Vive la Marionette!

"Two Lyon Pieces" is an active double consortium running through early spring 2026. The price here covers the buy-in fee to become a consortium member for this work! This consortium is a pair of string orchestra pieces (Grades 2.5 & 4) inspired by the culture & history of Lyon, France. Purchase on JW Pepper or buy-in through my website. (If you purchase on JW Pepper, please email me at [email protected] so I can contact you directly.) Learn about the consortium here: https://www.laurenspavelko.com/two-lyon-pieces Consortium Members Receive: • Electronic delivery of score & parts • Your name & ensemble credited in the final published score • Premiere credit • Short guides, historical context, & timelines to support cross-curricular learning • A bound final score signed by the composer & limited-edition consortium art print mailed to you (late spring 2026) • Zoom with the composer (schedules permitting) or recorded video to your ensemble “Vive la Marionette!” (Grade 2.5) Guignol is Lyon’s most famous puppet—quick-witted, full of energy, and never afraid to poke fun at authority. Guignol was created in 1808 by silk weaver Laurent Mourguet. When he fell on hard times during the French Revolution, Mourguet turned to street dentistry (tooth pulling) and put on puppet shows to attract passersby. The shows became so successful, he ultimately abandoned weaving and dentistry to become a full-time puppeteer. Guignol, a silk weaver himself, is his most enduring invention. This beloved hand puppet has entertained audiences for over 200 years with a mix of physical humor, satire, and sharp social commentary. His shows delight children with slapstick antics while slipping in jokes that only the adults truly understand and criticizing authority and current events. Like Guignol himself, the music for "Vive la Marionette!" (Long live the puppet!) is playful, unpredictable, and mischievous. It depicts the theatricality of the puppet show, capturing the spirit of wit, rebellion, and clever trickery that has made Guignol a lasting icon of Lyon. “The Insurgent Looms” (Grade 4) Lyon’s silk trade produced shimmering beauty and ignited fierce revolt. The silk industry shaped the city's geography and architecture. Workshops were built with high ceilings to house massive Jacquard looms, while hidden passageways (traboules) crisscrossed the city to expedite deliveries and protect bolts of silk from the elements. Later, these same traboules sheltered revolutionaries from capture. In the early 19th century, following the French revolution, silk weavers (les Canuts) staged major uprisings to demand fair wages and better working conditions, using the traboules to evade soldiers and organize in secret. Over a century later during WWII, members of the French Resistance once again turned to these passageways to outmaneuver the Gestapo, convey messages, and move undetected. This secret network prevented the invading forces from completely taking control of Lyon. Both the silk and the city were shaped by hands both delicate and defiant — and my music seeks to weave those stories together. Inspired by these intertwined legacies, my work reflects the the flowing motion of silk, the restless nature of the Lyonnais, and the unpredictable surges of revolt.