Kim: "My Dear Agnes" from David Copperfield

When I first read Charles Dicken's David Copperfield, I was very taken with the memorable and very odd cast he populated his story with. However, in the midst of all these colorful characters, one stood out very obviously to me: Agnes Wickfield. In the story, Agnes is the sole daughter of the widower Mr. Wickfield. Outside of her quasi-maternal role as her father's housekeeper and her position as David's sister, Agnes has no flaws, character, or quirks to speak of. Compared with the rest of the cast, she seems stiff and almost lifeless--existing only within others' perception of her.
At its core, David Copperfield is a story about identity. The main vehicle for this theme are names. The main character David has several names used at various points in his life (Trotwood, Master Copperfield, Daisy, etc.). Dickens uses this device as a way to represent his transformation and how the lives of others have impacted him. The opening line reads, "Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show." With this background, it seems even more peculiar that Agnes, as one of the most important characters in the book, is never afforded any identity.
In writing this song, I had two goals: to give Agnes a depth never afforded to her in the story proper and to introduce the idea of identity into the narrative.
Setting: The scene takes place before Agnes leaves London in the chapter "Good Angels and Bad Angels." In the preceding chapter, David (Trotwood to Agnes and Daisy to his friend Steerforth) was carousing with Steerforth and accidentally came upon Agnes. Afterwards, he apologizes to Agnes, claiming that she is his "good angel."
Analysis (rapid-fire):
-Key of A minor (later A major): chosen as Agnes starts with an A
-First four notes of the melody-line spell out part of the name Agnes (A-G-skip-E). At the end of the piece the full motive, A-G-E-B (B is the S which comes from Si), is used when she says her full name (2:25).
-Polyrhythm: Throughout the piece I pit 6/8 against 3/4 to represent the two polarities of Agnes's personality: her actual self and the perception others have of her. When she is expressing her own feelings of identity (1:17), the music changes to 3/4. At 1:56, when she is in a state of extreme confusion of her identity, the music switches freely between 6/8 and 3/4.
-D major harmony: David's name is associated with D major. As a result, whenever he is mentioned the D major harmony resurfaces prominently, most noticeably at 2:03.
-Form: the piece is in simple ABA' with a coda.
-Lyrics: When I was writing the lyrics, I tried to have the words carry a clear three act structure. In particular, I saved the use of the first person I as well as direct personal feeling until the repeat of A. One notable change in lyric is the difference in the line "burning the way for them to see" in B and "burning away that they might see" in the coda.
References:
Chapter Summary: www.shmoop.com/study-guides/l...
Soprano: Alexandria Wood
Words, music, and piano: Samuel B. Kim

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My dear Agnes, Can it be you- The angel there, To guide him through? My dear Agnes, How much is true? He writes my name, But claims it’s you. Dear, dear Agnes, how you shine! Burning the way for them to see. Papa, Trotwood, what is mine? Why does the light not fall on me? My dear Agnes, Bound by my home, I live a life, But not my own! Please dear Agnes, Help me to see. Your light burns bright, Except for me. And was that man the boy you shield? Was he Trotwood, your brother- Maybe Daisy-another? Or was he David Copperfield? Burning away that they might see. Agnes Wickfield, can you be me?