The Faerie Bride
Instrumentation: 2 (I = afl, II = picc). 2 (II = ca). 2 (II = bcl). 2 (II = cbsn). - 2.2.0.0. - 1 prc. - hp. - chorus (optional). - mzsop. - bari. - strings
Percussion: Large Orchestral Bass Drum; Suspended Cymbals (3); Crotales; Tam-tam; Tuned Gong (E♭2); Wooden Wind Chimes; Cabasa.
PROGRAMME NOTE
The Faerie Bride is a cantata for two singers and orchestra inspired by the Welsh myth of the Lady of Llyn y Fan Fach.
The Man sees a woman sitting on the lake. Over three days he tries to woo her with bread – hard, soft, and half-baked – before The Woman finally agrees to marry him, on one condition: that he shall not strike her ‘three blows’. If he does, she will return to the lake forever. He agrees and she leaves the lake followed by a motley procession: a dowry of cows, sheep, horses, and pigs.
The couple marry and have children, but The Villagers do not like her. One summer they go to a wedding, but The Woman, rather than singing and dancing, sits quietly – she has faerie sight and can see an unhappy future for the couple. The Villagers gossip suspiciously whilst The Man questions her behaviour, shaming her for her ‘faerie ways’ and thus, causes the first ‘heart blow’.
One autumn they go to the christening of the couple’s new child, but The Women, rather than celebrating, cries and weeps – she has faerie sight and can see the child does not have long for this world. The Villagers chatter and The Man chides her for her behaviour. Shaming her for her ‘faerie ways’ he strikes the second ‘heart blow’.
One winter they attend the funeral of the child. Rather than crying, The Women laughs and sings – she has faerie sight and can see the child is in a better place now with the Tylwyth Teg (the Fair Folk). The Man is horrified and confronts her landing the final ‘heart blow’. She turns and walks back to the lake calling her dowry and children to follow – sheep and cattle leave the fields, a slaughtered pig jumps down from the meathook, her sons stop working the land and follow her into the lake forever.
The Welsh ‘lady of the lake’ myths are just one of many ‘watery wife’ tales from northern Europe that include the Mermaids of Ireland, the Kelpie of Scotland, and the Selkie of the Shetlands and Scandinavia. However, in each of those the women are portrayed as either malevolent (pulling hapless men to their deaths), has something magical stolen from them (her seal skin, red cap, or silver bridle), or is captured by a man and kept in human form. The Faerie myths of Wales are unique in that the woman sets very clear conditions under which she agrees to marry the man (they shall not strike her three blows or hit her with clay) the breaking of which would result in her returning to the lake forever. The Welsh myths are empowering, with strong female characters who set their own agenda. There is no coercion, theft, or kidnap but rather misunderstandings and cultural differences.
The Faerie Bride is about compromise and respect in relationships, suspicion and fear of the outsider, and the societal pressures to conform in insular communittes, something this faerie refuses to do.
