Κῠπρογενής– Kyprogenḗs means “Cyprus born”, and it is one of the epithets attributed to Goddess Aphrodite. The text for my piece uses material from two of the Homeric hymns to Goddess Aphrodite, hymns 5 (only the opening 6 lines), and hymn 10, in its entirety. The text from hymn 5 reads as follows:

“Muse, tell me the deeds of golden Aphrodite the Cyprian, who stirs up sweet passion in the gods and subdues the tribes of mortal men and birds that fly in air and all the many creatures that the dry land rears, and all the sea: all these love the deeds of rich-crowned Cytherea”.

The text from hymn 10, which is set in its entirety reads as follows:

“Of Cytherea, born in Cyprus, I will sing. She gives kindly gifts to men: smiles are ever on her lovely face, and lovely is the brightness that plays over it. Hail, goddess, queen of well-built Salamis and sea-girt Cyprus; grant me a cheerful song. And now I will remember you and another song also”.

When I was asked by the Talea ensemble to compose a new work following their inspiring tour of Cyprus in 2024, I instantly thought of this text, as a tribute to both my homeland of Cyprus, but also to my adopted homeland, the United States. I felt that this text reflects this ethos, as well as my passion for the world of ancient Greek antiquity. Two interesting symbolisms / cryptograms are the 357 measures that the work consists of (357 is the country code for Cyprus), and the appearance of TALEA in Morse code in the middle part of the piece. The work is dedicated to the wonderful musicians of the Talea Ensemble and Soprano Sharon Harms.