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Brother Wolf (Shelter In Place no. 13)

for Wolf cedar flute and effects

This piece is played on the Wolf cedar flute I acquired in Vancouver in 2018. It is one of my small collection of Native American style flutes, in each case purchased directly from the maker.

Brother Wolf is unpriced by the Wolf symbols on the flute. I heard a wolf song in my mind as I played, and tried to evoke what I was hearing. The music was recorded in late May as part of a recording session, to make new pieces on several of my flutes. When I edited and mixed this piece, going back to the wolf song I heard in my mind, I added sound design and effects to the second section of the track. Maybe the rest of the pack joins in, and howls along.

All sounds on this recording are generated from the single solo Wolf cedar flute.

lyrics

Wolf Sutra (The Way of the Animal Powers)


I am the dog of the Goddess,
the pathfinder, the wayseeker,
the hound loyal to his chosen pack beyond all safety
when his rarely-offered loyalty and trust are finally given
I am the lone wolf scout,
the wanderer and new-land-finder
I am the wide range forager, the traveller to outlying lands,
who brings back news of fresh vistas and
where to find the best herds; and
I need to know where the pack is
when I wander, I need to know
where home is, so I can return to it
when I need to return home
I am the fiercely loving father/mother,
the guardian and protector
whose fangs are never bared at the cubs
but who does not hesitate to kill whoever dares
to threaten them
I am the Goddess’ weapon,
Her straight-thrown spear
into the heart of destruction,
I will never yield; the God’s fierce love
is my sustaining fury, the cleansing of the world
I am the slayer of enemies, the guardian of the pack
the first to defend, the last to retreat,
peaceful and playful and loving until provoked
I am the lone wolf howling from the mountain ridge
listening for the voices of my pack
loping through the valley far below
I am the night singer, I sing, “This pass! This one!
Beyond these cliffs there is a warm land full of game!
I have seen it! It waits in Her bosom there! Climb! Join me!”
and sometimes they hear me, and climb, and join with me,
and sometimes I dance in paradise
alone, but it’s not paradise then;
and some few times I have shuddered at the lips of precipices,
crouched and growling at the dark,
the dislodged stones’ rattle far below,
and the long night is cold and lonely
and I whimper and howl in grief and pain—
but She is there with me, calling me to heel
and I find my way home, with the dawn.

I am the lone wolf scout,
the wayfarer, the pathseeker,
the patient playful guardian of the cubs,
the protector and wanderer,
the outland home-finder,
the Goddess’ loyal dog.

•

poem ©1997 Arthur Durkee Arts. All Rights Reserved.

credits

from Shelter In Place (pandemic double album), released March 31, 2020
Arthur Durkee: Wolf cedar flute, effects, sound design

Music video: youtu.be/j627zovuiLE

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all rights reserved

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Arthur Durkee Ann Arbor, Michigan

Arthur Durkee is a composer & songwriter who records & performs on Chapman Stick, bass, analog modular synths, bamboo & wood flutes, keys, frame drums, and voice. He has won awards for composed, notated music as well as for his recordings, & is a published poet, & designer & illustrator. ... more

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