I was
on vacation
in northern Italy
and on the evening of April 24,

I wandered
along the picturesque
shores of Lake Nemi. I
was attracted by the sounds
of distant music dancing on the still air,
and looking in the direction
from which it came,

I saw
an Italian peasant
passing by, singing
his folk tunes to the
accompaniment of his guitar

I was
so elated
that I regretted
not being able to
buy the musician
and his instrument together;
but since that was impossible,
I did the next best thing – I bought
a guitar and resolved to play it
as perfectly as he

 Charles Gounod.  Nemi, Italy.   April 24, 1862

The words typed on the 4 small hangings are adapted from composer Charles Gounod’s own words, his telling of a moving event to a close friend.

The four plants are from my own backyard.

detail of previous version of Gounod’s Guitar

as originally installed at Zeitgeist