Bára Gísladóttir
Rooftops of Barcelona for tenor saxophone / C melody saxophone, 1-∞ amplified double basses and electronics.
Rooftops of Barcelona was composed in spring 2014 and was first performed at the electroacoustic festival Upp rís úr rafinu 02.08.14 in Reykjavík. The piece is written for tenor saxophone / C melody saxophone*, 1-∞ amplified double basses and electronics. The piece is inspired by two paintings from Picasso's blue period shown below.
p.1
p.2 The piece should start with Picture 1 being shown on a projector. The saxophone player then walks in and turns on the electronics, that is, the recorded double bassloop. After a while the double bass/basses should slide in one by one (if plural). When the saxophone player thinks the timing is right he/she should slide in and perform the first movement of the piece that is based on Picture 1. The movement ends with a long multiphonic. Subsequently Picture 2 replaces Picture 1. The saxophone player
waits again before going on with the second movement that is based on the now projected picture. When the movement finishes the double bass/basses should gradually diminish in volume before fully vanish. Then there is nothing left but the electronics whose volume is gradually decreased by the saxophone player until the sound turns to silence.
* If the piece is played with a C melody saxophone, the part will sound a maj. 2nd higher than if it is played by a tenor saxophone. The electronics and double bass part will however be the same.
Rooftops of Barcelona explanations for double bass
?
~
Place finger on note without pressing down. This is to create a harmonic effect. In the part you will find the information needed to perform this action.
The tempo should be quite slow with a very free rhythm. The performer should feel free to change given time values as well as improvising with the given material. The two pictures projected during the piece frame the two movements of the piece's contentsm, marked as Picture 1 and 2 in the part. The performer is allowed to start anywhere within the frame of Picture 1 and move around it's contest in any way. When the saxophone player has played through the movement of Picture 1, the double bass/basses should mark the beginning of the second movement by moving from the content of Picture 1 to the content of Picture 2, where the same instructions apply as to the former movement.
There are no dynamics marked in the part because it is up to the performer to choose which dynamics to play. Overall the dynamics should be rather soft and weak but the performer should feel free to play crescendos up to fortissimo. It should always be kept in mind that on these rooftops the saxophone is a solo instrument.
Rooftops of Barcelona Double Bass loop Picture 1 sul A
? 12 4 bO
Double Bass
sul E
O
nO
sul G n O ™ bO ™ ? 13 b O n O O 4
O
œ 10 OO ™™ bOO n˙˙ ™™ b˙˙ 4
3
Db.
Db.
9
Db.
sul E
sul A
? O nw
n~ w
bO
12
Db.
? 10 4 n‚
14
Db.
b‚ O
? b~
∑
sul A
n˙ ™ ? 10 4 # O™
˙™
sul D
21
Db.
? 9 bO 4
24
Db.
? 48
nO
0
O
Ó ˙O
w Ó #O
sul E
wO ˙
˙™ O™
œ 10 ˙™ 4
10 4 bO ™
sul A
bO
œ
64 bO
O
O
14 4 b~ ™
114 bO
O
b˙O
n˙™ O™
˙ O™
O™
‚ n‚ b‚ 15 4 w
Œ ˙™
˙
b˙O ˙ b~ 12 4
10 4
3
˙
sul G
O
œ 13 4
O™
sul E
sul D
˙
sul D
46 œ œ œ bO ™
sul D
sul D
nO ™
˙
˙O ™™
O
nO
O™
~
˙˙
0
b‚
4
sul E
18
Db.
‚
? 15 4 bO ™
16
Db.
sul A
sul G
˙™ O™
13 œ 4
œ œ bœ sul D bO ™ ˙ 48
bO O nœ
œ 47 nO
49 bOw
˙ 46
sul D
bO ? 13 4 O bO nO b~
6
8 œ 4 n‚ b‚ b‚ ‚ O ™
bO ™
sul A
48 w ™ 47 ˙™ ˙
˙ Œ 10 4 0
˙O
sul A
˙ b˙
˙ b~
49 48 10 4
27
bO ™
30
0
2 Db.
Db.
? 10 4
? 10 4 w Ó
? 47 bO
38
? 15 4
40
Db.
?
43
Db.
Picture 2 sul D
O™
O™
? 45 bO ™
sul D
O™
O
O bO ™
™ 15 4 O˙™
˙
? b˙ ™ nO b˙ ™ n˙ ˙™ ˙ ˙™ ˙ 0
O O™
sul G
O
48
3
b~ ™ 12 4
˙
sul D
sul E
O™
OO sul D
O™
O
4
sul D
O™
O
10 4
3
‚
b~ 13 4
OO
˙
˙™
œ
sul A
bO
114
O™
nw ™
47
Ú
˙™
˙
molto vib.
10 4
10 4
48
b˙
˙™
∑
O
sul D
4
‚
bœ nœ #œ œ œ œ#œ
O™
non vib.
15 4 O
O
10 4
bsul œ Gb œ œ nœ b‚ ‚ sul D sul G‚ b ‚ D b‚n‚ b‚ ‚ œbsul ‚ 84 4 ‚ bœnœ œ 4 b‚n‚ ‚ 45 4
O ˙
48
5
O ™ bO nO ™ bO ˙™ ˙ ˙™ ˙ Ú
b ‚ œ œ œbœsul >‚ b>œD 10 sul™ A ? 4 n‚ ‚ O 4 4 bO
53
Db.
O sul D
sul A
49
Db.
˙
bO ™ 15 4
bO ™
O
O™
48 nœ
sul G
4
nOO ™™
nO
O™ b O
? 10 4
46
Db.
˙
#w O
sul A sul D
sul A
sul A
Db.
˙O
#O
35
Db.
bO ™
O
? 11 O™ nO b‚ n‚ b‚ n‚ 10 bO ™ 4 4
32
Db.
O™
O
bO ™ 10 4 n˙ ™
O bO ™ nO ˙ ˙™ ˙
44 b‚ n‚ b‚ n‚ b‚ ‰ 46 n‚b‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ 44 J J J J J J J sul G
sul D
O™
bO ™ 10 n 4 ˙™
sul G
n˙
0
nO bO ™ ˙ ˙™
nO ˙
O ˙
? ˙™ ˙™
56
Db.
? 114 ‚ b‚ n‚ b‚ ~ nw nw
58
Db.
˙™ ˙™
sul D
™ bO ™ ? 10 n˙˙ ™ ˙ n˙˙ ™ 4 0
O ˙ O™ ˙™
Db.
64
Db.
?
bO ™
sul D
˙
0
? 10 4 bO ™
71
Db.
˙˙ ™™
? 15 ˙ ™ 4
70
Db.
sul E
3
sul D
bsul ~ G 9 b‚ n‚ ‚ ‚ O ™ b O w 4w ˙™ ˙
O™ ˙™
O ˙
10 4 n˙ ™ #˙O ˙O™™ ˙O 0
sul A
bO ™ 44 b‚ ‚#‚#‚ ‚b‚n‚ ‚ 10 4
O
3
3
˙O ™™
sul A sul E
O™
sul D
O
O
Sul D
bO ™
114 10 4
sul D 44 ‚ b‚ n‚ b‚ b‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ œ 49 sul G
sul A
sul G
˙O O
O ˙
b˙
5
0
n˙ ™ 10 4 ˙™
? 49 b‚ ‚ 4 n‚ bœ O ‚ b‚n œ
67
Db.
sul A
sul D b‚ n‚ b‚ n‚ œ bœ œ œ bœ nw
13 4 bO˙™™ ˙˙ w
˙ ˙
61
3
5
0
˙™ #˙O #˙™ O ™ n˙O sul E
˙O n˙ ™
sul G
sul D
bO˙
0
O™ O
sul D
10 4
bO ˙™
15 4
U O