“The Concert” by Austin Alexis

Austin Alexis

THE CONCERT

The geometric sound of Bach:
refreshing seems not the right word;
satisfying feels more like it,
like a chaste kiss
delivered with just the right timing,
just the right pressure,
just the right intention
at just the right angle.
 
Or are his notes, his phrases,
the rectangular steps of a palace
turned into a public monument,
sunlight illuminating the façade
until the limestone is iridescent
 
as only music can be
when it is composed with love,
as an expression of love,
and performed with care
more compassionate than romantic?
 
No love rings more empathetic
than these string melodies—
with the woodwinds being tender
in their temperate, balanced trills.
The harpsichord beats are ardent hearts.
Even the brass echoes mellow
with empathy for all who listen,
all who understand how these structures,
this order, these rhythmic pulses
verge on an affection that is more than erotic.
 

from Rattle #85, Fall 2024
Tribute to Musicians

__________

Austin Alexis: “I was a member of St. George’s Choral Society, one of the oldest choral societies in the United States. Being involved with music in such an intimate way has influenced my choice of subject matter. Musicians such as Bach, Prince, Leontyne Price, and Beethoven appear in my poetry. My vocabulary has been impacted by my involvement with music, with words such as harmony, pace, melody, and rhythm frequently used by me in technical and non-technical ways. My sense of structure is heightened as a result of studying music, especially in the way I see stanzas as a series of episodes, which is similar to the way modern composers structure work, with loosely related intervals united in a work as ‘episodes’ rather than movements. The direct emotive appeal that music offers has caused me to work in a more emotional way. Lastly, music has taught me to listen to the absence of noise and/or what lurks beyond words, and to attempt to capture those fleeting sensations in language.” (web)

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