"I felt a funeral in my brain" by Alyssa Weinberg

"I felt a funeral in my brain" (2019) by Alyssa Weinberg (weinbergmusic.com)
Molly Netter, voice
Katie Hyun, violin
Ezra Seltzer, cello
JIJI, guitar
Performed at St. Paul's Chapel in NYC, March 8th, 2019
***
Text by Emily Dickinson:
I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,
And Mourners to and fro
Kept treading-treading-till it seemed That Sense was breaking through-
And when they all were seated,
A Service, like a Drum-
Kept beating-beating-till I thought My Mind was going numb-
And then I heard them lift a Box
And creak across my Soul
With those same Boots of Lead, again, Then Space-began to toll,
As all the Heavens were a Bell,
And Being, but an Ear,
And I, and Silence, some strange Race Wrecked, solitary, here-
And then a Plank in Reason, broke, And I dropped down, and down- And hit a World, at every plunge, And Finished knowing-then-
***
This work was commissioned by Trinity Wall Street Church in Manhattan for a concert titled "Lagrime Mie," curated by Melissa Baker and Molly Netter:
"Lagrime Mie" explores the female perspective in composition, particularly the raw evocation of emotion heard in the music of the famous Baroque artist Barbara Strozzi, who broke through gender barriers to become the most successful composer of secular vocal music in Venice in her time. Works by Strozzi and several of her contemporaries are paired with world premieres of Trinity-commissioned works focusing on empowering female voices.
***
Program notes on this piece from composer Alyssa Weinberg:
"When setting Emily Dickinson’s I felt a funeral in my brain, I wanted to musically reflect on the spirit of the baroque lament. On the surface, this poem depicts the dread of death; however, I believe the funeral Dickinson refers to is actually about sanity, leading us through a poetic rendering of a mental breakdown."