Introduction

The Ballad of Frankie Silver was commissioned by the Lehman Dance Company (1982; revised 1986). Chamber work for mezzo-soprano, guitar, percussion, piano, prepared piano, violin, viola, and contrabass. Dur: 32 min. Premiered in Basel, Switzerland, June 16–20, 1992 by the Tanz Ensemble Cathy Sharp. Additional performances by TECS; Second Recontres Choregraphiques Internationales, Neuchatel, Switzerland Aug. 10, 1994; Kulturwerkstatt Kaserne, Basel, Switzerland, Oct. 18–23, 1994; American Music Festival, Bonn, Germany, Nov. 1995; UGA Arts96 as part of the 1996 Summer Olympics, Athens, GA July 23 and 24, 1996. Michele Spiro-voice.

Development

In 1981 the choreographer John Lehman asked me to write music for a dance work to be presented in a group of three on North Carolina murder legends. He had choreographed two but could not find music appropriate for the third. It was the story of Frankie Silver, an Appalachian backwoods woman who killed her husband with an ax in 1831 and attempted to conceal the crime by burning his body.

The backwoods couple lived with their one year old child in the North Carolina Appalachians in Burke County near the border of Tennessee. As Charlie prepared for his winter hunt, Frankie persuaded him to cut additional firewood for her, since he might be away several weeks. On December 22, 1881, she prepared a heavy meal for him. The work, the meal, and liquor put Charlie into a very deep sleep: an easy target for Frankie. But there was not enough wood to burn the entire body, and she buried the remains under the cabin and in the woods.

I studied everything I could find on the subject in several libraries, mainly those of North Carolina State University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sources included the sketchy court records, diverse journalistic accounts, and books of North Carolina history and folklore. Few details of what occurred were recorded, so I pieced together a narrative I thought possibly true and usable for my purpose, deviating from the most likely accounts only to clarify events and to develop character relationships.

Narrative

A poem Frankie is said to have recited on the gallows prior to her execution has been published in several versions. It was preserved through oral tradition before being written down. The poem is a confession of remorse with no detail of what actually took place. I developed a version of the poem for use as the basis for the music, taking editorial liberties.

My scenario begins with Frankie on the gallows. There and later she is represented by a singer who begins the piece with six stanzas of the poem. As the poem is heard, the dancer portraying Frankie enters and assumes the role.

The narrative then reverts to the day of the murder. Frankie’s husband Charlie is a womanizer who physically abuses Frankie; her motives are jealousy and self-defense. There is a social work-bee followed by a brief affair between Charlie and a neighbor woman. When Frankie intervenes Charlie attacks her. He then shows remorse, and they share a few tender moments together. Neighbors interrupt them for a hoe-down. During this public dance Charlie erotically entertains another woman as Frankie watches from a distance.

After the party Frankie reproaches her husband, who beats her before collapsing in drunken stupor. The next two verses of the poem are explored for their dramatic potential as Frankie contemplates what to do. We are now inside her tortured mind, and the singer’s phrases and syllables become increasingly fragmented. This builds to the ax fall.

Afterwards, as Frankie regains her composure the neighbors enter in search of Charlie. There is a frantic passage of Frankie’s denial and attempt to escape her accusers, but she is cornered and seized. The singer presents two more verses as Frankie’s mood evolves from hysteria to resignation.

Frankie is led to the gallows. The three final verses are sung as we return to where the narrative began.

Performance History

The first version was composed in 1982 while I was working on my Ph.D.at the University of California at San Diego. The music was performed without dance, sung by Eva Wielgat, an actress working on a graduate degree in drama. Music Department singers refused to perform it because of the gruesome story-line and the murder music, which requires dramatic vocalise rather than singing.

I made revisions in 1986 in preparation for a vocal recital given by Michele Spiro. Funding difficulties continually postponed a dance premier, and John Lehman died in 1990 (yr?) of Leukemia. Cathy Sharp, formerly a principal dramatic soloist for Basler Ballet, had heard a tape of the 1982 concert; she formed her own company in 1991 and requested permission to premier the work in Basel, Switzerland.

Although I provided a scenario, I suggested Ms. Sharp use it only as a guide to the music. She reviewed my source material, studied the scenario and score, and her judicious deviations from my narrative created fine dramatic counterpoint between music and dance. Tanz Ensemble Cathy Sharp premiered The Ballad of Frankie Silver at the Kulturwerkstatt Kaserne, Basel, On June 16, 1992 with Michele Spiro, singer, and Loya Moloy, dancer, as Frankie Silver.