Sweet Rice Pie
Six Songs on Four Taiwanese Nursery Rhymes
Sweet Rice P ie; Six Songs on Four T aiwanese Nurser y Rhymes
I found these four nursery rhymes while researching T aiwanese folk music T hese rich, funny, imaginative T aiwanese texts evoke a carefree, curious childhood and have no specific melodies attached to them While containing a universal quality, they also exhibit a sense of humor that is distinctly T aiwanese. Perhaps I find them so charming because of a desire to share something of my own mischievous childhood in T aiwan with my three year old daughter L ia as she grows up in America.
Sweet Rice Pie was commissioned by the Koussevitzky Foundation in the L ibrary of Congress, and is dedicated to the memory of Serge and Natalie Koussevitzky.
Duration: ca 13’30”
Sug g ested l ig hting des ig n
Wh en u s in g su p er- o r su b -ti tl es , it is p refer ab l e th at th e tex t a p p ears s l ig h tly b efo re th e sin g er s in g s In th is way , th e au d i en c e c an r ead th e t ex t sl ig h t ly in ad v an ce an d c an p ay at ten tio n to th e sin g er’s d ra ma ti c g estu re s.
Th e lig h tin g d esig n b elo w serv es o n ly as a su g g es tio n ; p l eas e fe el fre e to ex p er im en t Th e g o a l h ere is to h av e m in i ma l lig h tin g d esig n , wh i l e b rin g in g o u t th e th e atr ic al n atu r e o f th is p i ec e
All mu s ic ian s , in c lu d in g so lo is t an d co n d u c to r, g e t st an d l ig h ts.
0 walk o u t– g en era l lig h t, d im (mu s ic ian s tu rn o n s tan d l ig h t s af ter th ey are o n s tag e)
I. Swe et R ic e Pi e- ear ly ev en in g lig h t
1 – 5 ” f ad e in o n cy c g ro u n d ro w- o ran g e g lo w o n cy c sk y - d ark b lu e w / b re ak u p g o b o “ clo u d -l ik e ” ab str ac t tex tu re o n so lo is t- b lu e o v erh ead sp ec i al ; o n en se mb l e- lo w o ran g e l i g h t o n so m e p l ay ers
II. Lu lla by - g rad u al fad e fro m ev en in g l ig h t to n ig h t l ig h t
2 – 1 0 ” fad e o u t o n cy c- f ad e o r an g e o u t- k e ep ju s t b lu e
o n cy c sk y -fad e o u t “ clo u d ” g o b o
o n en se mb le- fad e o u t o ran g e lig h t, k eep st an d l ig h ts o n ly ; s o lo is t sp o t s tay s
3 – l in k to cu e 2 (th is cu e b eg in s i mm ed i at ely af ter cu e 2 fin ish es) 2 4 ” f ad e u p fro n t sp o t sp ec ia l p in k o n so lo ist
III. Cry ba by - n ig h tl ig h t
4 – 5 ” f ad e to b lack o n cy c o n so lo is t- s am e as la st mo v e men t ; o n en s emb l e- k eep s t an d lig h t s o n ly
5 - 1 0 ” fad e u p cy c g ro u n d ro w fad es u p w i th g reen (a t m ea su re 1 6 ), d im s ta g e l ig h t o n en s emb l e
IV. Fi ref ly - n ig h t l ig h t
6 – 3 ” f ad e u p cy c s t arts b la ck , st ag e wash u sin g sid e o r h ig h an g l e s id e l ig h ts- o ran g e o n so lo is t- n o sp ec ia ls- l it wi th w ash , o n en s emb le- li t wi th w ash (k e ep s tan d lig h ts)
7 – 5 ” f ad e u p at me asu re 4 9 "fir efly -l ik e ” ab str ac t g o b o fad es u p o n cy c
8 – 5 ” f ad e o u t o ran g e s tag e wa sh (a t me asu re 6 7 )
2 0 ” fad e u p so lo is t fro n t sp o t sp ec ia l p in k (b y m easu r e 7 9 )
9 – 5 ” f ad e o u t at en d o f p ie ce- f ad e o u t "f irefly " g o b o
5 ” f ad e u p o v erh ead sp o t (in ad d i t io n to fro n t sp o t l ig h t)
V. Lul la by - n ig h tl ig h t
1 0 – 1 ’1 5 ” fad e u p d im s t ag e lig h t o n en se mb le , so lo i st l ig h ts st ay
1 1 2 5 ” fad e o u t stag e lig h t a t me asu re 3 1 (so lo i st l ig h ts st ay ), a t th e sam e ti m e fad e u p Cu e 1 2
VI. Sw eet R ic e Pi e- ear ly mo rn in g l ig h t
1 2 – 1 ’2 5 ” fad e u p so lo is t lig h ts s t ay , s am e lig h tin g s as cu e 1 ( may ad d so m e g r een ) g rad u a l ly in cre ase
1 3 - o ” b l ack o u t
th e in t en si ty an d b rig h tn ess to al l lig h ts ( en se mb l e, so lo i st , a n d stag e) b y m ea su re 1 8
1 4 Bo w lig h ts – u se 1 2
