Mors Osculi (2024) – Song Cycle (Chamber ensemble + Electronics)
Charlotte Mundy, Soprano
Yoshi Weinberg, flute (C flute, Alto flute, Bass flute, ocarina)
Madison Greenstone, clarinet (Bb clarinet, bass clarinet)
Russell Greenberg, percussions
Kathryn Sloat, harp
Alec Goldfarb, electric guitar
Pala Garcia, violin
Thea Mesirow, cello
Tristan Kasten Krause, double bass
Yanqi Chen, electronics
Sebastian Zubieta, conductor
“Mors osculi” is an Old Testament doctrine associating death with a kiss. It also implies deliverance from death through the carnal act. The term is translated to “the death kiss” and has become a known poetic motif used throughout the Renaissance in Europe. I approach this theme through the stanza in sonnet XIII:
| “Lors que souef plus il me baiseroit, |
| Et mon esprit sur ses lèvres fuiroit, |
| bien je mourrois, plus que vivante, eureuse.” |
| [Tr: “If he thirsted to kiss me instead, |
| so that on his lips my spirit fled, |
| I’d rather die, more than alive, joyful.”] |