Teatro de Muerte para El Toro
by
by
Kitty Allen
Preview
Can be heard on Spotify, Pandora Plus, & available in most digital music stores.
Original tune composed & performed by Kitty Allen on midi-keyboard and laptop.
Piece inspired by a recent viewing of a bullfight in Madrid, Spain. Though described as a cultural experience involving pageantry and tradition, I found the bullfight to be an exhibit of animal torture done up in ritualistic fashion. An evening at a bullfight - entailing 6 separate encounters & the death of six bulls - was thought-provoking for many reasons. I could expound in great detail. Suffice it to say that I was rooting (in vain) for the bull. Actually, the bulls are done for the moment they set their hooves in the ring.
There are those in the literary world who have written about bullfighting in great detail. Some of these resources are shown below. There are also worldwide organizations working to abolish this sport. Several of these groups are also listed below.
Should you be inclined to attend one of these events, I advise you to read about bullfighting before you go. This tune is written & performed as a tribute to the bulls. They - not the fight - are the focal point of this piece.
Structure of the Tune
Based on the sequence of activities that occur during a bullfight.
Based on the sequence of activities that occur during a bullfight.
Section A - Prior to the event. The pageantry, the people & the arena.
Section B - The bull. His introduction and disorientation upon entering the bullfighting arena.
Section C - The theme & melody. Meant to symbolize the vivacity, strength & self-confidence of the bull.
Section D - Back to the bull. Now weakened (severely injured by a harpoon-like spear), he is less confident, bleeding profusely, slower & obviously suffering.
Section E - Back to a shorter version of the theme and melody. The bull is trying to survive, but he is mortally wounded & has lost stamina.
Section F - The final living moments of the bull & his ultimate death which ends the piece.
Sections D, E & F are not included in the Audio Preview.
Piece inspired by a recent viewing of a bullfight in Madrid, Spain. Though described as a cultural experience involving pageantry and tradition, I found the bullfight to be an exhibit of animal torture done up in ritualistic fashion. An evening at a bullfight - entailing 6 separate encounters & the death of six bulls - was thought-provoking for many reasons. I could expound in great detail. Suffice it to say that I was rooting (in vain) for the bull. Actually, the bulls are done for the moment they set their hooves in the ring.
There are those in the literary world who have written about bullfighting in great detail. Some of these resources are shown below. There are also worldwide organizations working to abolish this sport. Several of these groups are also listed below.
Should you be inclined to attend one of these events, I advise you to read about bullfighting before you go. This tune is written & performed as a tribute to the bulls. They - not the fight - are the focal point of this piece.
Books about Bullfighting
"Death in the Afternoon" by Ernest Hemingway
© 1932
"When Bulls Cry" by Michael A. Ogorzaly
© 2006
"On Bullfighting" by A.L. Kennedy
© 2001
Organizations Against Bullfighting
Humane Society International
International Movement Against Bullfights
League Against Cruel Sports
© - Kitty Allen 2015