Inspired by the poetry of Emily Dickinson, Could Mortal Lip Divine was premiered in Paris in October 2021 by Sarah Grace Graves. It reflects on the unknowable potential of words. To this end, the overtone spectra of different vowel sounds are made to sympathetically resonate with synthetic bell models obtained through a spectral analysis of the chimes at Saint-Sulpice Church in Paris 6e.
Could Mortal Lip Divine
Could mortal lip divine
The undeveloped Freight
Of a delivered syllable
‘Twould crumble with the weight.