Renewed by a visit from an old friend, Henry Jekyll attempts to convince himself that Man is primarily good and swayed by temptation, whereas Hyde pipes in that Man has always had a strain of wickedness, and devolving to such a state is inevitable. Unfortunately, Hyde is successful in isolating Jekyll and convincing him he has no true friends. [End of Act I.]
(I have not labeled who is speaking, as I do not label it in the sheet music, but I hope it is discernible through context and mood.)
Forbidden fruit tastes all the sweeter...
Can you blame me?
Carnal, base, and low,
You lack everything that makes me me.
For though I savour all our fruitful nights,
I, too, am home amidst the light!
My spirit shines when I am all that stands
Between a man and death,
How I draw him back
From his fading, final breath,
And this I do, not a penny for to gain,
All in charity, may God’s Hand bless my name!
I am home amongst my-y books,
I have friends along beside,
What I have, I-I give!
Not a conscience can deride!
There is no-o-o-o-ot one spo-o-o-o-ot
In my caref’lly crafted name.
Henry Jekyll thrives
And I am not to blame!
If you were pure of heart,
Then what the devil crafted me?
I am born of you
As a river comes from sea.
All I am was planted
In your spirit long ago,
If you’ve nothing to hide,
You’d surely let me go.
And why not?
Because you doubt them!
The strands that tie you
Close to their hearts
Are easy to snap!
Let us play a little game!
Henry, please give me the name
Of your friends who would not leave you if they knew.
Henry, my boy,
You finally see truth!
It’s you and I alone in humankind...!
A clip from song 16 of Becoming Hyde: “The Nature of Man.” Original music and lyrics for single tenor and piano by me (Chess Albaneze, 2020). MIDI produced with Sibelius 7 and NotePerformer.
Becoming Hyde is a song cycle I have been writing since 2016, following the emotional journey of Dr. Jekyll’s descent into depravity, involving a little botched science and Victorian gothic horror. Based on the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.
You can hear the full songs on my Patreon at the $25/month level.
