Spanish poetry + English + Music = Delight. Who knew?

I stumbled upon a gem of a reading the other night. It was on Wednesday night, March 7 at Miami University. María Auxiliadora Alvarez, a Spanish professor and old family friend, read a selection of her Spanish poetry. This was a surprisingly stacked show, as her English translator, Dr. Linde M. Brocato, had traveled from the University of Illinois to read with her, as had a world-renowned composer and Professor of Music at St. Mary’s College, Jeffrey Jacob. The lucky audience was privileged to hear María read her work in Spanish, the translator following, and then Jeffrey Jacob, speaking on how he put this poetry to music. The prestigious St. Petersburg philharmonic choir and orchestra preformed his scores, I believe it was, and Mr. Jacob showed video recordings of these shows as part of his presentation. It was fascinating to see how these three artists come together to make this wonderful poetry and music (the work is in progress), each explaining a bit about his or her approach and experience along with the actual performance of the work. I loved the opportunity to explore the intersection of poetry and music, and how the two work together to heighten the other.
Also, speaking both English and Spanish (I traveled to Guatemala once upon a time and spent some time there learning the language), it was enjoyable for me to hear María’s Spanish poetry as compared with the English translations. The translator did a wonderful job of picking very specific words and phrasings that I would not have immediately thought of, but that deal well with the subtleties of the text. For instance, compare these two versions of the same stanza of “We”/”Nosotros”:

“accederíamos con lágrimas
a los labios promisorios
alcanzaríamos con risas
la mudez final”

“we would endorse with tears
the promissory lips
with laughter we would arrive
at the final loss of voice”

In the final line, there is nothing to indicate “voice” specifically in the Spanish, but more literally, just a final silence or muteness. The use of “final loss of voice” in English adds a delicacy, however, that I think Alvarez intended. It is beautiful and poignant work on both of their parts.
I was further amazed by the work of Jeffrey Jacob, and not just because of his extraordinary record of accomplishments, but because of his explanations and the beauty of the music itself. The pieces he composed were intricate and had intentional effects meant to enhance the poetry. He explained that some composers will take the piece of poetry as a whole and compose to that, but that he prefers to take a few lines as his primary inspiration and work to shape the music around them. He tries to give a beautiful sound and color to the text. For example, he explained and played while playing the piano to illustrate, he will use a certain underlying chord for a long period to create a sense of timelessness. In more specific examples, he discussed María’s poem, “The infinite”, or “El infinito”, and how he worked with the text. There is a sense of desperation in the beginning, and so he uses loud and passionate music. Then, as the piece moves towards tranquility in the end, he uses the same tempo and themes, but it is slower and a bit quieter, like a memory. When he showed a performance of this piece, it seemed almost discordant in the beginning, moving toward harmonic in the end. In another example, the music accompanying “The eternal apprentice” seems very improvisatory and has no consistent pulse. The final piece, which I would call the ultimate and most awe-inspiring piece, was very beautiful. Jacob commented that “We”, or “Nosotros”, is very personal and introspective, but also very soaring and romantic (the above quotation is the ending of this poem). So then, he worked on creating both intimacy and a sense of extroverted and glowing horizons in the music. I noticed that the cello and women’s chorus combine in a beautiful harmony to illicit both the personal introspection and the extroverted or passionate angels of the poem.
Maria was always very personal when introducing each of her pieces, telling us a bit about each one. Many of them were written for one of her children. It was fascinating to me that a poem about a shattered heart could be for her son, and I loved that she was that honest—both with him and with us. Also, I loved to imagine what Maria was thinking and feeling as she heard her work in English, a language which she speaks at a fairly elementary level. How is it to trust your poetry with someone else to become something different from the personal work you had poured your own heart into? Such trust! Further, though, what is it like to hear something with so many personal memories, thoughts, and feelings, put to its own music? I think it would be reminiscent of having a personal soundtrack to your life! It would be extremely moving for the writer. I also wonder how great it was for the three of them to see an audience moved by the work—as we all were. It was absolutely beautiful—in English, in Spanish, and in pure music.