V.VI Anger
"Restless in thought, disturbed in mind"
This is the first part in the repetition.
Walter Charleton
"Article 47,
Anger.
But when Evil is done to our selves, the passion thereby kindled in us, is Anger : which likewise is a species of Hatred or Aversation, but different from Indignation in this, that it is founded upon an action done by another with intention to hurt us in particular ; and in this, that when it hath proceeded to a determination of hurting him who did it ; it passeth into Revenge ; whereas at first accension, the passion is no more but Excadescence or sudden Heat of Blood."1
"Art. 63,
The Motions and Symptoms of Anger.
For some when they are angry, look pale, or tremble ; others grow red, or weep"2
Aaron Hill:
"How ANGER ought to be acted.
DEFINITION.
ANGER is Pride provok’d beyond Regard of Caution.
IT is a fierce and unrestrain’d effusion of Reproach and Insult : It must therefore be express’d, impatiently, by a fiery propension in the eye, with a disturb’d and threat’ning air, and with a voice strong, swift, and often interrupted by high swells of choking indignation.
VOL. IV.Bb
« Now imitate the action of the tyger :
« Siffen the sinews, summon up the blood ;
« Lend fierce and dreadful aspect to the eye :
« Set the teeth close, and stretch the nostril
wide,
«Hold hard the breath, and bend up every
spirit,
«To its full height. —
1st, THE sinews being brac’d strong, thro’ all the joints of the body, the blood (as a consequence unavoidable) is summon’d up, that is, impelled into violent motion.
2dly, THE look becomes adapted, and adds fierceness to the passion, by the fire, that flashes from the eye.
3dly, THE setting of the teeth, and wide expansion of the nostrils, follow naturally — because inseparable from an enrag’d bent of the eye-brow.
AND, 4thly, The breath being held hard, as interrupted or restrained, by the tumultuous precipitation of the spirits, they must necessarily become inflamed, themselves, and willcommunicate their ardor to the voice, and motion.
(…)
Few would imagine, that the lineaments of joy and anger should unite in any point of strong resemblance ! And yet, ’tis evident, they only differ in a change of look : For, as to the intensely bracing up the nerves, that is the same, exactly, in both passions, and the sole distinction lies in this : — a smile upon the eye, in bodies, strongly braced, compels the voice to sound of joy — while frowns, in the same eye (without the smallest alteration of the muscles) immediately transform the gay sound, to a dreadful one.
[Two sorts of vocal expressions for Anger］
(…) with a fierce, vindictive air, and voice high rais’d, insulting, and impatient.
(…) by affectation of a low constrain’d, and almost whisper’d composure, concealing a flow, smother’d, inward rancor, by a mutter’d ironical repression of voice, strained through the teeth, in a pretended restraint of indignation, And when, from such reliefs as it were, of passion, the rage breaks out, again, into shrill and exclamatory loudness, the representation becomes movingly varied, and natural ; and the voice seems to preserve a kind of musical modulation, even in madness."3
Charles Le Brun
"When Anger fills the soul, he who feels this passion has red and entflamed eyes, the pupils restless and shining, the eyebrows now lowered, now raised, and contracted against each other. The forehead will appear deeply furrowed, forming wrinkles between the eyes; the nostrils will be open and enlarged, the lips full and turned out and pressed against one another with the under lip raised to the upper, leaving the corners of the mouth slightly open to form a cruel and disdainful grin.
He will appear to grind his teeth, and to foam at the mouth. His face will be pale in some places and enflamed in others; the veins of the forehead, temples, and neck will be swollen and taut, and his hair standing upright. He who feels this passion gasps rather than breathes, the heart being oppressed by the abundance of blood which flows to its aid. (...)"4
Vandenhoff:
"Anger is high in pitch, loud and quick in the time of its utterance ; and the words do not flow, but bursts out in sudden starts, indicative of the rashness of passion.
This is distinct from the expression of dignified anger, just severity, and reproof, which is solemn and measured in its delivery, and low in pitch."5
A SHORT REFLECTION ON EMBODYING ANGER
When embodying Anger, I experienced that an active use of the breath helped me channel the bursting and violent passion that is described. When having obtained the necessary air, I felt that my voice could allow to shout and sound distorted without any harm - until I started thinking about. The abruptness and suddenness that permeats the description of Anger in the sources, didn't go very well with the musical line of the song, so transferring the same roughness from recitation to singing, was a hard task. However, it allowed for a new way of phrasing my melodic line, and suddenly the melisma got a completely different meaning - it was now a musical "cage" which I couldn't escape, hammering the same pitches and patterns over and over.
Footnotes:
1: Charleton 1701, p. 137
2: Charleton 1701, pp. 160
3: Hill 1753, pp. 368-73
4: LeBrun 1698, translated in: Montagu 1994, p. 138
5: Vandenhoff 1846, p. 198