A Bao A Qu (album)
Encyclopedia
A Bao A Qu is a 4 track 10" EP
by singer-songwriter Virginia Astley
.
The selection of 4 songs indicated her preferences for poetic and classical sounds as 3 of the 4 songs had a direct connection.
The sleeve art and script are credited to the artiste.
"We will meet them again" was a translation of a verse from the Kindertotenlieder
, a series of poems by Friedrich Rückert
used by Austria
n composer Gustav Mahler
for his song cycle of the same name, its meaning being "Songs On The Death Of Children". "Arctic Death" was inspired by the W. B. Yeats
poem "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death
" and also inspired the Catherine DeNeuve
sleeve used for "Promise Nothing". "Sanctus" is a straight reading in Latin
from the Requiem as used by Benjamin Britten
in his War Requiem
. It's also her only a cappella
song, the other voices being Nicky Holland and her brother Jon Astley
who co-produced the recordings. In 1999 a privately made CD was issued on the Astra label and added computerised sounds as "Sanctus 2000".
"Angel Crying" is in the style of a Revivalist Hymn and features 2 members of the soon to be Big Country, then part of her cousin in law Simon Townshend
's band On the Air
. In fact this debut was something of a family affair as her nieces Emma and Aminta Townshend were backup singers. Other musicians involved were Josephine Wells of Kissing the Pink
and Peter Hope Evans, ex-Medicine Head
.
After what could be called Virginia's Song Cycle Of Death she got it out of her system and moved on to other things, though her overall sound was to remain in the same turf for 2 decades. The album shares its name with a Malayan legend
; at the time of composition, Virginia had recently read a book by Jorge Luis Borges
which described the legend, and a great deal of her lyrics depended on what she'd been reading at the time.
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
by singer-songwriter Virginia Astley
Virginia Astley
Virginia Astley is an English singer-songwriter most active during the 1980s and 1990s. From the start of her songwriting career in 1980, Astley took her inspiration from many sources. Her classical training influenced her as did a desire to be experimental with her music...
.
The selection of 4 songs indicated her preferences for poetic and classical sounds as 3 of the 4 songs had a direct connection.
The sleeve art and script are credited to the artiste.
"We will meet them again" was a translation of a verse from the Kindertotenlieder
Kindertotenlieder
Kindertotenlieder is a song cycle for voice and orchestra by Gustav Mahler...
, a series of poems by Friedrich Rückert
Friedrich Rückert
Friedrich Rückert was a German poet, translator, and professor of Oriental languages.-Biography:Rückert was born at Schweinfurt and was the eldest son of a lawyer. He was educated at the local Gymnasium and at the universities of Würzburg and Heidelberg. From 1816-1817, he worked on the editorial...
used by Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n composer Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
for his song cycle of the same name, its meaning being "Songs On The Death Of Children". "Arctic Death" was inspired by the W. B. Yeats
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
poem "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death
An Irish Airman Foresees His Death
An Irish Airman Foresees His Death is a poem by Irish poet William Butler Yeats written in 1918 and first published in the Macmillan edition of The Wild Swans at Coole in 1919. The poem is a soliloquy given by an aviator in the First World War in which the poet describes the circumstances...
" and also inspired the Catherine DeNeuve
Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve is a French actress. She gained recognition for her portrayal of aloof and mysterious beauties in films such as Repulsion and Belle de jour . Deneuve was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1993 for her performance in Indochine; she also won César Awards for that...
sleeve used for "Promise Nothing". "Sanctus" is a straight reading in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
from the Requiem as used by Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
in his War Requiem
War Requiem
The War Requiem, Op. 66 is a large-scale, non-liturgical setting of the Requiem Mass composed by Benjamin Britten mostly in 1961 and completed January 1962. Interspersed with the traditional Latin texts, in telling juxtaposition, are settings of Wilfred Owen poems...
. It's also her only a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
song, the other voices being Nicky Holland and her brother Jon Astley
Jon Astley
Jon Astley is a British record producer who also recorded and released two albums as a singer-songwriter in the late 1980s. His most commercially successful song was "Jane's Getting Serious", later popularized by a Heinz ketchup television commercial starring a pre-Friends cast member Matt...
who co-produced the recordings. In 1999 a privately made CD was issued on the Astra label and added computerised sounds as "Sanctus 2000".
"Angel Crying" is in the style of a Revivalist Hymn and features 2 members of the soon to be Big Country, then part of her cousin in law Simon Townshend
Simon Townshend
Simon Townshend is a British guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is the younger brother of The Who's Pete Townshend, and is most associated with The Who and the various side projects of its original members, despite many other musical ventures in his career....
's band On the Air
On The Air (album)
On the Air is the sixteenth studio album by Billy Preston, released in 1984. This album marks the return of Preston to music after his problems with cocaine and alcohol.-Track listing:#"And Dance [Extended]" – 6:01...
. In fact this debut was something of a family affair as her nieces Emma and Aminta Townshend were backup singers. Other musicians involved were Josephine Wells of Kissing the Pink
Kissing the Pink
Kissing the Pink are a British dance/synth pop group from London, England. Members included Nick Whitecross, John Hall, George Stewart, Josephine Wells, Pete Barnett, Sylvia Griffin, Steve Cusack, and Simon Aldridge.-Career:...
and Peter Hope Evans, ex-Medicine Head
Medicine Head
Medicine Head were a British blues rock band, active in the 1970s. Their biggest single success was in 1973, with "One and One is One", a Number 3 hit in the UK Singles Chart.-Main personnel:The group worked as a duo for most of its career, consisting of...
.
After what could be called Virginia's Song Cycle Of Death she got it out of her system and moved on to other things, though her overall sound was to remain in the same turf for 2 decades. The album shares its name with a Malayan legend
A Bao A Qu
Á Bao A Qu is a Malay legend described in Jorge Luis Borges's1967 Book of Imaginary Beings. Borges claimed that he had found the legend in thebook On Malay Witchcraft , by C.C. Iturvuru.The Á Bao A Qu lived in the Tower of Victory in Chitor...
; at the time of composition, Virginia had recently read a book by Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
which described the legend, and a great deal of her lyrics depended on what she'd been reading at the time.