Anatomy of MELANCHOLY
for baritone, off-stage amplified ensemble, and six boomboxes
version for baritone and fixed electronics coming soon
version for soprano and fixed electronics coming soon
length: 28 mins
In his 1615 book The Anatomy of Melancholy, Robert Burton writes: “I write of melancholy, by being busy to avoid melancholy”. Part pseudo-medical book, part philosophy, and part a quasi-stream of consciousness writing, Anatomy of Melancholy is a book that tries to define the concept of melancholy, or as we know it today, depression, while seemingly trying to grapple with it. At the time, melancholy was understood to be caused primarily by an imbalance of humor, especially black bile or black choler.
The cause of this humor imbalance is expounded by Burton by offering a myriad of reasons that range from bad air to the particular food that you eat, parents, God, witches, or poverty. Curiously, Burton often offers as evidence for these claims quotes from philosophers, poetry, literature, and other non-medical books. During parts of the book, Burton introduces the character of Democritus Junior, a satirical self-insert named after the Greek philosopher Democritus, often called “the laughing philosopher”. For this piece, both Democritus Junior and Robert Burton become characters.
he singer that you see on stage is Democritus Junior, a man corroded by sadness who sings about melancholy. But between songs, you hear a distant and detached narrator who delivers Burton’s quasi-medical conclusions. A piece about isolation, solitude, and depression, this song cycle completely alienates the singer by having the ensemble completely off stage. The only thing that you can hear is a distant, warped, and distorted version of them, transmitted through six old boomboxes.
A singer is accompanied by the remnants of an ensemble. Additionally, the piece interpolates 17th-century poetry by John Milton, Robert Herrick, and John Donne to create a lyrical angle and contrast to Burton’s matter-of-fact writing.
Thank you so much to Tim Weiss, Timothy LaFebvre, and the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble for your incessant tenacity and for making a project like this possible. I will always be grateful.
