“Music Behind the Story: Ulysses”
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CONFLUENCIAS “Music behind the story: Ulysses” LEIVA GARCIA, Silvia S. Resumen El objetivo principal de esta ponencia es evidenciar la importancia de la música en la novela Ulises de James Joyce. Las canciones y las alusiones a la música de operas, conocidas por todos sus lectores contemporáneos han contribuido a una comprensión mucho más profunda de la novela. Es por eso que nos parece interesante explicar algunas de las canciones claves a través de sus letras. Joyce, quien fuera atraído por la carrera musical en su juventud, incorpora alusiones en forma compleja y continua. Algunas canciones se convierten en punto de definición de situaciones y personajes, otras intensifican la atmosfera y todas impregnan de música la novela. Palabras claves: música, atmosfera, personajes, Irlanda. Abstract The main objective of this paper is to evidence the importance of music in James Joyce’s novel, Ulysses. Songs and allusions to opera music, known by all contemporary readers, have contributed to a more profound comprehension of the novel. It is for this reason that we found it interesting to explain some key songs through the lyrics. Joyce, who ha been attracted to the musical career at an early age, incorporates allusions in a complex and continual manner. Some songs become the point of definition of situations and characters, others intensify atmosphere and all of them impregnate the novel with music. Key words: music, atmosphere, characters, Ireland. CONFLUENCIAS - ABRIL 2009 Facultad de Humanidades – Universidad Nacional de Catamarca ISSN: 1852-3048 CONFLUENCIAS “Music behind the story: Ulysses” LEIVA GARCIA, Silvia S. James Joyce’s love for writing is shared with his love for music. From his childhood, Joyce was strongly influenced by his father. He grew admiring opera and music theatre, and so later in life he became a composer. James Joyce loved music and he let the sounds of music and songs enter his writings on almost every page and he incorporated music into his fiction whenever possible. The purpose of this work is to prove how Joyce musical knowledge becomes an important feature displays throughout his work Ulysses in order to depict people and situations. Music and musical allusions in Ulysses ( ) are complex and continuous. Music appears when people are singing or they quote songs in conversations. Some of the songs in the novel become points of definitions of the characters. Some songs are leitmotifs and so they are signal for further meaning and appearances. Songs are used to sharpen situations and to intensify moods. Therefore, it is not by chance that Joyce displays his interests in music by impregnating with music his work. He shows to the world that his personal passion could be merged with great ability. Joyce’s love for music comes from his early years and develops through the years. Music has always been a tradition with the Joyces. Sometimes, James annoys his neighbours since he spends long hours just singing, and for such a reason it is not surprising that his first book of poems is entitled Chamber Music. As a result, the father influences James who in turn influences his own son Giorgio, so “Music came before, during and after everything” (www.themodernworld.com). In fact, Giorgio follows his father left aside dream, and he becomes a singer, specially a bass. In this way, grandfather, father and son continue the musical line. In 1918, in a meeting with Frank Budgen, James Joyce gives his major reason why music is present in his works by saying that “writing a novel was like composing music”. He also says that music can be combined with writing and so to get such a writing work as it is Ulysses, which is sprinkled everywhere with famous pieces of music such as Mozart’s “La ci darem”. Joyce wants to prove with the use of songs that music is present in everyday things, being public or private. Although Joyce is acknowledged in the art world as an outstanding successful writer, the possibility of being a recognized musician is always in his mind, in his life environment. Thus, “the singer, the pianist, the composer, the entertainer, and the impresario” (www.themodernworl.com) are all aspects of the same man. Despite music is the most obvious facet in his life, in his writings it has come to be analyzes by scholars, who have made a list of the countless allusions to singers, composers, instruments, musical places and songs. Many CONFLUENCIAS - ABRIL 2009 Facultad de Humanidades – Universidad Nacional de Catamarca ISSN: 1852-3048 CONFLUENCIAS of these allusions come to the necessary part for the comprehension of Joyce’s poems, short stories and novels. In Ulysses there is a line of relationships between the different elements by which the characters come to be known and understood, namely, their actions, words, thoughts, memories and their ways for showing and making themselves be noticed by their tastes in music, and the melodies which appear at different instances in their minds during the story. Thus, the songs emphasize different aspects of the story, and looking at the novel as a whole it can be appreciated Joyce’s musical compositional skilfulness in each chapter. For instance, the song “The Bloom is on the Rye or My Pretty Jane” has the particular effect to serve as “the musical signature or leitmotif”- a technique that Joyce has taken from Richard Wagner- for the character Leopold Bloom, especially when he appears in Sirens which is regarded the most musical chapter. In addition, Joyce reproduces in words the voices and sounds of the living and not living things. They are onomatopoeias of sounds of the world around him which emphasize and highlight the captured elements by the senses, specially the sense of hearing: ”Hooray! Ay! Whreeewe!” or “Mrgnkoao” among many others. They illustrated and colour the description of Joyce’s description of the world. Music in the novel is used in order to improve and draw the attention to situations and characters; it has the particular effect of being a link between the combinations of tunes with Joyce anti-romantic modernism. In the novel, Joyce plays with music, not only does he use it to share what is heard in his own time but also does he do in a way of showing love and charming. For instance, by going through “Martha” the reader is able to get caught by the special meaning which this song has for the characters since it is connected with their experience. The song is performed by Simon Dedalus in the pub, who involved himself in an attitude of being “a noble love-sick hero” (www.themodernworld.com) whose own good judgement is in danger. At the same time, this song reminds him of “Bloom’s own love-sickness” (www.themodernworld.com). Another example is the song “The Last Rose of Summer” with “Go sleep thou with them” expresses what in the novel comes to be related to Molly and Boylan’s affair, a fact that Bloom cannot escape from because it is part of his reality. The Holy City Music by Stephen Adams; words by Frederick E. Weatherly Song Lyrics Last night I lay a-sleeping There came a dream so fair, I stood in old Jerusalem Beside the temple there. CONFLUENCIAS - ABRIL 2009 Facultad de Humanidades – Universidad Nacional de Catamarca ISSN: 1852-3048 CONFLUENCIAS I heard the children singing, And ever as they sang Methought the voice of angels From heaven in answer rang, Methought the voice of angels From heaven in answer rang. Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Lift up your gates and sing, Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna to your King! And then methought my dream was changed, The streets no longer rang. Hushed were the glad Hosannas The little children sang. The sun grew dark with mystery, The morn was cold and chill, As the shadow of a cross arose Upon a lonely hill, As the shadow of a cross arose Upon a lonely hill. Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Hark! How the angels sing, Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna to your King! And once again the scene was changed, New earth there seemed to be. I saw the Holy City Beside the tideless sea. The light of God was on its streets, The gates were open wide, And all who would might enter, And no one was denied. No need of moon or stars by night, Or sun to shine by day; It was the new Jerusalem That would not pass away, It was the new Jerusalem That would not pass away. Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Sing for the night is o'er! Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna forevermore! CONFLUENCIAS - ABRIL 2009 Facultad de Humanidades – Universidad Nacional de Catamarca ISSN: 1852-3048 CONFLUENCIAS Many songs are quoted by Joyce in Ulysses, and each of them attaches significance to the action of the story. The song “The Holy City” gains a great importance in Circe. In this chapter, Leopold Bloom begins imaging himself as being the person who controls and has all the power in a place called “New Bloomusalem” which can be described as “ a new celestial golden city” (www.themodernworld.com). Thus, while one of the female characters of the novel Bella Cohen plays the song in the record player, it takes place a funny and amusing parody, in which it is figured out Bloom’s larger building in an upright position. The Croppy Boy Words by Carroll Malone; air: Cailín Óg a Stór Song Lyrics "Good men and true in this house who dwell, To a stranger bouchal* I pray you tell: Is the priest at home, or may he be seen? I would speak a word with Father Green." "The Priest's at home, boy, and may be seen; 'Tis easy speaking with Father Green.