Aaron Alon: Breaking the Silence

The tape part is composed of excerpts of interviews with four survivors of child abuse who volunteered to record their stories, as well as portions of the written text, as sung by soprano Angela Mortellaro. The four interviewees were Mike Migura, Michelle Fellow, "SafeAtLast," and Anonymous. The piece is written in surround sound (quad), but is reduced to stereo for the version on this site.

SUNG TEXT
Ten, ten very pretty ladies
Locked up in a tower
And far out of sight

Ten, ten sleeping pretty ladies
Quietly are bathed
In summer moon’s pale light

Ten, ten lovely little ladies
Safe up in the tower
In the dead of night

Breathe, breathe, breathing little ladies
Sleeping in the tower
Where they feel no fright

Breathe, breathe, I’m a pretty lady
Far away from here
And I am sleeping tight

Breathe, breathe, breathe, you pretty lady
You are not yet dying,
You will wake to light.

Breathe, breathe; it will soon be over
Daddy cannot help
Who he becomes at night

—Aaron Alon


Instrumentation Buy the Score Check Calendar for Upcoming Performances	Breaking the Silence

	I began work on Breaking the Silence knowing only that I wanted to write a piece about child abuse, a horrific social illness which is alarmingly pervasive in our society. Aside from writing a brief text — which is sung by the soprano, who represents a small child singing a children's song of her own invention — I sought to have the direction and social statements of the piece guided by the interviews of survivors: the freely-spoken words and/or the writings they chose to share. These interviews compose the tape portion of the piece and tell, in words, stories more powerful than a writer could manufacture or a composer could mimic. I sought to bring their stories together, to interweave them, always seeking to have their words understood, but allowing the audience to experience, through spoken vocal polyphony, the struggle of breaking the silence, of having one's words heard. I am aware that the piece is controversial. My only hope is that the volunteers who shared their stories will gain from being heard and that this may help others to break their silence too. In 2009, the piece was submitted to the Break The Silence Project and added to their collection of works on the theme of sexual abuse.	INSTRUMENTATION Soprano & Tape Angela Mortellaro, soprano on tape DURATION 13 minutes DATE 2008 PREMIERE 14 April 2008 Doctoral Composition Recital Shepherd School of Music Houston, TX Laura Botkin, soprano RECORDING Studio Recording Not commercially available Angela Mortellaro soprano on tape Laura Botkin, soprano DEMONSTRATION SCORES & RECORDINGS Please contact the composer.
	Listen to the Work: Can't play the audio? Click here. Video of the Premiere:
	The tape part is composed of excerpts of interviews with four survivors of child abuse who volunteered to record their stories, as well as portions of the written text, as sung by soprano Angela Mortellaro. The four interviewees were Mike Migura, Michelle Fellow, "SafeAtLast," and Anonymous. The piece is written in surround sound (quad), but is reduced to stereo for the version on this site. SUNG TEXT Ten, ten very pretty ladies Locked up in a tower And far out of sight Ten, ten sleeping pretty ladies Quietly are bathed In summer moon’s pale light Ten, ten lovely little ladies Safe up in the tower In the dead of night Breathe, breathe, breathing little ladies Sleeping in the tower Where they feel no fright Breathe, breathe, I’m a pretty lady Far away from here And I am sleeping tight Breathe, breathe, breathe, you pretty lady You are not yet dying, You will wake to light. Breathe, breathe; it will soon be over Daddy cannot help Who he becomes at night —Aaron Alon
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