Pastor of the Endless Flock
Olibel Music
Armando Bayolo Pastor of the Endless Flock
An Unholy Masque after José Saramago
for solo harp
Visitatio I--Pacems flovem--Paraousia--Occidere agnus--Visitatio II: Dimissis messiam-Canticum Sancti Meretricis--Paraousia: Colloqui in Nebula--Visitatio III: Decipi in Cruce
Written in the spring of 2022 in Laurel, Maryland and Florissant, Missouri. Commissioned by Danielle Kuntz (consortium leader), Kathryn Andrews, Margot Box Bingham, Kristina Finch, Elisa Greco, Chen Yu-Huang, Michelle Lundy and made possible in part by a grant from the Literature Committee of the International Harp Society.
Duration: approx. 22 minutes
Performance Note
It may be necessary to tune low c-flat and d natural on the lowest two strings of the harp. Note that there are no pedal changes throughout the piece.
Program Note
In his novel, O Evangelio segundo Jesus Cristo (The Gospel According to Jesus Christ) (1991), José Saramago retells the familiar story of the Christian gospels in a new light. Often satirical, wickedly funny and sardonic, but ultimately humane, the novel paints Jesus as a flawed human being adopted by God (who is characterized as an ultra-rich, pompously self-aggrandizing nouveau-riche) to make Him the most popular and ultimate deity. Jesus goes along with this for a while, but ultimately chooses to die in order to stop God’s plan (he doesn’t succeed).
Perhaps most fascinating, however, is the character of Pastor. A mysterious and contradictory shepherd (who might be the angel of the annunciation and is most definitely The Devil), Pastor is the young Jesus’ early mentor before he meets God. He is also the only person, besides Mary Magdalene, that tells Jesus the truth.
When Danielle Kuntz and I worked out a project on which to collaborate, I immediately suggested a kind of “tone poem” on this novel (which I was re-reading at the time). The harp has been associated since biblical times with the figure of King David, composer of the psalms, and himself a shepherd in his youth. The idea of having a sympathetic Satan figure who is also a shepherd presented an opportunity to write a large work for harp that purposefully goes against the traditional character of the instrument without veering into unfamiliar territory or using too many extended techniques.
I call Pastor of the Endless Flock an “unholy masque,” a form from Medieval and Renaissance England meant for dancing (and I would love to see the piece choreographed some day). It owes a lot, also, to the titanic ballades of Frederic Chopin and the sonatas (and Dante Symphony) of Franz Liszt. There are changing moods and interconnected sections divided by three “visitations” depicting important moments at which Pastor turns up in the novel (the annunciation, tending the flock and mentoring Jesus in the desert, and at the foot of the cross). There is no plot, per se. Only impressions of the characters and the plot of Saramago’s retelling. It is, thus, a commentary on a commentary.
Pastor of the Endless Flock was made possible in part by a grant from the Literature Committee of the International Harp Society, and the generosity of Danielle Kuntz, Kathryn Andrews, Margot Box Bingham (whose participation, as a former student of mine long ago, delights me particularly), Kristina Finch, Elisa Greco, Chen Yu-Huang, and Michelle Lundy. It was written in the spring of 2022 in Laurel, Maryland and Florissant, Missouri.
Harp
Made possible in part by a grant from the Literature Committee of the International Harp Society
VisitatioI
PastoroftheEndlessFlock
An Unholy Masque after José Saramago
Threatening...ormaybenot(
for Danielle Kuntz for solo harp
ArmandoBayolo
Hp.
Hp. 77
Repeat long enough to be annoying, then add one more repetition! (5x. min.)
Hp. 189
Hp. 197
VisitatioII:DimissisMessiam
"You have learned nothing. Begone with you!"
Hp.
Hp. 193
Colloquiin
Hp. 355
Hp. 361