The Devil's Tail
Violin Solo - Sheet Music

Violin and piano

SKU: BO.J.1016

Composed by Gabriel Ian Gould. Published by Editorial de Musica Boileau (BO.J.1016).

The Devil's Tail (originally titled Fantasy on a Jewish Folktale) was composed during the Fall of 1995 and is inspired by a children's story from the Yiddish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer. In the story a young boy is alone during Hannukah, his parents having been kidnapped by the "devil" (most likely meaning a mischievous dybbuk, not the devil of the Bible). The boy goes out into a fierce snowstorm to find his parents only to be chased home by the devil in full fury. However, the boy manages to catch the devil's tail in the door and demands that the devil release his parents. The devil, distraught over his sore tail, consents, but before releasing him, the boy singes his tail with a Hannukah candle to remind him not to commit mischief on such an important night. This composition borrows elements from the klezmer tradition, including the traditional "Jewish" scale containing two augmented seconds (actually a version of the Ahava Raba or freygish mode). In the second half, after a dance section in 5/8 and 7/8, I quote from a Yiddish folk song, Shnirele Perele (String of Pearls), which has a sweet lullaby-like quality. However, the piece ends on a mischievous note, much like the story itself.