i walked the boulevard - (2008)

E. E. Cummings

for medium voice and piano

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i walked the boulevard

 

i  saw a dirty child

skating on noisy wheels of joy

 

pathetic dress fluttering....

 

This text remains under copyright and is therefore not fully reproduced herein.

 

IV, Portraits, in Tulips and Chimneys (1923)

 

[ 3 pages, circa 2' 10" ]

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E. E. Cummings

 

Among the portraits which Cummings paints in word yet in shades of emotional gray comes this picture of a few people on "the boulevard." The cast of characters includes the self, "i," as well as the child on roller skates, her mother and father and a pregnant "girlish whore." An unhappy event, apparently, in the eye of the poet.

 

 

Written for a medium vocal range, the setting is meant to evoke this moment in time, perhaps lethargic and yet at the same time pressured. The past tense of the verb indicates this is a sense memory and perhaps a reflection on the components of the scene. The mother's portrait is in no way flattering, nor is the father's with his inappropriate attentions to the fifth character in the scene, the pregnant "whore." Much is missing in this vignette, and as a result the portrait is ripe with possibilities.

 

 

The tempo races slightly ahead as the "thick cheerful man" is added to the scene unflatteringly in the poet's choice of descriptive words. A reprise of the opening gestures finishes the song setting, as well as a reprise of the phrase, "i walked the boulevard" and "i saw...." How did seeing this affect the observer? That is for the performers to ponder, as is Cummings' intent as a portrait painter and my intent in offering this set of "line readings" to this little scena.

 

 

The score for i walked the boulevard in the medium key is available as a free PDF download, though any major commercial performance or recording of the work is prohibited without prior arrangement with the composer. Click on the graphic below for this piano-vocal score.

 

i walked the boulevard