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
View Perusal Score Here
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
View Perusal Score Here
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