Wildlight Publications
No Mercy by Grace Shepard
No Mercy by Grace Shepard
John Keats’ poem ‘La belle dame sans merci,’ has two different versions. One sees a mysterious ‘faery’s child’ as a temptress, enchanting a knight to ruin. The other, with the re-arranging of two words, sees the same woman enthralled by a knight who will be forever separated from her. It struck me that the seemingly tiny alteration contains an entire universe that I can only speculate about as a reader. The difference between the two versions also emphasizes how context can completely change our understanding.
In the music, I seek to live in the uneasy space between the two possible outcomes of the poem. It wavers between the two possibilities and questions if the roles of the knight and the faery will ever become totally clear. With the title of my piece, I also take a moment to reflect on how quickly a story can be defined by the teller.
Learn more about the composer
Upon purchase, you will receive a secure 24-hour link to the digital performance materials including:
-
Full Score and Parts — PDF format
Couldn't load pickup availability
Share
Copyright Agreement
The purchase of a PDF file constitutes an agreement that the file will be used solely for individual study or performance, and as such is limited to a single printing of each PDF file, with the exception of printing/photocopying multiple copies of parts required to perform chamber or larger instrumental ensemble works. Under no circumstances may any PDF file or part thereof, or any printing or photocopies of scores/parts derived from a PDF file be copied, resold, rented, shared, published, posted, distributed, transmitted, or modified in any way without the prior consent of Wildlight Publications LLC.