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This interpretation is not universally accepted, and in fact other translations include alternatives to Lilith’s name, such as “night hag” and “screech-owl” (Scofield 740; May and Metzger 863). Bolcom provides a different, but closely related translation in his composer’s note, one that does refer specifically to Lilith. Still, whether or not the passage actually refers to her is unimportant because it is a commonly-cited historical text in her mythological background (Scerba, “Isaiah 34:14”) and it has greatly contributed to her modern image. It, with the preceding two examples, establishes a precedent for Lilith’s association with animals, particularly those with a dangerous or evil connotation like the snake and certain birds. Bolcom references animals in several movements as part of his written performance instruction.

Examples of Lilith from the last two millennia are mostly Hebrew in origin and contribute more specifically to the contemporary state of the Lilith myth because they are more biographical and not simply referential. These sources lead appropriately into a discussion of Bolcom’s musical portrait. The Testament of Solomon dates from around the first centuries CE (Hurwitz 115), and is a clear example of Lilith as a child-slayer. The specific demon named in the text is “Obizuth,” but she counts among her many names, Lilith (Scerba “The Testament of Solomon”). She tells King Solomon:

When I see the hour approaching, I take my place and when I spot an opportune moment, I strangle the child. If I fail, then I withdraw to another place, because I cannot pass even one single night without success… For I have nothing else to do but kill children, make their ears deaf, cause harm to their eyes, shut their mouths fast, befuddle their senses and torment their bodies. (qtd. in Hurwitz: 116)

Aramaic inscriptions found on sixth-century bowls from the Babylonian region have strikingly similar stories to The Testament of Solomon, with Lilith describing in graphic detail her intentions to cause children bodily harm (Patai 211, 215).

The Alphabet of Ben Sira, quoted earlier, describes the origin of Lilith’s compulsion to destroy the children of men. After fleeing Eden following her argument with Adam, Lilith finally settled in the desert by the Red Sea, where she “engaged in unbridled promiscuity, consorting with lascivious demons, and gave birth to hundreds of Lilim or demonic babies, daily” (qtd. in Koltuv: 20). As translated by Steinschneider, God sends three angels to negotiate Lilith’s return to Eden, whereupon she refuses and instead consents to allow one hundred of her demon children to die every day. She decrees that her purpose is to harm human children in the days immediately following their births, but that she will refrain when a child wears an amulet bearing the names of the three angels. The story that the prophet Ben Sira tells the king is an explanation of the significance of healing amulets, one of which he places upon the king’s son (qtd. in Hurwitz: 119-121). These amulets, along with similar incantations and rites described in the twelfth-century Book of Raziel, became prevalent in Jewish tradition, and were in common practice into the nineteenth century (Patai 227-228).

The fourth movement of Bolcom’s Lilith, “Child-Stealer” is unique from the other movements in its copious use of extended saxophone and piano techniques and lesser reliance on traditional musical elements like melodic line and vertical sonority. Instead, it creates a special atmosphere through the use of sound effects and melodic or harmonic fragments. The movement is marked “Free, slow” (Bolcom, Lilith 14) and has an open time signature, which is consistent with the overall cadenza-like structure. Barlines are organized according to chord articulations in the piano, perhaps to facilitate ensemble, and measures frequently extend across multiple staves. From the beginning, the saxophonist is instructed to direct the sound into the piano up until the last few seconds of the movement, so that every gesture reverberates through sympathetic vibration. To facilitate this technique, the pianist holds the sustain pedal throughout the entire movement, with specific pedaling instructions that correspond to changes in vertical harmonies. The pianist is also directed to “flutter” the pedal before releasing it in measures 1, 3, and 4, resulting in a wavering, vibrato-like sound from the resonating strings. Many of the piano’s musical fragments are to be played by plucking the strings of the interior piano with the fingernails. The amalgamation of the different non-traditional techniques between the two instruments results in an unsettling, alien texture that creates the dark mood that is appropriate for the movement’s subject matter.

Program and Myth in Bolcom's Lilith

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