 The year is 1890. Tucked between Kennington and Borough, a new railway station was constructed near the Southwark district of London. The station was built in two phases; in the years 1890 and 1906, and redesigned in 1920. The station has two ground-level buildings, surrounded by two roundabouts. The station is called The Elephant and Castle after ...
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LONDON, UK (ANS) -- The year is 1890. Tucked between Kennington and Borough, a new railway station was constructed near the Southwark district of London. The station was built in two phases; in the years 1890 and 1906, and redesigned in 1920. The station has two ground-level buildings, surrounded by two roundabouts. The station is called The Elephant and Castle after a local pub.
It was here in 1971 that a filmmaker, Alan Power, was assembling footage for a documentary about people living on the streets, hobos and vagabonds. Mr. Powers asked his friend, composer Gavin Bryars, to assist him with the project.
As the film crew walked around the various locations taking footage, many of the men they were filming broke into song, "drunken songs, bits of opera,.folksongs.ballads" (Bryars 1993). Yet, as they continued to roll the footage, one old man, whom they said did not drink, began to sing something entirely different- a Christian song.
Power remembers that this man played a game with the film team - "swapping hats with the film crew" (Briars 1993). It must have been odd to see a playful man, full of all the qualities of humanity - joy, hope, faith, and life - living on the street. They rolled the tape, capturing his song.
The section of the old man singing a Christian song was not used in Power's documentary. Instead, he gave the tape to Bryars. Bryars took the tape home and constructed a piano accompaniment around the tune. Bryars looped the vocals (a technique of causing the tune to repeat itself over and over again), and began to compose a piece of minimalist and stark grandeur.
Composer Gavin Bryars
As Bryars continued to work on the piece in a studio in Leicester, he left the door open to run for coffee. As the composition was playing in the studio, people in the hall heard it and began to assemble in the room. When Bryars returned, he found a space of individuals diligently listening to this old hobo singing, fascinated by the pure beauty of the singing and the song. Bryars realized the emotional impact of the song as he looked around and found some of the people with tears in their eyes- weeping; something about the hobo's faith and humanity touched a chord in the lives of those listening.
Bryars went on to compose a full orchestral piece of music around the looped voice of the hobo. The original version came out in 1971. Then again, with added instrumentation, Bryars released it under Brian Eno's label, Obcure Records in 1975. In 1993, Bryars recorded it once again with Tom Waits, creating 74 minutes and 43 seconds of looped recording- broken up in six parts- accompanied by orchestra and choir.
Bryars recalls, "although the old man died before he could hear what I had done with his singing, the piece remains as a restrained testament to his spirit and optimism.there is considerable irony in the relationship between what he is singing, and his circumstances at the time" (Bryars 1993).
The Hobo of Elephant and Castle reminds me of something quite profound: that even in the midst of the most dire circumstances- one can have a song of joy in their heart; that even in the middle of terrible trials and tribulations, weak and hungry, Christ still show Himself strong, demonstrating His love for the unlovable. And for this, we all can sing with the Hobo of Elephant and Castle the words,
"Jesus' blood never failed me yet, never failed me yet
Jesus' blood never failed me yet.
There's one thing I know, for He loves me so" (Bryars 1993)
For in a sense- we are all hobos and vagabonds- dependent upon the unfailing love of God in Christ. Or, as Saint Paul reminds us,
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).
So with this, I say, sing on, Hobo of Elephant and Castle, sing on.
Brian Nixon is a pastor, writer, musician, and family man. He currently resides in Costa Mesa, California.
Used by Permission: ASSIST News Service www.assistnews.net
|
