Rats! (Lydia Sherman, Archmurderess of Connecticut)
for mezzo-soprano, piano, contrabass, percussion and video
Kirsten Volness
with video by Jacob Richman 2008
Lydia Sherman is plagued with rats, Lydia has no faith in cats, So Lydia buys some arsenic, And then her husband, he gets sick... "Doctor! Doctor! He is very sick! He began to fail to fast, and fail so very fast..." And in the morning, her husband, he does die, And Lydia's neighbors wonder why. Lydia moves but still has rats, And she still has no faith in cats, So Lydia finds her arsenic, This time, her children, they get sick... "I only gave them a little at a time, And after I gave it to them I was afraid they would die." Two little children, two little children... Mary Ann, six, and Edward, four. "He was a beautiful boy and did not complain. He vomited frequently." And in the evening, her children, they do die, And Lydia's neighbors wonder why. Lydia lies in Wethersfield jail, And loudly does she moan and wail, She blames her fate on a plague of rats, She blames the laziness of cats, But her neighbors' questions she can't deny, So, Lydia now in prison must die. Text adapted by Kirsten Volness from traditional American murder ballad text and 1873 article, "The Confession of Lydia Sherman"
Instrumentation: Mezzo-soprano Piano Violoncello Percussion (1 player) Instruments: Bongos, Congas, Suspended Cymbal Implements: Brushes, Hands Performance notes: This piece includes video, which is to be projected in full at the rear of the stage. Musicians should be placed and lit so that they are still visible, but not blocking or mitigating the view of the video. In small performance spaces, the singer may assume center stage in front of the projection screen with the instrumentalists off to the side. Video playback is to be triggered on the downbeat. This is most easily executed if another person is charged with the task of doing so. Program Note: Dating back to medieval England, Scotland, and Scandinavia, murder ballads were written about heinous crimes, often committed by a man victimizing his lover or bride-to-be. Sometimes texts were distributed at executions so the townsfolk could sing along. This popular song tradition continued in colonial America and in recent history, most often appears in bluegrass and other American folk and popular music. The text I chose to set is unique in that it refers to a 19th century string of murders committed by a woman, Lydia Sherman, who poisons her family. I adapted the text to combine the original ballad and excerpts from a sensational 1873 article entitled, “The Confessions of Lydia Sherman,” in which she recounts her transgressions from a women’s prison. (She was spared the death penalty on account of her gender.) Duration: 5’
Traditional/Unknown
Mezzo-soprano
Piano
Contrabass
Rats!
pizz.
pp
Kirsten Volness
pp
Bongos
with brushes
Percussion
(Lydia Sherman, Archmurderess of Connecticut)
A Chill Waltz q.=52
pp
2 8
M-S.
A
loco
Pno.
Cb.
Perc.
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
3 15
M-S.
B
mp
Cb.
Lyd - i - a Sher - man
Pno.
mp
is
plagued
Gm
Gm/F#
Bb/F
rats,
with
mp
Sus cym
Perc.
mp
Congas (lowest 2 spaces)
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
4
21
M-S.
Lyd - i - a
has
Pno.
no
faith
in
Cb.
Perc.
C7/E
Fm
Db
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
cats,
Ab
dome with back of brush
3
so
Db/F
Lyd - i - a buys
C#º/E
some
26
M-S.
Pno.
Cb.
Perc.
ar
-
sen - ic
and
then
Ab/Eb
Dm7b5
her hus -
band,
and
Db
Fm/C
Db
then
her
band,
he
Fm/C
hus -
gets
sfz
C7(add#2)
G7b9/B
5
sfz
switch to hands
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
6
Suddenly anxious, almost frantic
C 30
M-S.
sfz
f
Cb.
f
f
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
(With hands)
Perc.
sick,
Pno.
3
3
7 M-S.
Cb.
Perc.
"Doc - tor!
Pno.
f
33
Fm
Doc
-
tor!
He
Gm7b5
Fm/Ab
is ver - y
Bbm
3
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
8 36
M-S.
He
Perc.
be -gan
to fail
so
mf
Cb.
sick!"
Pno.
mf
Fm/C
Db
Fm/C
Bº7
Bbm mf
Db/Ab
3 mf
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
3
9 39
M-S.
fast,
f
and
fail
so ver - y
Pno.
Perc.
C7/G
and
the mor - ning
in
mf
Fm
fast,
f
Cb.
mf
Cm
D7
Cm/Eb
Gm
D7/F#
Cm/G
p
mp Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
10
43
M-S.
her hus - band,
Pno.
Cb.
Perc.
he
Bb/F
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
does
A piacère
die
and Lyd -i - a's neigh - bors won - der why.
mp
Gm
p mp
tacet
mp
mp
rall.
p
mp
Lyd - i - a moves
but still has
mp
p
Tempo D Aq.=52
D7
Gm
Gb+
Bb/F
Bb D/E§
mp
switch to brushes
mp
11
51
M-S.
rats,
Pno.
Cb.
Perc.
EbMaj7
Eb7
Ebm7
still
and
she
puts
no
faith
in
cats.
Ebm7
Bbm/F
Gb
Bbm/F
(C7)
dome with back of brush
3
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
12
56
M-S.
Cb.
Perc.
So, Lyd - i - a finds
Pno.
Db/F
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
C#º/E
the
ar
-
sen - ic,
this
time
her child - ren,
Ab/Eb
Dm7b5
Db
this
time
her child -
Fm/C
Db
Fm/C
ren,
G7b9/B
M-S.
sfz
62
they
13
E
sfz
get
sick,
Pno.
Cb.
Perc.
f
C7(add#2)
sfz
switch to hands
f
f
3
3
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
14
F 66
M-S.
"I
on
mf
-
ly gave
them
a
Pno.
Perc.
lit - tle
at
a
time,
mf
Cb.
4
Fm
Bbm
Fm
mf
mf
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
C7/E
3
15 69
M-S.
mp
and
af - ter
I gave
it
f
to
them
I was a - fraid
Pno.
mp
Cb.
Ebm
mp
Perc.
they
would
f
Gb/Db
Cm7
B
B
f
3 p
f
3
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
16 72
M-S.
die."
Pno.
Perc.
mp
p
Two lit
tle child - ren,
two lit
tle child - ren
F#
C#7/E#
F#
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
Ma -ry Ann, six, and
pp
TACET-----------------------------------------------------------
pp
p
pp
p
Cb.
G
p
mp
p
79
M-S.
Perc.
He was
a beau - ti -ful
boy
Bm/D p
F#/C#
Bm
pp
He
A7
D
mf
mf
p
mf
17
and did not com - plain.
p
Cb.
Ed - ward, four.
Pno.
mf
Gm
D
Gm
D
p
p
D7
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
18
H mf
86
M-S.
vom
Pno.
f
Cb.
Perc.
-
it - ed
fre
mf Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
Bb
mf
Gm
quent - ly,
He
Cm7
vom - it - ed
fre
Gm
quent ly,
Eb
Bb
19
89
M-S.
He
f
vom - it -ed
Pno.
Cb.
Perc.
Cm7
Eb
Gm
fre -
quent - ly,
He
vom - it -ed
4
Bb
fre -
Cm7
Eb
quent ly,
4
4
Gm
Bb
f
f
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
20
M-S.
and
in
the eve -
Pno.
Cb.
Perc.
4
ning,
her child - ren,
they do
Cm7
Eb
Cm/G
mf
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
Gm
mf
Gm
Bb/F
A piacere
die
and Lyd -i - a's neigh -bors won - der why.
mp
p
Eb
mf
93
rall.
D7
p
p
pp
21
A tempo q.=52
I
101 mp
M-S.
Lyd - i - a
lies
in Weth -ers - field
Pno.
Perc.
jail,
and
loud
-
ly
she
does
mp
Cb.
Gm
Gb
mp
Bbm/F
Eº7
Ebm7
Cm7b5/Eb
Ebº7
B7
B7/D#
Em
p Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
22
106
M-S.
moan
Pno.
Cb.
Perc.
Em
and
wail.
She
blames
her
ff
plague
of
fate
on
a
rats,
she
ff
Em7/D
C#m7b5
G/D
C/E
D7
ff
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
3 ff
23 109
M-S.
the la
Cb.
Perc.
G
-
Pno.
blames
zi
-
ness
Am7b5
G/B
of
cats.
mp
But her neigh
-
bors
quest - ions
she
mp
C
Em mp
F#m7
3
mp
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
24 112 mf
M-S.
can't
de - ny—
Pno.
Molto Rubato f
Em/G
F#m7/A
in
pris - on
Em/B (cadential 6/4)
B7
mf
Kirsten Volness - Rats! - 2008
Em
mp
pp
bass fill
mp
mp
switch to brushes
Perc.
must die.
mf
molto rit.
mp
so Lyd - i - a now
mf
Cb.
pp
pp