Tom O'Bedlam (Chamber Ensemble Version) (Score)

SKU: HL.402083

Concert Ayre for Baritone and Chamber Ensemble. Composed by Iain Bell. Vocal. Softcover. Duration 480 seconds. Chester Music #CH85602. Published by Chester Music (HL.402083).

ISBN 9781705160114. UPC: 196288056850. 9.0x12.0 inches.

The anonymously-penned 'Tom O'Bedlam' is one of the best known examples of c.17th mad-song poetry. Part saga, part stream-of-consciousness, Tom recounts his descent to madness by virtue of his libidinous lifestyle and speaks of his life begging on the streets of London. The text conveys wit, anger, sexual bravado, fear and boastfulness but each strophe is capped with the shameful, pitiful refrain of Tom's begging call Any food, any feeding?. These contrasting moods lend themselves wonderfully to a musical setting, offering both singer and chamber orchestra the opportunity to express the whole gamut of musical coloring, from the most intimate utterances of Tom's begging call, to his rage all, illustrated richly by the chamber orchestra within which each player plays a 'solo', active part in the storytelling.

Score

SKU: HL.402078

For Baritone, Violin, Cello, and Piano. Composed by Iain Bell. Vocal. Softcover. 32 pages. Duration 480 seconds. Chester Music #CH88117. Published by Chester Music (HL.402078).

ISBN 9781705160091. UPC: 196288056836. 9.0x12.0 inches.

'Tom O'Bedlam' is one of the best known examples of c.17th mad-song poetry. Part saga, part stream-of-consciousness, in this operatic 'ayre' Tom recounts his descent to madness by virtue of his libidinous lifestyle and speaks of his life begging on the streets of London. The original chamber ensemble version of the work was commissioned by the University of Notre Dame's DeBartolo Performing Arts Center in 2016, before being arranged for trio in 2020 for performance by members of the Britten Sinfonia.