Ali Ben Sou Alle : Souvenirs du Cap Bonne Espérence

Today, I published this work by Ali Ben Sou Alle, which will be the last in this series for a while. There are three other works in this series still to come: Souvenirs de la France, Souvenirs de L'Australie et Manille - featuring a set of variations on "The Old Folks at Home" by Foster (not very Australian, but that's what's there!) and one other work which was written for Clarinet : Souvenirs de Buda, plus one other opera fantasy based on Verdi's "Le Corsaire". These will come in a few weeks' time.

The fellow above is Sir George Gray, who was the governor of the British colony of the Cap of Good Hope (now located in South Africa) when Soualle visited around 1858 or so and to whom Soualle dedicated this work. It is in three large sections: beginning with a dramatic Largo in the form of a classical aria, which make evoke the dangerous voyage to the Cap. After a dramatic cadenza, there follows the sentimental Irish folksong The Irish Emigrant, whose lyrics are as follows:

I'm sitting on the stile, Mary, where we once sat side by side
On a bright May morning long ago, when first you were my bride
The corn was springing fresh and green, and the lark sang loud and high
And the red was on your lips, Mary, and the love light in your eyes.
Tis but a step down yonder lane, the village Church stands near
The place where we were wed, Mary, I can see the spire from here
But the graveyard lies between, Mary, and my step might break your rest
Where I laid you darling down to sleep with a baby on your breast.

I'm very lonely now, Mary, for the poor make no new friends
But oh they love the better still the few our Father sends
For you were all I had, Mary, my blessing and my pride
And I've nothing left to care for now since my poor Mary died.

Yours was the good brave heart, Mary, that still kept hoping on
When the trust in God had left my soul and my arms young strength had gone
There was comfort ever on your lip and a kind look on your brow
And I thank you Mary for the same though you cannot hear me now.

I'm bidding you a long farewell, my Mary kind and true
But I'll not forget you, darling, in the land I'm going to
They say there's bread and work for all, and the sun shines always there
But I'll ne'er forget old Ireland, were it fifty times as fair.

And often in those grand old woods I'll sit and shut my eyes
And my heart will wander back again to the place where Mary lies
And I think I'll see that little stile where we sat side by side
In the springing corn and the bright May morn' when first you were my bride.

There are two variations which use stylistic elements of the style of Irish songs. After a brief piano interlude, there is an extended polka which uses a rather Schubertian accompaniment in the piano and quite a bit of counterpoint between the saxophone and the piano. This is as much of a "Duo concertante" as was the Souvenirs de L'Inde, which tend to suggest the Soualle had a good pianist while he was on the Cap. This is a real showpiece and ends quite brilliantly.

Again, I could once again express surprise that nobody's currently playing these works which are really quite good, but hopefully that will change.