by profession. She lived from 1909 to 1998.
In 1982 she was awarded the P.C. Hooftprijs - a renowned literary price in the Netherlands - and in the same year her last poetry bundle was published, as well as a number of novellas which went along.
As early as 1988 I wrote my first composition on her poem Skeleton - a title that may not be very accessible - but that is only an illusion. It's a nice story. You can here listen to that composition and read the poem. I later added a piano accompaniment to it and recently made minor tempo adjustments. The poetess gave me personal permission for the use of that poem at the time and she liked the result very much.
Apart from Skeleton (in this cycle the second lied) there is also the first lied My spring and my love are gone . Published in 1954 in the collection Vistas and faces . By the way, the first line is My winter and my love are gone . I have chosen the last line as the title.
On this page you will find this fourth lied The Idiot in the bath .
On Wikipedia there is more valuable information on Vasalis, might you be curious.
I made up the subtitle myself, because the poem consists of seven verses and my musical interpretation - logically - consists of seven tableaux.
I write the word 'Idiot' personally - always with a capital letter out of respect for the main character portrayed. In the present time, that takes something away from the probably un-felt disdain from the name in the 1940s.
This fourth poem in the cycle is called The Idiot in the bath . It appeared in the first published collection of Vasalis Parks and Deserts in 1940.
For people who do not know her yet: M. Vasalis is the pseudonym of Margaretha Droogleever Fortuyn-Leenmans. She was a Dutch poet and a psychiatrist by profession. She lived from 1909 to 1998.
In 1982 she was awarded the P.C. Hooftprijs - a renowned literary price in the Netherlands - and in the same year her last poetry bundle was published, as well as a number of novellas which went along.
As early as 1988 I wrote my first composition on her poem Skeleton - a title that may not be very accessible - but that is only an illusion. It's a nice story. You can here listen to that composition and read the poem. I later added a piano accompaniment to it and recently made minor tempo adjustments. The poetess gave me personal permission for the use of that poem at the time and she liked the result very much.
Apart from Skeleton (in this cycle the second lied) there is also the first lied My spring and my love are gone . Published in 1954 in the collection Vistas and faces . By the way, the first line is My winter and my love are gone . I have chosen the last line as the title.
On this page you will find this fourth lied The Idiot in the bath .
On Wikipedia there is more valuable information on Vasalis, might you be curious.
Aristos
The poem
hastily trotting and often hacking into the mat,
ugly and awkwardly bent on sister's arm,
the idiot goes to the bath every week.
The vapor, beating off the hot water
makes him feel more relaxed: white steam ...
And with every piece of clothing that comes off him,
he is more and more struck by an old familiar dream.
The nurse leads him to slide into the water,
he folds his thin arms on his chest,
he sighs, as when he was quenching his first thirst
and a great joy gradually dawns around his mouth.
His worried face has become empty and beautiful,
his thin feet stand upright like pale flowers,
his long, pale legs, which are already slightly withering
emerge as birch trunks through the greenery.
He still is unborn in this green water,
he does not know yet that some fruits never ripen,
he has not lost the wisdom of the body
and needs not understand the things of the mind.
And every time he is taken out of the bath,
and wiped dry firmly with a towel
and is hauled in his stiff, hard clothes
he grumbles and then cries for a moment.
And every week he is born again
and cruelly separated from the safe water life,
and every week he is doomed
to remain again a frightened idiot.
The Idiot in the bath
With hunched shoulders, narrowed eyes,hastily trotting and often hacking into the mat,
ugly and awkwardly bent on sister's arm,
the idiot goes to the bath every week.
The vapor, beating off the hot water
makes him feel more relaxed: white steam ...
And with every piece of clothing that comes off him,
he is more and more struck by an old familiar dream.
The nurse leads him to slide into the water,
he folds his thin arms on his chest,
he sighs, as when he was quenching his first thirst
and a great joy gradually dawns around his mouth.
His worried face has become empty and beautiful,
his thin feet stand upright like pale flowers,
his long, pale legs, which are already slightly withering
emerge as birch trunks through the greenery.
He still is unborn in this green water,
he does not know yet that some fruits never ripen,
he has not lost the wisdom of the body
and needs not understand the things of the mind.
And every time he is taken out of the bath,
and wiped dry firmly with a towel
and is hauled in his stiff, hard clothes
he grumbles and then cries for a moment.
And every week he is born again
and cruelly separated from the safe water life,
and every week he is doomed
to remain again a frightened idiot.
I advise you not to listen to the music via a mobile phone, tablet or laptop. That could turn out to be a disappointment, unless you use very good headphones.
For a reasonably acceptable experience, a computer with a good sound system is required!
Please note:
This music is an electronic representation and is therefore not comparable to a human version! For example, one does not hear the words of the sung text by the choir, but only "aah" and "ooh". The instruments, on the other hand, are quite realistic thanks to the latest electronics. It remains, however, that the whole of the interpretation of the conductors/musicians is missing and therefore may sound somewhat sterile
This music is an electronic representation and is therefore not comparable to a human version! For example, one does not hear the words of the sung text by the choir, but only "aah" and "ooh". The instruments, on the other hand, are quite realistic thanks to the latest electronics. It remains, however, that the whole of the interpretation of the conductors/musicians is missing and therefore may sound somewhat sterile
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© The complete copyright of the music (also this electronic version) has been deposited. This means that you can only listen but not use it nor partially, nor completely for your own purposes. Let alone that you use it for your own performances or productions.
For citation rights please contact the publisher and the Buma/Stemra organization in the Netherlands.
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If you subscribe, you will receive an email from Youtube when I have added a composition.
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Site created by: © Galaxa Design - copying the site, or any part of the content, music or images is prohibited without prior written permission of the publisher. To contact the publisher, please use Galaxa Media Publishing House. To contact the composer use Aristos Bouïus.
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