The Poison Pie Publishing House presents:

Hebeloma's Swamp Fantasy Overture
a post-existential musical score
generated through a non-idiomatic improvisational creative process

Hebeloma Crustuliniforme
with illustrations by Julia K. Keffer
(link to main page of score)

June

June 1, 2021
The oracle next endeavored to tame the wild locks of Periboea's dark brown hair. "I have not seen a brush for many months," the girl confessed. Joëlle dissolved several salts into a separate bucket of water then ordered her guest to recline with her hair soaking in this solution for half an hour. Only then did she attempt to methodically remove each knot, snarl and tangle. Not a word of reproof escaped her lips. Instead, while she worked, she sang a soothing lullaby in the native tongue of her distant homeland. After much repetition, Periboea was able to whisper along, though she understood not the meaning.

written while listening to:  Alexandra Grimal & Joëlle Léandre - Désordre (Montagne Noir, MN1, 2019, France, cd, discogs.com)

June 2, 2021
The matter of dressing Periboea arose. As a pair they examined the torn, mud-stained shift, judging it an unacceptable end to such a meticulous washing. "It was once a gown of pure white," Periboea explained, "It's a dirty rag now, but it's all I have." Joëlle led her charge across the sitting room to her own bedroom where she dressed her in the same manner as she herself was garbed, in sheets of fine silk, a soft shade of pink against her skin and a second embroidered with purple crocuses suspended from the opposite shoulder. She tied a sash of pale green around her waist.

written while listening to:  Avery R. Young - Tubman (FPE Records, 024, 2019, United States, lp, discogs.com)

June 3, 2021
Joëlle offered Periboea a hand-mirror of burnished copper and stepped back to admire her handiwork. At a loss for words, her guest gazed at the reflected, radiant image, which bore so little resemblance to her perception of herself. She had truly enjoyed the bath and was pleased to be rid of months of accumulated grime. While she did not want to appear ungrateful, she was immediately struck by the notion that she would not be able to fulfill her oath dressed in this finery. Her ambivalence was transparent to the oracle, who could only guess as to its origin. She predicted that a story would soon be coaxed from Periboea.

written while listening to:  Chris Brown & Pauline Oliveros - Music in the Air (Deep Listening, DL 43-2010, 2009, United States, cd, discogs.com)

June 4, 2021
The pair embarked on a short walk to gather herbs. Joëlle seemed not especially flustered when she could not locate the seeds and stalks, which she had sought. She settled instead for several conical bundles of pink florets, which resembled larkspur but emitted a pleasing scent. They returned to the oracle's home and arranged the blossoms in a vase where their fragrance mixed with the ubiquitous aroma of incense. Reclining on the chaise lounge, the oracle asked Periboea, "My child, are you ready to tell me about yourself?"

written while listening to:  Susan Alcorn, Leila Bordreuil & Ingrid Laubrock - Bird Meets Wire (Relative Pitch Records, RPR1098, 2021, United States, cd, discogs.com)

June 5, 2021
"Have you ever attended the Great Panathenaia?" Periboea asked.

"I once passed through Athens," Joëlle replied, "but it was winter and my company did not tarry."

"Every four years, games are held as part of the festival," Periboea continued. "Men from far and wide come to participate. One year, a prince, Androgeus, traveled from Crete to test his athletic skills against the other competitors. In those contests, he found no peer—not in racing, nor wrestling nor the javelin. A haughty noble, he proved a poor victor who gloated boorishly over his triumphs. For this flaw, he was ambushed one night, presumably by his fellow athletes, and killed."

written while listening to:  Magda Mayas' Filamental - Confluence (Relative Pitch Records, RPR1120, 2021, United States, cd, discogs.com)

June 6, 2021
"The prince's father, King of Crete, received news of his son's death while visiting Paros. In grief and rage, he assembled his army and warred against Athens. We are not a bellicose people," Periboea claimed, "but we proved able to hold our own. King Minos could not sack the city. What his armies failed to conquer, however, an unnatural famine and pestilence laid low. It was said that our foe had prayed to mighty Zeus to curse us." Periboea looked up apologetically at Joëlle. "Upon the advice of an oracle, our leaders sacrificed the four daughters of poor Hyacinthus the Lacedaemonian to deliver us. The gods, though, were not appeased."

written while listening to:  Nate Wooley, Liudas Mockūnas, Barry Guy & Arkady Gotesman - Nox (NoBusiness Records, NBLP 140, 2020, Lithuania, lp, discogs.com)

June 7, 2021
"Defeated, Athens was forced to submit to the whim of King Minos, who faced his own domestic plague upon the island of Crete. A monster half-man/half-bull emerged from an abandoned mine periodically to ravage the country-side, wreaking devastation and heartache. The king hatched an idea to exact his vengeance and to placate the beast in the same stroke. He demanded from Athens a tribute of seven maidens and seven young men, all of noble birth, to sate the minotaur's appetite. By lottery we selected those who would die so that their kinsmen might live. It was my lot to be among those chosen for this dire but noble fate."

written while listening to:  Elisabeth Harnik & Steve Swell - Tonotopic Organizations (Fundacja Sl̷uchaj!, FSR 24|2020, 2020, Poland, cd, discogs.com)

June 8, 2021
"Lest we flee our duty, those divinely chosen were not permitted a private farewell with family. Restrained by my father, my mother wailed in the public square as I was taken away. Cramped in the dark quarters of a trireme, we sailed to Knossos. With great public fanfare, we were paraded through the city in two lines, the men on the right and the women beside them. We maids were garbed in white, virginal gowns, supposedly essential to properly satisfy the minotaur. Crowds hurled epithets at us and would have handled us gruffly had not soldiers kept them at bay."

written while listening to:  Roscoe Mitchell, Sandy Ewen, Damon Smith & Weasel Walter - A Railroad Spike Forms The Voice (ugEXPLODE/Balance Point Acoustics, ug 82/BPALTD 13013, 2021, United States, cd, discogs.com)

June 9, 2021
"We were ushered to the entrance of a dungeon named 'the labyrinth', designed by the king's architect and placed beneath the royal court. The maze-like motif, decoratively chiseled in the stone work around the doors, intimated the nature of the domain beyond. Before the gaping portal, a priest announced our presence to the monster lurking unseen within the darkness. Upon command, we meekly marched through the gateway. Once the stone doors were sealed behind us, we fourteen were enclosed in utter blackness. The earth groaned to receive us. For better or worse, we scattered like a school of fish frightened by the premonition of a shark."

written while listening to:  Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble - Warszawa 2019 (Fundacja Sl̷uchaj!, FSR 06|2021, 2021, Poland, cd, discogs.com)

June 10, 2021
"By touch alone did I discover that the stone walls of the dungeon were worked smooth only beneath the palace. The narrow corridors led to other tunnels, predating King Minos. Once I ventured into ground beyond the outskirts of the city, I encountered a combination of natural caverns and fissures connected by rough tunnels excavated during the irregular plunder of miners, who, having claimed what copper and silver the rock would yield, were now long gone. Never had I imagined so extensive a subterranean network. Each new chamber and passageway was unfamiliar to me."

written while listening to:  Greg Goodman, Mats Gustafsson & George Cremaschi - They Were Gentle And Pretty Pigs (The Beak Doctor, BD7, 2002, United States, cd, discogs.com)

June 11, 2021
"Of the minotaur, I knew little. When the echoes of bestial roars reached my ears, I hurried along paths leading in any other direction. When I heard the heavy stomp of its hooves on the stone floor and smelled its acrid stench, I pressed myself into a shallow niche and held my breath until the danger had passed. It was only later when I would accidentally cross paths with one of the others wandering through the labyrinth and observe their terror first hand that it came into my mind to fight the creature. Of the fourteen, there would be no warrior unless it was me."

written while listening to:  Harald Kimmig, Daniel Studer, Alfred Zimmerlin & George Lewis - untitled (ezz-thetics, 1010, 2019, Switzerland, cd, discogs.com)

June 12, 2021
"At first, I wielded a staff, salvaged from a pile of rotten timber. I dug pits thinking to trap it. My attempts to convince the others to aid me in these efforts were met with disbelief or derision. How could I challenge the king's monster? Later, Andromache found a knife abandoned in an old miner's camp. At a chance encounter, she gave it to me as a gift to aid in my hunt." Periboea drew the knife from where it had been tucked in her sash and displayed it for the oracle, as evidence of the truth of her tale. "With this blade I sought to slay the minotaur."

written while listening to:  Maraton (Christian Haase, Marie Dybbroe, Lasse Sonne & Jonathan Jull Ludvigsen) - eponymous (Barefoot Records, BFREC065CD, 2021, Denmark, cd, discogs.com)

June 13, 2021
Joëlle remained an attentive but silent audience. A dark expression, easy to read, fell across Periboea's face, for with the mention of the flautist, Andromache, her thoughts turned to those she had left behind. "We lived in this impossible way, imagining that we were safer isolated, for untold months. I ate what the earth offered—beetles, centipedes, worms. We had no choice but to drink from still waters where the mine had flooded. There was a cold, dark lake deep underground, which pale Eurymedusa claimed as her sanctuary, based on the assumption that the minotaur could not swim."

written while listening to:  Michael Formanek Very Practical Trio - Even Better (Intakt Records, Intakt CD 335, 2019, Switzerland, cd, discogs.com)

June 14, 2021
"Melanippe was making a map. Everyone knew it was impossible to fathom the labyrinth but we drew comfort from her promise that when she discovered an exit, she would gather us and lead us to freedom. Instead, it was I who found a way out, a crack in the wall from which clean air issued. I followed it, wriggling on my belly through a final gap in the rock, until, against all hope, I stood blinded by sunlight on a mountainous slope. So terrified was I that the king's men should identify me and return me to the mine that I fled Crete, stowing away on the first ship."

written while listening to:  Halym Kim's Bijul - My Illusion of Korea (Barefoot Records, BFREC070CD, 2021, Denmark, cd, discogs.com)

June 15, 2021
"But now that I am here, I realize I have to go back. I have to rescue the others—Hippophorbas, Melanippe, Idas, Hesione, Antimachus, gentle Melite, Menestheus, Andromache, Amphidocus, Eurymedusa in her lake, Demoleon, Europe and Porphyrion, praying in his temple where crystals grow from the stone walls. I will return to the mine and slay the minotaur. I will march triumphantly through the dark corridors and lead them to safety. King Minos will be waiting for us at the gate, and without fear or hesitation I shall cut the head from his shoulders."

written while listening to:  Paul Panhuysen & Johan Goedhart - Long String Installations 1982-1985, sides C & D (Apollo Records, AR 088502, 1986, The Netherlands, lpx3, discogs.com)

June 16, 2021
Periboea folded her arms defiantly but she received no more reprimand for her vengeful vision from the oracle than she had from the custodian. Somewhat abashedly she continued, "But I'm not ready yet. The king will be flanked by archers. If I am to reach him, I shall have to pass through a hail of arrows. Fortunately, on my way through the swamp, I met a faerie. She alerted me to the proximity of a beast. I aim to seek it out and skin it. From its hide, I shall craft an impenetrable coat of armor, which shall protect me in my righteous assault against the tyranny of King Minos."

written while listening to:  Derek Bailey & Vertrek Ensemble - Departures (Volatile Records, VCD002, 1999, Canada, cd, discogs.com)

June 17, 2021
Periboea occupied the sitting room with an oracle. Having shared her past with Joëlle, she should have realized that it fell to the seer to disclose her future. Of course, there was a multitude of aspects that could be revealed or concealed. For his crimes, King Minos was fated to be boiled alive in Sicily by hands other than hers. Of this, nothing was said. Her host possessed the discretion also to keep hidden knowledge that Periboea's as-yet-unconceived son Ajax, bulwark of the Achaeans, would inherit her martial spirit, slay many in war and ultimately succumb to despair at the end of his own sword.

written while listening to:  Éliane Radigue - Œuvres Électroniques, disc 1: Chry-ptus (Version 2001) / Geelriandre (INA-GRM, INA 6060/74, 2018 (rec. 2001), France, cdx14, discogs.com)

June 18, 2021
Instead, Joëlle chose to dispense a platitude the likes of which one might expect to be delivered by a roadside charlatan. She rose to her feet, crossed the room and sat beside her guest. She leaned her shoulder against the shoulder of Periboea. With a gentle motion, she cupped Periboea's chin in the palm of her hand and pulled her gaze from the floor until their eyes met. In this manner, she issued her prophecy. "If you allow revenge to consume your life, it will poison everyone you love."

written while listening to:  Joëlle Léandre, Mateusz Rybicki, Zbigniew Kozera, Zlatko Kaučič & Rafał Mazur - Beauty / Resistance, disc 1 (Not Two Records, MW 1013-2, 2021, Poland, cdx3, discogs.com)

June 19, 2021
It came as no surprise to Periboea that she should be advised against her quest. When she explained to Joëlle that she had already sworn an oath to slay the beast, the oracle remained silent. When she further protested that a cult had formed in the swamp to worship the monster, she could discern from her host's placid expression that she told her nothing, which she did not already know. When Periboea finally sought to justify her actions on personal grounds—"They nearly drowned me in a pit but two nights ago!"—still she did not receive the oracle's blessing.

written while listening to:  Wadada Leo Smith, Milford Graves & Bill Laswell - Sacred Ceremonies, disc 1 (TUM Records, TUM BOX 003, 2021, Finland, cdx3, discogs.com)

June 20, 2021
"If you stand against my quest," Periboea said to the oracle, "then give me back my old gown and I will leave immediately." She began to remove the fine clothes in which she was garbed.

Joëlle laid her hands over Periboea's and stopped her from undressing. "My child," she said calmly, "from the moment I saw you, I chose to aid you and I shall not deviate from this path." The oracle did not take this opportunity to repeat her prophecy for emphasis. She made it a practice to communicate to each pilgrim their fortune only once. Her purpose was to inform; she harbored no desire for influence or control.

written while listening to:  Steve Lacy - Clinkers (hatOLOGY, hatOLOGY 546, 2000 (rec. 1977), Switzerland, cd, discogs.com)

June 21, 2021
Raoul must have returned during the night, for when Periboea woke, she found him with the oracle in the sitting room, eating pancakes with honey. The smell of a hot breakfast mingled with incense. Although dawn's light filtered through the curtain, Joëlle cheerfully called to her, "Good morning, sleepy-head," as if she had slept the day away.

Raoul's eyes admired her form, draped in borrowed robes, as she stood in the doorway. He complimented Periboea, saying, "You look every bit the dashing, young oracle, but see if you prefer something more befitting a warrior."

written while listening to:  John Coltrane Quartet - My Favorite Things Graz 1962 (ezz-thetics, 1020, 2020 (rec. 1962), Switzerland, cd, discogs.com)

June 22, 2021
She retreated to her bedroom bearing a pack. Inside she discovered an outfit unlike any she had ever worn. When she donned it, the mirror reflected a long-sleeved doublet covered by a leather jerkin and a pair of calfskin trousers tucked into boots that tied above her calves. All pieces were various shades of brown—the shirt ecru, the pants ochre and the vest and boots a matching sepia. Unaccustomed to wearing tight-fitting clothing, she stretched her arms and legs for a minute until Joëlle called from the other room, beckoning her to model the outfit for them.

written while listening to:  Kasper T. Toeplitz/Zeitkratzer - Agitation | Stagnation, disc 2 (Bocian Records, BC-KTZE, 2018, Poland, cdx2, discogs.com)

June 23, 2021
Periboea returned to the sitting room and performed a pirouette. With an excess of drama, Raoul clutched his heart and exclaimed, "You have turned my eyes into weapons and used them against me, for I am slain!" His comment drew laughter from both women as well as a blush from the younger one.

"They fit very well!" said a pleased Periboea. To demonstrate, she extended her arms to either side.

"Raoul picked them out," Joëlle said approvingly. She added, perhaps unnecessarily, "He has a good eye for figures."

written while listening to:  Seiichi Yamamoto & Kazuhisa Uchihashi - No Con (Innocent Records, icr-022, 2014, Japan, cd, discogs.com)

June 24, 2021
Periboea then adopted a serious expression and said to her benefactors, "I can never repay your kindness."

Raoul shook his head, dismissing the notion of repayment. "There are many wealthy merchants and noble families eager to curry favor with a powerful oracle. They suppose providing a small gift such as this might influence the fortune, which they are to receive, for the better. Besides, these clothes were not needed by the family who donated them. They have been outgrown by a son no longer a boy."

written while listening to:  Jubileum Quartet (Joëlle Léandre, Evan Parker, Agustí Fernández & Zlatko Kaučič) - a uiš? (Not Two Records, MW 1005-2, 2020, Poland, cd, discogs.com)

June 25, 2021
On the matter of reciprocation, however, the oracle had her own, quite explicit request. Her gaze settled on the young warrior and remained there as she spoke. "When you have achieved all the tasks toward which you now strive and you bask in the glory of your successes, I ask only for you to remember that you could not have accomplished these labors without the assistance of many—mine least of all—along the way. Too many, in victory, claim the whole of the credit to themselves, forgetting the indispensable aid of others. With this warning, I would have you avoid this fate."

written while listening to:  Vijay Iyer - Architextures (Asian Improv Records, AIR 0034, 1998, United States, cd, discogs.com)

June 26, 2021
Joëlle filled Periboea's belly with breakfast then politely informed her that she could stay with them but one more night. Raoul planned to return to the port immediately. There he would escort through the swamp a merchant's wife who wished an audience with the oracle. They would arrive on the morrow. "We will put her in the guest room."

"Of course," agreed Periboea, who had intended all along not to outstay her welcome. Any abruptness in the announcement was softened by the revelation that, in addition to the clothes, she was to keep the pack, which contained a blanket, a waterskin and other supplies.

written while listening to:  Michel Edelin's Flute Fever Orchestra with Nicole Mitchell - Kalamania, disc 1 (RogueArt, ROG-0070, 2016, France, cdx2, discogs.com)

June 27, 2021
Periboea resolved to leave that very morning and no words from either Joëlle or Raoul could dissuade her. "I have tarried here too long already," she said. She asked Raoul to share what advice he might regarding the location of the temple of the cultists.

"The trees are marked," he began. She knew well of the carvings scattered on the trunks through-out the swamp and interrupted him to say so. He waved her off. "The trees are marked to deceive," he said, completing his thought. "Their obvious meaning leads to traps...as you experienced. Those who made them navigate by the symbols in a different way. More I do not know."

written while listening to:  Okkyung Lee - Yeo-Neun (Shelter Press, SP115, 2020, France, lp, discogs.com)

June 28, 2021
Joëlle helped complete the preparations for Periboea's departure. She said nothing as they returned from the cistern with the waterskin full. Nor did she share her thoughts as she inserted wayfarer's bread, neatly wrapped in a handkerchief, into the pack. Periboea watched her quizzically as the older woman next pressed a small, silver comb, embossed with bellflowers along the spine, into her hand. The oracle's gentle expression quelled the impulse to explain that such trifles did not belong on the dark path, which she would soon trod.

written while listening to:  Jessica Pavone - Silent Spills (Relative Pitch Records, RPR1038, 2016, United States, cd, discogs.com)

June 29, 2021
In midmorning Periboea left the magnificent but peculiar shrine of the oracle. Raoul chose this moment to depart as well. Although he headed back to port, they shared a path for more than an hour, with Raoul leading the way. He pointed out trees whose branches formed odd features as landmarks by which she might return to the oracle, should the need arise. "The natural contours of the trees are more trustworthy guides than anything you may find carved in their bark." He had donned a wide-brimmed hat, which he tipped toward her, when their paths diverged.

written while listening to:  Mats Gustafsson, Mikołaj Trzaska, Per-Âke Holmlander, Rafał Mazur, Peter Brötzmann, Agustí Fernández & Paal Nilssen-Love - Not Two...But Twenty!, disc 2 (Not Two Records, MW 1000-2, 2020, Poland, cdx5, discogs.com)

June 30, 2021
On her own again, Periboea felt a renewed sense of purpose and a greater confidence. Garbed in the proper accoutrements for a hunt, she was no longer the pathetic fugitive. She quickly adjusted to the feel of the trousers on her legs as she walked. The high boots were a marked improvement over her discarded sandals. The long sleeves of the doublet protected her arms from thorny brambles. "Finally, I am prepared," she thought. "How could I have presumed to slay the beast dressed in the rags of the gown in which I once had been offered to the minotaur?"

written while listening to:  Catherine Sikora - Jersey (Relative Pitch Records, RPR1049, 2016, United States, cd, discogs.com)

previous month

next month

This work is made available to the public, free of charge and on an anonymous basis. However, copyright remains with the author. Reproduction and distribution without the publisher's consent is prohibited. Links to the work should be made to the main page of the score.