| Godric was a medieval merchant turned hermit who lived in Finchale, near Durham in northeastern England, and was regarded locally as a saint in his time. A monk named Reginald from the nearby Durham priory recorded an account of the miracles of Godric, which include several descriptions of Godric’s struggles with sexually perverse demons. From the distance of history, the irony of the account seems comical. But at the same time, these hallucinations must have been harrowing for Godric, and it strikes an empathetic chord with a musician to learn that the one thing that helped Godric escape his demons was a song – a song which is now famous for being the first known song written in English.
The fact that it’s the first known song in English is what first drew me to the subject. But Reginald’s chronicle of Godric’s life is what really inspired me to write this work. This strange artifact, and especially the chapters on demonic encounters, drew me in with its mix of psychological drama, repression and absolution, the supernatural and the mundane, human suffering and overt religious politics, and generally, the absurdity of it all. Most of the text used in this piece is adapted from the account of the saint’s life given by Reginald of Durham, which I have loosely translated to English from Latin. The text of the final hymn, in the original Middle English, is from the lyrics of the song that Godric claimed the Virgin Mary taught him, as recorded by Reginald, although I have not used the original tune. The commentary from the chorus is my own addition. |