Balthasar's Traum

One of 4,756 items in the series: MISAME available on this site.
Use of this recording is restricted to the UNT Community. Off-campus users must log in to listen.

Description

Recording of Frank Corcoran's "Balthasar's Traum" performed at the Electronic Studio of the Berlin Technical University in close cooperation with Folkmar Hein. The work is based on an idea of a short story by Jorge Luis Borge and the Gospel of St. Mark about Balthasar Espinosa, a man who becomes involved with the Gutres people of Pampa and eventually dies by being hanged on a cross by the same people with whom he was so fascinated. It takes place in the great plains of the Pampa where Baltasar Espinosa is invited to his friend's ranch. To escape the monotony of … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (13 min., 00 sec.)

Creation Information

Corcoran, Frank 1981.

Context

This audio recording is part of the collection entitled: Mnemothèque Internationale des Arts Electroacoustiques and was provided by the UNT Music Library to the UNT Digital Library, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this recording can be viewed below.

Who

People and organizations associated with either the creation of this audio recording or its content.

Composer

Collaborator

Audiences

We've identified this sound as a primary source within our collections. Researchers, educators, and students may find this recording useful in their work.

Provided By

UNT Music Library

The UNT Music Library supports the scholarly and performance research needs of the College of Music by collecting and preserving monographs, reference works, periodicals, printed music, and sound recording formats, as well as subscribing to electronic databases for research and streaming music. Special collections are a particular strength of the Music Library's holdings.

Contact Us

What

Descriptive information to help identify this audio recording. Follow the links below to find similar items on the Digital Library.

Titles

  • Main Title: Balthasar's Traum
  • Series Title: MISAME

Description

Recording of Frank Corcoran's "Balthasar's Traum" performed at the Electronic Studio of the Berlin Technical University in close cooperation with Folkmar Hein. The work is based on an idea of a short story by Jorge Luis Borge and the Gospel of St. Mark about Balthasar Espinosa, a man who becomes involved with the Gutres people of Pampa and eventually dies by being hanged on a cross by the same people with whom he was so fascinated. It takes place in the great plains of the Pampa where Baltasar Espinosa is invited to his friend's ranch. To escape the monotony of continuous rain, he begins every night to read aloud to the fascinated Gutres people. They ask for him to reread the Gospel of St. Mark. Mysterious things begin happening during the dark days -- Baltasar cures an animal through 20th century means, something the Gutres have never seen before. The rain eventually stops. That night a virgin Gutre girl visits Baltasar's bed. The next day, he reads the Gospel to the Gutres for the last time. They then ask Baltasar, who is not a believer, if even those who crucified the Savior can receive salvation. They ask for his blessing, then they violently push him into a corner where they beat him and spit on him. Baltasar then sees the cross that has been prepared for him. The work is described not as a program work, but rather a sound correlation of scenes from history.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (13 min., 00 sec.)

Subjects

Keyword

Library of Congress Medium of Performance Thesaurus

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Language

Item Type

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this recording in the Digital Library or other systems.

Collections

This recording is part of the following collection of related materials.

Mnemothèque Internationale des Arts Electroacoustiques

Sound recordings of electroacoustic music from the archive of the International de musique électroacoustique de Bourges (IMEB). The works were created in the IMEB studios or submitted by participants of the Festival Synthèse or the Bourges Electroacoustic Music Competition. Access is restricted to the UNT community.

What responsibilities do I have when using this audio recording?

When

Dates and time periods associated with this audio recording.

Creation Date

  • 1981

Added to The UNT Digital Library

  • Jan. 23, 2018, 7:43 a.m.

Description Last Updated

  • July 10, 2020, 2:39 p.m.

Usage Statistics

When was this recording last used?

Yesterday: 0
Past 30 days: 0
Total Uses: 3

Interact With This Audio Recording

Here are some suggestions for what to do next.

Corcoran, Frank. Balthasar's Traum, audio recording, 1981; Bourges, France. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1062507/: accessed May 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Music Library.

Back to Top of Screen