If you would like to use our texts and translations, please click here for more information.
Text
Melmoth’s Serenade (2020)
English source:
Sophie Rashbrook
And so
Melmoth the Wanderer
became Melmoth, the Singer of Sorrows
It may sound glamorous
but it’s a lonely life,
and the wandering plays havoc with your feet
For I – am she
The punished one
Condemned to bear witness through melody
And all for a spot of blasphemy
_[To the audience]_
Stay!
I know your secrets
I see the shame that torments you at night
Do not be afraid
I promise deliverance
For Melmoth never abandons her friends in misfortune
So
Will you take my hand?
Will you come with me?
Will you consent?
Melmoth the Wanderer
became Melmoth, the Singer of Sorrows
It may sound glamorous
but it’s a lonely life,
and the wandering plays havoc with your feet
For I – am she
The punished one
Condemned to bear witness through melody
And all for a spot of blasphemy
_[To the audience]_
Stay!
I know your secrets
I see the shame that torments you at night
Do not be afraid
I promise deliverance
For Melmoth never abandons her friends in misfortune
So
Will you take my hand?
Will you come with me?
Will you consent?
Composer
Cheryl Frances-Hoad
Cheryl's music has been described as “like a declaration of faith in the eternal verities of composition” (The Times), with “a voice overflowing not only with ideas, but also with the discipline and artistry necessary to harness them” (The…
Poet
Sophie Rashbrook
Sophie Rashbrook is a writer, librettist and opera dramaturg. https://sophierashbrook.com/.