Orphic Hymn to Dionysos

by Traditional poetry with original music by Kimberly Steele

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about

The Orphic Hymns are ancient Greek poems that were part of the multi-god worshipping religious practice of Orphism. In 1787, the Orphic Hymns were translated into English by Thomas Taylor. A second edition was published in 1824. There are 87 known Orphic Hymns.

In 2019, I began composing music for the Orphic Hymns. As of the date of this writing, I have composed music for 18 of Taylor's hymns with plans to eventually cover the entire canon.

This track was sung and edited entirely without pitch correction (Autotune). The lead vocal is an amalgam of two takes.

lyrics

Dionysus I call loud sounding and divine
Fanatic god a two-fold shape is thine
Thy various names and attributes I sing
O first born thrice begotten Bacchic king

Rural, ineffable, two-form'd, obscure,
double-horn'd, with ivy crown'd, euion, pure
Bull-fac'd, and martial, bearer of the vine,
endu'd with counsel prudent [Eubouleos] and divine:

Triennial, whom the leaves of vines adorn,
of Jove [Zeus] and Proserpine [Persephoneia], occultly born
Immortal dæmon, hear my suppliant voice,
give me in blameless plenty to rejoice;
And listen gracious to my mystic pray'r,
surrounded with thy choir of nurses fair.

credits

released October 19, 2021

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about

Kimberly Steele Chicago, Illinois

Kimberly Steele (Queenie) is a composer, music teacher, and blogger who lives with her husband in the far west suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.

queeniesongs.net

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