The Selish Giat or lute ad storyteller 2009 rev. 2011 (ca. 12:00) Christoher Gaiey (b. 1981) with text adated rom "The Selish Giat" (1888) by Oscar Wilde
Program Note: The Selish Giat (2009 rev. 2011) is a musical retellig o a short story with the same title by Oscar Wilde. The text is reseted i its origial orm with a two excetios. First may o the more descritive assages are ot read aloud but rather musically rereseted by the lute. Secod a ortio o the story cotaiig overtly Christia symbolism has bee removed. The urose o this cut is to highlight uiversally alicable messages i the story while avoidig the ossibility that religious imagery may oed or alieate ayoe. I ecourage everyoe to embrace his or her ow reactio to this owerul little able. This iece is dedicated to Claudia Aderso. Secial Thaks to: eier Mahaey oh Bumbalo Brad Sherma George Drake David Gomer Bruo Amato ad Ray Chester For more iormatio lease visit: www.christohergaiey.com
The Selish Giat by Oscar Wilde (abridged ad adated italicized text ot read aloud but musically rereseted by the lute) I. Exulsio rom the Garde Every ateroo as they were comig rom school the childre used to go ad lay i the Giat's garde. It was a large ad lovely garde with sot gree grass. Here ad there over the grass stood beautiul lowers like stars ad there were twelve each-trees that i the srig-time broke out ito delicate blossoms o ik ad earl ad i the autum bore rich ruit. The birds sat o the trees ad sag so sweetly that the childre used to sto their games i order to liste to them. "How hay we are here!" they cried to each other. Oe day the Giat came back. He had bee to visit his ried the Corish ogre ad had stayed with him or seve years. Ater the seve years were over he had said all that he had to say or his coversatio was limited ad he determied to retur to his ow castle. Whe he arrived he saw the childre layig i the garde. "What are you doig here?" he cried i a very gru voice ad the childre ra away. "My ow garde is my ow garde" said the Giat; "ayoe ca uderstad that ad I will allow obody to lay i it but mysel." So he built a high wall all aroud it ad ut u a otice-board. TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECTED He was a very selish Giat. The oor childre had ow owhere to lay. They tried to lay o the road but the road was very dusty ad ull o hard stoes ad they did ot like it. They used to wader roud the high walls whe their lessos were over ad talk about the beautiul garde iside. "How hay we were there!" they said to each other. II. Daces o Eteral Witer The the Srig came ad all over the coutry there were little blossoms ad little birds. Oly i the garde o the Selish Giat it was still witer. The birds did ot care to sig i it as there were o childre ad the trees orgot to blossom. Oce a beautiul lower ut its head out rom the grass but whe it saw the otice-board it was so sorry or the childre that it slied back ito the groud agai ad wet o to slee. The oly eole who were leased were the Sow ad the Frost. "Srig has orgotte this garde" they cried "so we will live here all the year roud." The Sow covered u the grass with her great white cloak ad the Frost aited all the trees silver. The they ivited the North Wid to stay with them ad he came. He was wraed i urs ad he roared all day about the garde ad blew the chimeys ots dow. "This is a delightul sot" he said "we must ask the Hail o a visit." So the Hail came. Every day or three hours he rattled o the roo o the castle till he broke most o the slates ad the he ra roud ad roud the garde as ast as he could go. He was dressed i grey ad his breath was like ice. "I caot uderstad why the Srig is so late i comig" said the Selish Giat as he sat at the widow ad looked out at his cold white garde; "I hoe there will be a chage i the weather." But the Srig ever came or the Summer. The Autum gave golde ruit to every garde but to the Giat's garde she gave oe. "He is too selish" she said. So it was always Witer there ad the North Wid ad the Hail ad the Frost ad the Sow daced about through the trees. III. The Retur o Srig Oe morig the Giat was lyig awake i bed whe he heard some lovely music. It souded so sweet to his ears that he thought it must be the Kig's musicias assig by. It was really oly a little liet sigig outside his widow but it was so log sice he had heard a bird sig i his garde that it seemed to him to be the most beautiul music i the world. The the Hail stoed dacig over his head ad the North Wid ceased roarig ad a delicious erume came to him through the oe casemet. "I believe the Srig has come at last" said the Giat; ad he jumed out o bed ad looked out. What did he see? He saw a most woderul sight. Through a little hole i the wall the childre had cret i ad they were sittig i the braches o the trees. I every tree that he could see there was a little child. Ad the trees were so glad to have the childre back agai that they had covered themselves with blossoms ad were wavig their arms getly above the childre's heads. The birds were lyig about ad twitterig with delight ad the lowers were lookig u through the gree grass ad laughig. It was a lovely scee oly i oe corer it was still Witer. It was the arthest corer o the garde ad i it was stadig a little boy. He was so small that he could ot reach u to the braches o the tree ad he was waderig all roud it cryig bitterly. The oor tree was still quite covered with rost ad sow ad the North Wid was blowig ad roarig above it. "Climb u! little boy" said the Tree ad it bet its braches dow as low as it could; but the little boy was too tiy. Ad the Giat's heart melted as he looked out. "How selish I have bee!" he said; "ow I kow why the Srig would ot come here. I will ut that oor little boy o the to o the tree ad the I will kock dow the wall ad my garde shall be the childre's laygroud or ever ad ever." He was really very sorry or what he had doe. So he cret dowstairs ad oeed the rot door quite sotly ad wet out ito the garde. But whe the childre saw him they were so righteed that they all ra away ad the garde became Witer agai. Oly the little boy did ot ru or his eyes were so ull o tears that he died ot see the Giat comig. Ad the Giat stole u behid him ad took him getly i his had ad ut him u ito the tree. Ad the tree broke at oce ito blossom ad the birds came ad sag o it ad the little boy stretched out his two arms ad lug them roud the Giat's eck ad kissed him. Ad the other childre whe they saw that the Giat was ot wicked ay loger came ruig back ad with them came the Srig. "It is your garde ow little childre" said the Giat ad he took a great axe ad kocked dow the wall. Ad whe the eole were gog to market at twelve o'clock they oud the Giat layig with the childre i the most beautiul garde they had ever see.
Flute (overblow to roduce harmoics) (Cotour lies show the melodic shae o the cascade o harmoics to be roduced ad the ed o the dashed lie shows whe to sto overblowig ad retur to the ormal method o layig) (measured timbral trill) to Claudia Aderso The Selish Giat I. Exulsio rom the Garde (iger "F" ad ut dow both trill keys or 2 uer otes) accel. Christoher Gaiey (2009 rev. 2011) adated rom a text by Oscar Wilde a temo q = 72 r b R b # r w j # # # # m m m m si mesura # ) 6 R R b (sig) m m b b b (slight dowward itch bed at ed o ote) b û - - b - w w m (ca. ") gradually decrease seed o tremolo Every ateroo as they were comig rom school the childre used to go ad lay i the Giat's garde. It was a large ad lovely garde with sot gree grass. x=x q. = 60 6 8 2 6..... b. b. b. 8 >. #.. b >. b... #.. >. #.... #. # #.. #. #.. #. #... > b. b. >.. m m m m m x=x 6. 8 7 8 b... # >.. > # #. #. b b.. æ æ b æ æ b #..... b. b.. b. b. b b. # # b 8 m Coyright 2011 by Christoher Gaiey All Rights Reserved
8 7 8 a temo (2x) (x) b..... b b 7.. b.. b. b b 8. # b b # Oe day the Giat came back. Ater the seve years were over he had said all that he had to say or his coversatio was limited ad he determied to retur to his ow castle. (Brig out a assortmet o whiser toes usig this igerig.) "My ow garde is my ow garde" said the Giat; "ayoe ca uderstad that ad I will allow obody to lay i it but mysel.". # He was a very selish Giat. #. b. q = ca. 66 (slight ritardado through reeats) oco e=e (x) b So he built a high wall all aroud it ad ut u a otice-board.. The oor childre had owhere to lay. q = ca. 66 (reeat oly oce the roceed) (ermata last time oly) a temo b e=e (x) Whe he arrived he saw the childre layig i the garde. Æ > R 2. w Œ Æ. Œ R Tresassers (ca. ") e=e..... b... b...... b o.. w w Will be b # bbb # b # Y m m m Prosecuted He had bee to visit his ried the Corish Ogre ad had stayed or seve years. si mesura Œ #.> Œ > #.. # > (reeat as may times as ecessary; Do ot roceed util the text i the box below has bee read.) subito WHAT ARE YO DOING HERE?! æ (ca. ") m b # # G (ca. ") m (gradually decrease seed o tremolo addig breath to soud ad devolvig ito whiser toes) (Blow through lute while raidly ad radomly igerig keys) m m m m > b m b (breathy toe) # G. P. (ca. 2") # # #
II. Daces o Eteral Witer Flute q = ca. 88.. > -...... -. # # # i # # # R m m m Œ b b b b m w The the Srig came ad all over the coutry were little blossoms ad little birds. Oly i the garde o the Selish Giat it was still witer. The birds did ot care to sig i it as there were o childre ad the trees orgot to blossom. k L w #w ï * ïïñ* (ca. ") m R Û Oce a beautiul lower ut its head out rom the grass but whe it saw the otice-board it was so sorry or the childre that it slied back ito the groud agai ad wet o to slee. q. = ca. 8 b The oly eole leased were the Sow ad the Frost. (Start layig very quietly betwee the words "sow" ad "rost") b b b b b b # m + b. +. j b b b j ïó ï * ó8 $ @ %? m
si mesura + b. + + + + b -... ' '.. - - The they ivited the North Wid to stay with them ad he came. b # # (ca. ") + w w b. @ %? m (ca. ") w w w w i i # (ca. ") i i # ir b. b... m "This is a delightul sot" he said "we must ask the Hail o a visit." + + j. b + + +... b m b. (ca. ") # w w Play util text is iished breathe as eeded (ca. 1") #.... b.. b. b... # #. r # # "I caot uderstad why the Srig is so late i comig" said the Selish Giat as he sat at the widow ad looked out at his cold white garde; "I hoe there will be a chage i the weather." q = ca. 8.+ +. # w w b b m.+ +. b. æ w w b b b @ % #?
6 III. The Retur o Srig Flute q = ca. 80 Tur away rom the audiece Œ # # # R Œ m Oe morig the Giat was lyig awake i bed whe he heard some lovely music. R m m m measured timbral trill... # It souded so sweet to his ears that he thought it must be the Kig's musicias assig by. i j #.... i j.. m m... b b b b... m m m m i j # i j #... b i j. i j.. b b m b It was really oly a little liet sigig outside his widow. b i j. i j. i j. m i j i j #.. - b.. # m Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~ q = ca. 72 j b m "I believe the Srig has come at last" said the Giat; ad he jumed out o bed ad looked out. q. = ca. 80 slowly tur towards audiece while layig 6 8..... r. #... #. #. #... #.. # # What did he see? m He saw a woderul sight. m m m Through a little hole i the wall the childre had cret i ad they were sittig i the braches o the trees. hold ermatas util text is iished I every tree that he could see there was a little child.
7 q = ca. 1........ # >.... #..... #. #... m m (irst time) #. (2x).. # Ad the trees were so glad to have the childre back agai that they had covered themselves with blossoms ad were wavig their arms getly above the childre's heads. The birds were lyig about ad twitterig with delight ad the lowers were lookig u through the gree grass ad laughig. It was a lovely scee # # # A temo (q = ca. 1) # # # r... # #.. #. # m m. # #.. b.... q. = ca. 0 b b b b b # # # m m b b b b oly i oe corer it was still Witer. It was the arthest corer o the garde ad i it was stadig a little boy. He was so small that he could ot reach u to the braches o the tree ad he was waderig all aroud it cryig bitterly. The oor tree was still quite covered with rost ad sow ad the North Wid was blowig ad roarig above it. "Climb u! little boy" said the Tree ad it bet its braches dow as low as it could; but the little boy was too tiy. b b b b b b # # # #.. b. " b b b @ %? j j @ %? m m m m m
8 Ad the Giat's heart melted as he looked out. "How selish I have bee!" he said; "ow I kow why the Srig would ot come here. I will ut that oor little boy o the to o the tree ad the I will kock dow the wall ad my garde shall be the childre's laygroud or ever ad ever." He was really very sorry or what he had doe. q. = ca. 0 Π(T) j m (togue-stos) (T) (T) (T) # j j # j (sig) So he cret dowstairs ad oeed the rot door quite sotly. # j 6 # 6 6 R m..... + gradually devolve ito whiser toes with decrescedo But whe the childre saw him they were so righteed that they all ra away ad the garde became Witer agai. # r # j # # j j (T) m (T) (T) (T) (T) (T) (T) (T) (T) (T) (2x) (irst time) Oly the little boy did ot ru or his eyes were so ull o tears that he did ot see the Giat comig. + + + #... + +.. m Ad the Giat stole u behid him ad took him getly i his had ad ut him u ito the tree. accel. # R q = ca. 1 # # # # # # # # w. #. m Ad the tree broke at oce ito blossom ad the birds came ad sag o it ad the little boy stretched out his two arms ad lug them roud the Giat's eck ad kissed him..... # # # #..
9 m #... #... # # # # # #. # w.. #. #. m m. #. w # # Ad the other childre whe they saw that the Giat was ot wicked ay loger came ruig back ad with them came the Srig. "It is your garde ow little childre" said the Giat ad he took a great axe ad kocked dow the wall. # # #... # #. #... b.. b b m m m #.. # æ.. #. æ #. m #... # #. Ad whe the eole were goig to market at twelve o'clock they oud the Giat layig with the childre i the most beautiul garde they had ever see. q = ca. 72 # w # # R # # m m m m #. b. #.. #. measured timbral trill m m December 1 2009 Iowa City IA Revised ue 18th 2011 Seattle WA