Crumb, Let It Be Forgotten
George Crumb (1929-2022) strikes me as one of the most interesting composers of the late 20th century. Several years ago, we featured his Voice of the Whale (1971) in this series.
Crumb was born into a musical family in Charleston, West Virginia. Both parents played in the Charleston Symphony. He was strongly influenced early on by Mahler, Bartok, Debussy, and the serialist Anton Webern. But he describes an event in 1965 when he realized that he needed to turn to a more avant-garde style. He taught at the University of Pennsylvania for many years and became one of the better known composers of his time.
At a time when innovation seemed to be prized over all else, Crumb’s music ran the gamut from rather conservative to wildly provocative and from ethereal to what some describe as downright frightening. His Black Angels (1970), an example of the latter, was used effectively in the soundtrack of the film The Exorcist.
“Let It Be Forgotten” lies on the other end of the spectrum. Based on a text by Sara Teasdale, it comes from Three Early Songs written in 1947. If you are accustomed to the avant-garde George Crumb, this sublime song may come as a surprise.
Text:
Let it be forgotten as a flower is forgotten,
Forgotten as a fire that once was singing gold.
Let it be forgotten forever and ever.
Time is a kind friend, he will make us old.If anyone asks, say it was forgotten,
Long and long ago.
As a flower, as a fire, as a hushed foot-fall
In a long forgotten snow.