We are the music-makers…

January 3rd, 2008

Arthur William Edgar O’Shaugnessy. Isn’t that a fabulous name? He wrote a poem circa 1874 that caught my eye tonight & I set a portion of it to some music. It’s a very rough cut with my piano & a microphone, but I like the tune. I may add extra verses & a bridge later since this was kinda improvised & the last half is just piano. Click on the image to the right to listen to the MP3. A copy of the poem is below…

Ode

We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;

World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams;
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.

With wonderful deathless ditties
And out of a fabulous story
We build up the world’s great cities,
We fashion an empire’s glory…

One man with a dream, at pleasure,
Shall go forth and conquer a crown;
And three with a new song’s measure
Can trample an empire down.

We, in the ages lying
In the buried past of the earth,
Built Nineveh with our sighing,
And Babel itself with our mirth;
And o’erthrew them with prophesying
To the old of the new world’s worth;
For each age is a dream that is dying,
Or one that is coming to birth.

Side note: I just looked up the poet in Wikipedia, and it ends up this poem was already set to music by the famous composer Edward Elgar back in 1912! *LOL* I’ll have to get a copy from the library to hear someone actually do the words justice! ;)

Entry Filed under: Music

2 Comments Add your own

1. Edie Stanger | January 4th, 2008 at 12:12 pm

Laura,

The song, the voice, the piano, it was lovely.

Edie
2. Vivian | January 8th, 2008 at 3:26 pm

That was beautiful. Thanks for sharing the poem and your talent.