The Butt Song from Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights

There's so much to take in when viewing Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights that it might be easy to overlook the song printed on the naked butt of one of the doomed souls in the hell part of the triptych. Luckily for us (it's a really cool song!) a music student named only "Amelia" in the following article took the time to transcribe Bosch's Butt Song.
An article with some more info on the subject:

In the vision of hell, there’s a special place reserved for musical instruments (THANKS BOSCH) including a harp, a lute and some sort of woodwind instrument.

There’s also a book of sheet music and a demon whose role, it seems, is to imprint music on sinner’s naked bums with his weird note-shaped tongue.

www.classicfm.com...
The painting in question (c. 1503-1515)


And now for the 500 year old song:


Hope you enjoy the hellish melody.

Thanks. One of my fav artist's best works. The song is lovely, too!

As a side note that is not taught in most art classes, Philip K Dick's alleged mystical experience of 1973 involved a hellish Black Iron Prison that he likened to the structure seen in this painting... top right.

Bosch's darker works always resonated with me... especially when food poisoned, withdrawing from substance addiction or experiencing fever hallucinations! It's an able rendering of a fragmenting psyche... and one I sincerely hope is imaginary... if imagination can be untied from reality, that is.

a reply to: Baddogma

Very interesting about Philip K Dick! I'll have to see if I can find any more info about that--sounds fascinating and scary!!

I also really love this piece. I saw it in person once in Venice--it could take hours to take it all in.

Have a good one!

a reply to: zosimov

I did a thread on one of P K Dick's speeches: The "Problem of Reality" in Philip K. Dick's 1978 speech How to Build a Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later
The Irony and the Ecstasy.

I haven't re-read it since I wrote it so I may not agree with myself.
The link to the speech is dead now.
Good thing there are portions on ATS.

The fragments on ATS may go soon too.

a reply to: zosimov

Here is the lyrics in question


Your first pic is not from the painting in question, "the garden of earthly delights". It is one of my favourite paintings, i used to have a large print of it above the fireplace years ago in my first apartment. As soon as i seen your OP i was puzzled as to what one its from.
Anyhow as to the song, yeah its good i like it. Could do with a beat maybe lol.

Bosch was an amazing artist

a reply to: SecretKnowledge

Oh no, lol!

Thanks for clarifying. Too late to edit now.


Yes, Bosch's work is amazing

originally posted by: pthena


The fragments on ATS may go soon too.

"Loosed, but not lost"
-Unknown

a reply to: zosimov

I just found another copy of that speech and updated that thread.

"Loosed, but not lost"
-Unknown

Here's to loosing!

originally posted by: Baddogma
Thanks. One of my fav artist's best works. The song is lovely, too!

As a side note that is not taught in most art classes, Philip K Dick's alleged mystical experience of 1973 involved a hellish Black Iron Prison that he likened to the structure seen in this painting... top right.

Bosch's darker works always resonated with me... especially when food poisoned, withdrawing from substance addiction or experiencing fever hallucinations! It's an able rendering of a fragmenting psyche... and one I sincerely hope is imaginary... if imagination can be untied from reality, that is.

There used to be a commune out on the rez where Angel dust was the preferred mode of travel. It felt like a Bosch painting if you bought a ticket to ride. It was pure hell. I wanted to die... There were many casualties.

a reply to: zosimov

That is some AWESOME music.

I saw a few months ago where that piece had been composed from the painting (I think I saw it on OpenCulture), since that's one of my favorite artists and painting, and has been since high school. I actually have a reproduction of that painting in my bedroom.

But that song is perfectly moody.

There are also some GoED figurines one can buy, if one is so inclined, as well as some from St. Anthony, and Last Judgement...

a reply to: zosimov

Like it better than the Rains of Castamere.

a reply to: Liquesence

Imagine the diorama one could make with Garden of EArthly Delight figurines... Cool!

I agree that the song is both moody and awesome. The beginning reminds me of Reznor, actually.

Have a good day!

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

I had to go listen to that one (remember I'm the weirdo who never watched GoT--wait is that even how you guys abbreviate that--looks off)...I liked that song a lot!
Both songs defiitely set a mood.

Hope all is good with you!

a reply to: zosimov

Very good, thanks.

a reply to: zosimov

Beautiful, really resonates with me on a deep level. Thanks for posting.

a reply to: wtbengineer

I thought it was beautiful as well. I'm glad you liked it. Have a good one!

a reply to: SecretKnowledge

Good catch ... I was puzzled as I couldn't match the title to the image, but differed to the authority Zos has garnered with me over the years of reading him/her. Such abandonment of personal agency is always a mistake, heh.

Bosch has so many similar images, it is not surprising. Do you happen to know the title the image was taken from?

As for O's comment about the reservation and angel dust... Boschian fer sure!

And back to the tune... I've played it a number of times and it gets better and better.

Thanks Zos.

a reply to: Baddogma

I've been listening to the song on repeat also

Augustus and I were wondering whether this was a popular melody of the day, or another figment of Bosch's wild imagination (loved your thought about whether imagination can be divorced from reality), or what?

I really ought to have put a better effort into the OP. Here's some info right in the heading on youtube that could have better informed the post, including a last name for "Amelia":

Music printed on the butt of one of the tortured souls in the 15th Century Hieronymus Bosch painting "The Garden of Earthly Delights" , Played on (What else?) Lute, Harp, and Hurdy-Gurdy by James Spalink. The melody is based on the transcription by Amelia Hamrick. The intro and outro employ the "Devil's Interval", and the last couple of measures are conjecture on my part. You could say that I just "pulled them out of my"-well, you know.....

Here's the correct image


Absolutely agree with you that our intuitions are our best guides..

a reply to: Baddogma

As i said i had that on my wall years ago. I spent a lot of time looking at all the detail (some fairly sick imagery in it). So i knew the image in the OP was not from it.

To answer your question, no i do not know which painting its from. Im sure a search on google images should do the trick. If i can recall, i dont think Bosch was a prolific painter so there shouldnt be a lot to go through

a reply to: Baddogma

I also had to listen to it several times. It is really a marvelous piece of music.