Vinegar Valentines

This work was commissioned by mezzo-soprano and percussionist Colleen Phelps for performance as part of the Cincinnati Soundbox New Music Concert Series.

A vinegar valentine was a form of greeting card sent during the Victorian Era with the purpose of insulting the recipient. These anonymous, mean-spirited cards, ostensibly sent around Valentines’ Day, featured cartoon caricatures and a short poem that lambasted the recipient as a “poseur,” a “floozy,” or perhaps, in a very sarcastic sense, a “great lover.” Millions of these valentines were sent throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and to add a greater insult to the injury, the recipient often had to pay the postage.

This work was written to fit the theme of the “portable percussionist,” or, works for percussion that do not require extensive equipment. In this case, there are seven wine bottles that are struck using various types of sticks; everything required by the piece can fit in a grocery bag. Some of the wine bottles will be filled with water, though most of them may remain empty.