Wondrous Transformation of Aglais Urticae, The

Program Notes:

The lifecycle of a butterfly has long served as a metaphor for change and the possibility
of new growth, even of resurrection. It is fascinating to imagine the experience from a
caterpillar’s point of view. As they form a chrysalis and their bodies change
dramatically, are they afraid? Are they in pain? Do they then feel a sense of liberation as
they break out of their chrysalises? How does it feel when these formerly earth-bound
creatures first take flight?

Conductor Notes:

SSAA (div) and piano

Composer / Arranger Notes:

I will never know what this particular wondrous transformation feels like, but I do
know how it feels to say goodbye to a beloved conductor after singing for them for
decades. I wanted to write a piece that allows Elektra to celebrate Morna and her
achievements joyfully, while also suggesting the possibility of a future that, though
different, might also be beautiful. In doing so it seemed appropriate to set the words of
a remarkable naturalist and artist whose life was filled with both beauty and change. (I
encourage performers to share Merian’s biographical information with audiences.)
“The Wondrous Transformation of Aglais urticae” was commissioned by Elektra, and is
dedicated to Elektra and their co-founder, Morna Edmundson.

Text

Its caterpillar is yellow with narrow and wide black stripes. It has six black claws in the
middle, then eight yellow ones, then two little feet at the end. When it has reached its
full size it stretches against a wall and sheds its skin completely and becomes a wood-colored
chrysalis.

From a good chrysalis comes a small butterfly.

When the sun has risen, one by one they begin to fly. And when the sun’s heat lasts,
almost nothing but white and gold butterflies swarm the meadows in the evening.

– Maria Sibylla Merian, Der Raupen wunderbare Verwandelung. Translation adapted with permission from Michael Ritterson’s, as found in Kay Etheridge, The Flowering of Ecology

Maria Sibylla Merian’s Caterpillar Book, Leiden: Koninklijke Brill NV, 2021, pp. 327-328

Text Source

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)