Darcy Dunn Daniel Dorrance Barbara Ames Mark Singer

based on a story by I.L. PeretzJulie MandelThe Pious Cat

Digital Booklet

In The Pious Cat, composer and adapter Julie Mandel weaves together a lyrical vocal score, a traditional Yiddish folk song, and narration into a beautiful setting for soprano, narrator, clarinet and piano of this thought-provoking work by Yiddish author I.L. Peretz. The story is a parable of how devotion and piety are often used to excuse and rationalize even the most heinous acts. It has been variously interpreted as a thinly-veiled comment on the Czarist government’s behavior toward the Jewish communities living in Russia at the time, as an indictment of religion used as a tool for control, and as a strong condemnation of intolerance and persecution committed in the name of devotion.

NARRATOR: There were 3 canaries in a certain house, and there was also a cat who ended their activities, one by one. This was no ordinary cat, but a most pious one, you may be sure. Its coat was white as snow, and its eyes were of heaven’s own blue. It was the sort of cat that cleaned itself 10 times a day and nibbled its food delicately in some dark corner. All day long it sustained itself on dairy products, but at night it was not above relishing the ritually clean flesh of a mouse. It did not pounce upon its prey as some uncouth greedy creatures do, and it did not wolf its food, but fed leisurely in high spirits. Let the poor little mouse linger on a little, let it hop about and squeak its last prayer; a truly devout cat is never in great haste.

When the first canary was taken into the house, the cat was over-whelmed with a feeling of compassion for it.

CAT: Such a beautiful, tiny creature,Yet destined never to enjoy the bliss of the hereafter. For how could it merit heavenly bliss, When, to begin with it so uncouthly immerses its entire body in its bath.Then, too, the fact that it‘s imprisoned in a cage means it’s a wicked bird; Though still very young, and apparently gentle It must prefer brute force.

And what about all the noise it makes? It whistles and trills, it trills quite brazenly!Yes, quite brazenly. Then, too, there’s the arrogance to break out of its cage And fly through the world, through the great outdoors. Have you ever seen a cat confined in a cage? And have you ever heard a virtuous cat daring to sing, tra la la...With such abandon?It’s a great pity, indeed, for after all, It’s a living creature, endowed with a spark from above. And all its woes are due to its sinful body being so alluring—So tantalizing to carnal nature. For how can such a tiny bird hope to withstand So overwhelming a temptation? And the longer this songbird lives, The more it will transgress, and the greater the punishment of Providence will be.

NARRATOR: A sense of righteousness flamed up in the cat’s heart.

It leaped upon the table where the cage with the canary rested—and in no time the floor was strewn with feathers.

The cat received a thrashing but accepted the punishment meekly, and pondered its cause, It had been beaten soundly (it reasoned) because it had scattered feathers all over the room and sullied the white tablecloth with bloodstains. Things of this sort had to be carried out calmly, without leaving a single trace of blood or feathers.

Consequently, when the second canary arrived, the cat strangled it qui-etly and swallowed it feathers and all. Nevertheless, the cat was again beaten. At last, the cat realized it was not at all a question of feathers or blood stains, but had to do with the commandment “Thou shalt not kill”! One must learn to love, to forgive. It is not through revenge that a world can be redeemed. Those who have fallen into error must be brought back to the path of righteousness; it is to their hearts that one must appeal.

A repentant canary could ascend to heights so exalted they were beyond the reach of even the most pious cat. The cat was in a rhapsody of de-light. The old times were over and done with. No more bloodshed—pity and loving-kindness were to be the order of the day. And it was in a burst of generosity that it approached the third songbird!

CAT: Have no fear.True, you are sinful and depraved, but I will not harm you—I pity you. I will not even pry open your cage, or even touch you.

Why are you so silent? But that’s good. It’s better to be quiet than whistle and warble so impertinently. You are flinching? That’s good! Be in fear and trembling—not for my sake, but for Almighty’s!

I shall see to it that you go right on trembling. From the very depths of my pious soul I will breathe on you, and inspire you with serenity and piety. May my breath imbue your being with faith, and your heart with repentance and humility.

NARRATOR: The heart of the white and pious cat was exalted. The canary, however, could not breathe in the feline atmosphere, and the poor thing died from suffocation.

The Pious Cat

Julie Mandel is a composer and lyricist living in New York City. She has composed chamber music, opera, musical theater, popular and art songs, and commercials. A member and Concert Director of the Long Island Composers Alliance, Treasurer of the New York Women Composers, a member of the American Composers Forum and ASCAP, her work has been performed widely. She has received the Burton Award for Contemporary Music (2002) for her String Quartet #3, recorded by the Meridian String Quartet on their CD, DIVERSE LIGHT and published by Theodore Presser. She has received many ASCAP Awards and several awards from Meet The Composer. E.B. Marks has published several of her choral works. Her children’s musical, “Pari And The Prince”, based on a William Saroyan story, published by McGraw Hill, has been produced nationally. Her chamber works have been performed by the American Chamber Ensemble in New York City. Her commission from Paul Taub, flutist of the Seattle Chamber Players, resulted in “Blues For Paul” for flute and piano which has had several performances. Her one-act opera, “I Wish, I Wish, I Wish” was performed at the Thalia Theatre in (2014). Her works are frequently played by Carole Sudhalter’s Astoria Jazz Band.

Isaac Leib Peretz (1852-1915) is often called “the father of the Yiddish Renaissance”. A prolific author, he lived and worked in Poland, then a part of the Russian Empire. A writer of poems, short stories, novels, plays, humorous sketches, and satire, he was instrumental in raising the standard of Yiddish literature, incorporating contemporary trends in western European literature, and was an important intellectual figure. At the time of his death in 1915, he was the most published Yiddish writer in history.

Darcy Dunn, soprano, performs opera, chamber music and cabaret. She is a frequent singer with Downtown Music Productions, Chelsea Opera, Bronx Opera, Magic Circle Opera, Theater for the New City, the Aviva Players and the Windham Chamber Music Orchestra. She has enjoyed recent premieres/performances of contemporary works by Julie Mandel, Robert Manno, Michael Cohen, Lee Hoiby, Chris DeB-lasio, Richard Wargo, Seymore Barab, Daniel Burwasser, Mary Carol Warwick, Phil Kirby, Mira Spektor and Isabel Ganz. Darcy is a gradu-ate of the Magic Circle Training Program and a student of Ray Evans Harrell.

Daniel Dorrance, clarinet received his musical education at The Mannes College of Music in New York City. Daniel has toured exten-sively throughout South America and South East Asia and Europe with several musical and Broadway shows including George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Phantom of the Opera and recently, solo saxophonist with the world renowned dance spectacular, Riverdance. Daniel has been a principle woodwind player in many orchestras and Broadway Shows in the USA, Mexico and South America and is a multi-instru-mentalist with The Lion King, Tarzan, The Little Mermaid and most recently The Big Apple Circus, Addams Family, Ghost and First Date on Broadway.

Barbara Ames, piano, is a active as a soloist, collaborative pianist, chamber musician, and music director. Board of Directors of Avi-va Players, Music director/pianist at Stages, a theater company in Easthampton, pianist for Kodaly Org. of NYC Choral Festival. Directed choruses at Hunter Campus Schools, has been pianist/consultant Riv-erside Church Youth Choir, was founder/artistic director of Celebration Youth Chorus, currently director of Mannes School of Music’s Jr. and Intermediate Choruses.

Mark Singer, narration, has performed dramatic roles including Jack Boyle in Juno and the Paycock, Otto Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank, Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, and Jacob in the independent film Virtuous Scoundrels. Musical theater credits include The Cradle Will Rock and Pins and Needles at the HOWL! Festival, and the new musicals, Giovanni the Fearless, Rapunzarella White, Birdseed, and The Storyteller. Among his operatic roles are Escamillo in Carmen (La MaMa), and leads in works by Holst, Barber, Bernstein and Rorem. Along with his wife Darcy Dunn and musical director Julia Mendesohn, he is the creator of the Mountaintop Celebration of Song in Hunter, NY.

Copyright 2015 Julie Mandel, composer and adapter

Darcy Dunn, sopranoDaniel Dorrance, clarinetBarbara Ames, pianoMark Singer, narration

Recorded and edited at Sean Swinney Recording Studio in New York, July 2015.