Between 1920 and 1933, the American writer Ezra Pound, known for his revelatory work concerning the music of language, turned as well to the language of music. Composing two complete operas and several pieces for solo violin, all in a very personal language which drew from sources as diverse as troubadour music and Igor Stravinsky, Pound set texts by Guido Cavalcanti and François Villon which he felt resisted translation, in order to share his appreciation of these poets with his contemporaries. The result is a body of music, still unknown to many, which is of surpassing beauty and casts new light on the practice of prosody, the elusive craft of setting texts to music.

Other Minds has gathered historical recordings from performances around the world to create this richly sonorous compilation of heartfelt, affecting performances. Conductor and Pound music scholar Robert Hughes conducts The Other Minds Ensemble and others and was the guiding light in selecting the repertoire and recordings. Reinbert de Leeuw leads a performance with tenor Harry van der Kamp from the 1980 Holland Festival; other recordings from England and Italy round out this brilliant collection. An 80-page booklet with an essay by Pound music expert Margaret Fisher and previously unpublished photographs make this deluxe package a must for those interested in 20th century music, and in operatic and literary history.

Early in 2004 Robert Hughes and Margaret Fisher published their book Cavalcanti:
A Perspective on The Music of Ezra Pound, a systematic analysis of Pound's music training, the application of his musico-poetic theories, methods of composition, and a music analysis of Pound's opera Cavalcanti. You can order it from our webstore.

Other Minds OM 1005-2
Ego Scriptor Cantilenae:The Music of Ezra Pound

You can listen to excerpts in RealAudio. Just click on the linked tracks.