Song of the Vowels

In Song of the Vowels by Jacques Lipchitz, harp and harpist become one in an outburst of joint exuberance. Inspired by symphony concerts in Paris, the work embodies the Cubist principles of structure and form, for which the sculptor was well known. According to Lipchitz’s vision of transparency, sculpture produces spatial tensions with open spaces that pierce masses, creating voices as expressive as those produced by the solids. Seven of an edition of seven, Princeton’s version is unique in that it adds a square base to the pedestal, an element not found in earlier casts. The artist commented on the title of the sculpture: “The title has no connection with the famous poem of Rimbaud, but rather with a legend of ancient Egypt, according to which it appears there existed a prayer, the ‘Song of the Vowels,’ which the priests and priestesses made use of to conjure up the forces of nature.”