A Prayer, a Charm and a Riddle is a cycle of three short settings of Old English texts. The prayer, ‘Cædmon’s Hymn’, is the oldest surviving Old English poem. According to Bede, Cædmon was an illiterate cow-herder who received divine inspiration allowing him to compose this Christian hymn. ‘For a Swarm of Bees’ is one of 12 surviving Old English metrical charms, which are in a sense Anglo-Saxon magic. This one, as the title suggests, was designed to ward off swarms of bees. The so-called Exeter Book, a 10th-century manuscript housed in Exeter Cathedral, contains almost 100 riddles. The solutions to many of these riddles are a subject of debate, but we do know the solution to the present riddle: a one-eyed garlic seller.
Year: 2022 Duration: 5′ Instrumentation: Soprano
I – Cædmon’s Hymn II – For a Swarm of Bees III – One-eyed Garlic Seller