Work
Catalogue des Errances Bibliques : Symphony in no need of an orchestra, for two keyboards
by Michael Kieran Harvey (2018)
Audio Sample
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From the CD Catalogue des Errances Bibliques |
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CD
Catalogue des Errances Bibliques : symphony in no need of an orchestra / composed by Michael Kieran Harvey ; text by Arjun von Caemmerer ; performed by Michael Kieran Harvey, Timothy Young, Peter Neville, with ANAM pianists and percussionists, and Arjun von Caemmerer narrator.
Version: This product features the Spoken voice with chamber ensemble version of this work
Library shelf no. CD 3206 [Not for loan]
Display all products featuring this work (4 more) 
Work Overview
"You can't run a country
By a book of religion
Not by a heap
Or a lump or a smidgeon
Of foolish rules
Of ancient date
Designed to make
You all feel great
While you fold, spindle
And mutilate
Those unbelievers
From a neighbouring state"
Frank Zappa, "Dumb All Over" (1981)
It came as a delicious and furtive surprise to me as an
8-year-old altar boy to discover that Christ's blood tasted,
apparently, the same as the Woodley's Cream Sherry I found in the
sacristy. This set me wondering about the veracity of the
contents of the Bible, something that Catholics are instructed to
believe is the infallible word of God. It takes a certain type of
dogged personality to be willing to sift through such a text for
either fallibilities or infallibilities - most Christians simply
accept what clerics tell them is in the bible and get on with
their busy lives.
Happily, C. Dennis McKinsey devoted much of his life and his
energies as a broadcaster to the task of uncovering "biblical
errancy", and his forensic book The Encyclopedia of Biblical
Errancy (Prometheus Books, 1995) is the result. In the
spirit of the musical The Book of Mormon
(Parker/Lopez/Stone, 2011) and with an affectionate nod to
Messiaen's Catalogue d'Oiseaux (1958), Catalogue des
Errances Bibliques whimsically reinterprets each of the 25
chapters of The Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy as a
homage to its punctilious author. In keeping with McKinsey's
low-budget resourcefulness, Catalogue des Errances
Bibliques is scored not for symphony orchestra, but for two
nondescript keyboards.
There is also a re-interpretation of the work for nondescript keyboards and percussion. The text Bible Stories was composed specifically for this version by Dr Arjun von Caemmerer. (MKH).
Work Details
Year: 2018
Instrumentation: 2 88-key keyboards (electric or acoustic).
Duration: 30 min.
Difficulty: Advanced — virtuosic, highly synchronised execution required
Contents note: 1. The Bible’s chaotic composition -- 2. Jesus Christ? -- 3. God's Word? -- 4. Contradictions -- 5. Historicity of Jesus? -- 6. Jesus’ Birth? -- 7. Deceptiveness of Jesus-- 8. Second Coming of Jesus?-- 9. Bible characters-- 10. Injustice -- 11. Science or Creationism -- 12. Belief in Miracles -- 13. Anti-Semitism -- 14. Intolerance and anti-intellectualism -- 15. Fake Prophecies -- 16. Predestination versus Free Will -- 17. Forty Bible Errors -- 18. Bible Creation Conflicts -- 19. Saturday or Sunday? -- 20. Mixed-up Paul -- 21. Fake Bible News -- 22. Peter, Paul and Jesus conflicted -- 23. Control by the Elite -- 24. Other Holy Books -- 25. Life after Biblical Errancy.
Dedication note: Dedicated to Timothy Young
Commission note: Commissioned by Timothy Young.
First performance: by Timothy Young, Michael Kieran Harvey — 25 May 19. Performance also including student performers, Australian National Academy of Music, Melbourne
The composer notes the following styles, genres, influences, etc associated with this work:
Jazz-rock, "avant-pop", alternative rock genres: Spike Jones, Frank Zappa, John Zorn, Eastern European rock.
Performances of this work
25 May 19: Performance also including student performers, Australian National Academy of Music, Melbourne. Featuring Timothy Young, Michael Kieran Harvey.
25 May 2019: at Symphony in no need of orchestra (South Melbourne Town Hall). Featuring Michael Kieran Harvey, Timothy Young, Peter Neville, Arjun Von Caemmerer, Lawrence Harvey, ANAM Musicians.
25 May 19: Australian National Academy of Music, Melbourne
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