Syzygy | song cycle by Nancy Knowles and Frank A. Wallace

Syzygy was written in the winter of 2006. The performance in the video, from an April 2008 Duo LiveOak performance at Cal State Fullerton, is a selection of 10 songs and short readings from Nancy Knowles’ play Luna. Knowles looks at the healing power of art through the story of her mother, an artist who survived multiple tragedies, painting her way well into her nineties. The song cycle begins with:

Credo

What is greatness, if not the shedding
of lesser stuff
if not the daring to be alone

Content simply
to play,
fool around
with divine mischief?

A burst here
a sigh there,
scribbling
slow and fast
and lingering
long enough
for all
to join the fun,
the wonder

by Nancy Knowles