Orpheus - Denton, TX
N 33° 12.667 W 097° 09.008
14S E 672405 N 3676216
Richard Lang's bronze statue of Orpheus stands in the UNT College of Music Courtyard at 415 Avenue C, Denton, TX.
Waymark Code: WM132HA
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/01/2020
Views: 3
The Sculpture
The University has a little bit about the piece:
Richard Lang, a former faculty member in Art Education at UNT, was commissioned by Phi Mu Alpha to create this piece for the UNT College of Music. The Gamma Theta chapter of Phi Mu Alpha dedicated the sculpture in 1967.
Orpheus stands about two feet tall, on a base that is attached to the concrete wall off in the corner. He's wearing a Grecian robe and sandals, walking as he leans back a bit. He holds his lyre in his left arm, preparing to pluck or strum it with his right hand. A green patina is at work on his head and face, but his features are still recognizable, albeit a bit crude (which appears to be by design), and he may be wearing some kind of headgear.
Orpheus
Orpheus himself is a figure who is shrouded in myth and legend, best known as a poet, prophet, and musician. He was alleged to have been more skilled on the lyre than Hermes, and his music had the power to create and control. The best known tale of him involves the death of his wife, Eurydice, who died of snakebite and passed into the Underworld. His mournful music attracted the attention of the nymphs and the gods, who counseled him to travel to the Underworld to attempt to recover his loved one. His efforts were nearly successful, as his music was powerful and passionate enough to convince Hades and Persephone to allow Eurydice to return, on the condition that Orpheus walk in front of her, and not look at her until they had returned to the upper world. Unfortunately, as he himself stepped out of the Underworld, he turned around to regard his wife, who was still there, and his action resulted in her being taken back to stay forever. Orpheus didn't get a second chance, and near the end of his life, he became disenchanted with all the gods save Apollo. His rejection of Dionysus cost him his life, as he was eventually torn to shreds by the god's followers, the maenads.
Of course, Orpheus's historicity is a matter of debate. We do have surviving poetry that is attributed to Orpheus such as the Orphic Hymns, a collection of poems dating to the second or third century, and the epic poem, Argonautica, which relates the story of Jason and the Argonauts, narrated by a character named Orpheus.