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  • Peter Schickele

    Peter Schickele

    Iphigenia in Brooklyn

    Featuring artist: Ensemble Monterey
  • 1 translation
    Russian
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Original lyrics

Iphigenia in Brooklyn lyrics

{Spoken}
I think we ought to get on the the Cantada - "Iphigenia in Brooklyn".
As you can see by the catalogue number. That's number - 53,162. This is a fairly late work.
Exactly where he got his text, we do not know.
Most Greek scholars that I've talked to seem unaware that Iphigenia ever was in Brooklyn.
And, a couple of interesting features of the work are:
First the use of the canvas firmus in the first aria.
And, also the use of double reeds.
Now, many composers have written for double reeds, but P.D.Q. Bach is the only one I know to do so without the use of oboes and bassoons.
So, I think we're ready now for "Iphigenia in Brooklyn". Thank you.
 
{Song begins at 1:10}
 
As Hyperion across the flaming sky his chariot, chariot, chariot, his chariot did ride,
Iphigenia-nia-nia, Iphigenia, Iphigenia herself in Brooklyn found.
She, she, she herself in Brooklyn found.
Iphigenia, Iphigenia, Iphigenia herself in Brooklyn found.
 
As Hyperion across the flaming sky his chariot, chariot, chariot, his chariot did ride,
Iphegenia-nia-nia, Iphegenia, Iphegenia, herself in Brooklyn found.
 
And lo, she found herself within a market.
And all around her, fish were dying.
And yet, their stench did live on.
 
{Musical Interlude}
 
Dying! Dying! Dying! And yet in death alive!
Dying! Dying! Dying! And yet in death alive!
Die! Die! Die! Die! Die.
Dietee dietee dietee dietee dietee die!
And yet, yet, and yet, and yet, and yet in death alive.
 
And in a vision Iphigenia saw her brother - Orestes,
who was being chased 1 by the Eumenides 2
And he cried out in anguish,
"Oh ye gods, who knows what it is to be running?
Only he who is running, running, running knows!"
 
Run! Run! Running knows.
Run running knows. 3
Run running knows.
Run run run run run run run run run run knows.
Run run run, running running running knows.
Running running running run knows.
Running running knows.
Running. (Running!) Running. (Running!) Running (Running!) Running. (Running!) Running (Running!) Running running knows.
Run!
Running running running knows.
 
  • 1. In modern English "was being chased" sounds like OLDE ENGLISH "was being chaste" which means "was being forced not have sex with anyone, normally by attaching a chastity belt over a woman's sexual orifice. To avoid this misunderstanding, the singer purposefully mispronounces "chased" as "chase-ed". The joke is so complex, it takes the audience a little while to figure it out. So there is a pause, so they have time to laugh.
  • 2. In Greek Mythology Orestes was pursued by the Erinyes (evil hags), but in this song PDQ Back calls them sarcastically the Eumenides (the Benevolents), a joke that only Ancient Greek historians would understand, and is lost to most of the listeners. These are three "hags" who share one eye. Same as the Graiai in Ancient Roman Mythology.
  • 3. Sounds like "Run, running nose."

 

Translations of "Iphigenia in ..."
Russian
Comments
silencedsilenced    Fri, 20/11/2020 - 00:35

Erinyes and Eumenides are the same three mean old hags, also called "Furies" by the Romans.
"eumenides" means "the benevolent ones", it's a kind of joking name.
I'm nothing like a Greek scholar, but some Belgian guy happened to write a delicious fantastic story based on Greek mythology, that's where I got wind of the old crones :)

Phil AmbroPhil Ambro
   Wed, 17/11/2021 - 23:46

Thank you for the explanation. If this is true, I assume my lyrics need no correction?

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