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William Bolcom’s Lilith is a dramatic piece for alto saxophone and piano, written in 1984 for saxophonist Laura Hunter and pianist Brian Connelly. Every one of its five movements depicts a different aspect of the mythological figure Lilith, each with its own legendary and etymological derivation. As an introductory note to his piano score, Bolcom gives multiple descriptions of Lilith, demonstrating that he feels that some understanding of the subject matter is integral to the performance of the chamber work. Each of these descriptions, although basic, define Lilith in some way as a demon, beginning with the more-common Jewish depiction as well as citing those from early Western civilizations like Akkad and Mesopotamia, and the later cultures of Ancient Greece, Rome, and Europe. The brevity of Bolcolm’s definitions are no indication of the amount of material available on the subject of Lilith however, and a more thorough understanding of Lilith’s origins and associated imagery could stand to inform the performer as much as they informed the composition. Throughout the work are performance instructions, extended techniques, and musical textures which invoke or are seem to be derived from dramatic imagery. The realization of this imagery by the involved musicians could transform what otherwise might simply be a technically-facile performance into a brilliantly musical interpretation. To that end, the purpose of this paper is to seek out the ways in which the music portrays the many facets of this historically-significant figure in its contrasting movements: “The Female Demon,” “Succuba,” “Will-o’-the-Wisp,” “Child Stealer,” and “The Night Dance.”

When asked in an e-mail interview with the author, appended at the end of this paper, if a thorough understanding of Lilith would contribute to a more effective or emotionally-charged performance, Bolcom wrote that it wasn’t “necessary to become a cultural anthropologist,” and that Lilith is “the stuff of many different stories and legends,” some of which conflict. For this piece, he was more interested in the “mythological aspect as a human phenomenon” (Bolcom, E-mail interview). Each movement is an abstract representation of the concept or characteristic indicated by its title. “Programmatic references would be too specific,” he wrote; instead he was “after a certain atmosphere.” Still, when asked about the meaning of two movements’ titles that weren’t explicitly related to the definitions set forth in the composer’s note (“Will-o’-the-wisp” and “The Night Dance”), Bolcom responded with programmatic descriptions that could be easily visualized. Spread throughout the composition are performance instructions associating passages and musical fragments with emotional states and extra-musical sounds. It seems that rather than lay out a discernible story line, his programmatic approach was instead to invoke emotional content and non-specific imagery.

Titled “The Female Demon,” the first movement has among its tempo indications adjectives like “wild,” “raunchy,” “suddenly sweet,” “skitter,” “slow and sensual,” “yearning,” “rough,” “lyrical,” “wistful,” and “fluttery” (Bolcom, Lilith 3-6). Many of these adjectives correspond to textures that are quoted and alluded to throughout the piece, and are seemingly related to mythological descriptions of Lilith. As part of his compositional arsenal, to be discussed in greater detail, Bolcom used extended saxophone techniques including glissandi, growling, and multiphonics, among others. He commented that “they fit the wildness of the character,” and that he wouldn’t likely have use for them again (Bolcom, E-mail interview). In the last measure of the first movement, Bolcom places an asterisk next to the saxophonist’s growled glissando-ascent into a screeching multiphonic that indicates it should be played “like the cry of a roc” (Bolcom Lilith 6). A roc is a giant mythical bird said to be able to carry off and eat elephants (“roc”).

Since the piece is designed to represent the multi-faceted character of Lilith, a more comprehensive understanding, though perhaps not an anthropological one, stands to affect the way performers might conceptualize the work. Lilith is an ancient and complex character whose origins, as Hurwitz states, are in the most ancient Western cultures of the Middle East (32) and who is still present in contemporary literature and popular culture. According to Amy Scerba, who investigated the literary evolution of Lilith from ancient times to the present, Lilith has risen to become an icon of feminism and the independent woman (“Introduction”) owing in part to a ninth century Hebrew text, The Alphabet of Ben Sira, which describes her beginnings as the predecessor to Eve. The prophet, Ben Sira, recants the tale of Lilith and her origin in Eden for King Nebuchadnezzar:

Program and Myth in Bolcom's Lilith

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