Passages of the original hymn were selected in consultation with and pronunciation coached by Dr. Of Dionysus, glorious Semeles son, I will make remembrance: how he appeared by the shore of the barren sea, on a jutting headland, in the likeness of a youth. In writing these adaptations of the Hymns we consulted and drew upon an array of translations of the Homeric Hymns including those by Hugh Evelyn-White, Peter McDonald, Gregory Nagy, Diane Rayor, and Sarah Ruden *These songs are inspired by a sequence of praise poems composed by a lineage of bards and poets over several centuries in ancient Greece and historically attributed to Homer. Principal Arrangements by Yvette Cornelia Holzwarth (strings), Matt Orenstein (strings, mix), Mat Sweeney, Ellen Warkentine, and James Waterman (percussion)Īdditional Arrangements by Lu Coy, Danny Echevarria, Philip Graulty, Sharon Chohi Kim, Jett Kwong Kelly, Lukas Papenfusscline, Tom Peyton, Prudence Rees-Lee, Theodosia Roussos, Lisa Salvo, & James Vitz-Wong Songs by Mat Sweeney, Hymns to Dionysus 1, Gaia, Helios, & Xenoi composed with Ellen Warkentine, with Lyrical collaboration from Jesse Rasmussen and additional dramaturgy by Sebastian Peters-LazaroĪrranged in collaboration with the performers: So spake wise Zeus and ordained it with a nod. Influences from Hesiod and the Orphic poetry can be traced by experts in the Hymns to Aphrodite and Ares respectively. It is true that Dionysus is the god of religious ecstasy, but the phrase 'insewn god who drive s women to madness' is the only epithet of its kind in the collection. Here, the passage just before the ending is atypical. The hymn concludes: Be propitious, Bull god, women-frenzier We singers sing of you as we begin and as we end there is no way to take heed for holy singing while heedless of you. Recorded by the performers at their homes, facilitated by James Vitz-Wong ABOUT: The Homeric Hymns, among the oldest extant poems from the ancient mediterranean, include the first stories of Demeter & Persephone, of Semele. Most of the Homeric Hymns end as Hymn 1 does, with a few words of praise, an entreaty for favor, and a graceful farewell. Produced by Matt Orenstein (Mixing), Mat Sweeney (Music Direction), & James Vitz-Wong (Editing, Engineering, & Additional Mixing)

Homeric hymns to dionysus