Ausencias/Ausências/Absences (Excerpt)

!

Carolina Heredia ! ! ! ! !

Ausencias/AusĂŞncias/Absences (2016) !

%

%

%

For String Quartet and Fixed Media %

%

This%piece%was%made%possible%by%a%grant%from%the%Fromm%Music%Foundation!

Photography by Natali Herrera Pacheco nherre02@ucm.es Used by permission

AUSENCIAS/AUSÊNCIAS/ABSENCES For string quartet, fixed media, dance and interactive video

Introduction I. Violeta II. Alfonsina Interlude III. Ana C.

COMPOSER’S NOTES I believe generating empathy through art can be a strong mechanism to develop our understanding of one another. In this work, I explore the concept of suicide as an attempt to exercise our capacity for empathy and compassion as well as to destigmatize mental illness.

Ausencias/Ausências/Absences, for string quartet, fixed media, dance, and interactive video is a thirty-minute intermedia work that can also be performed in a music-only format. The artistic impetus of this work was taken from the last writings of three South American poets who took their own lives: Violeta Parra (1917-1967) of Chile, Alfonsina Storni (1892-1938) of Argentina, and Ana Cristina Cesar (1952-1983) of Brazil. The three main movements of the piece each focus on one poet and are inspired by the song Gracias a la vida (1966), by Parra, and the poems Me voy a dormir (1938) by Storni and Samba canção (1982) by Cesar.

The audio and video portions of the work include images and recordings taken during my research trips to Chile, Brazil and Argentina in 2015, including the Cuatro Venezolano (small guitar with four strings) that belonged to Violeta Parra. In the intermedia version of the work, the dance floor is illuminated by images projected from two overhead projectors. The dancers’ movements are captured by a camera suspended above the stage. Touch Designer and Kinect motion tracking technology allows the dancers to trigger video gestures with their movements.

Choreographer Sandra Torijano created the dance, visual artist Kat Johnson and myself produced the visual media for the projections, and Carlos García developed the interactive technology. This full work was premiered on March 24th, 2017, at the Duderstadt Video Studio at the University of Michigan. The original music-only version was premiered by JACK Quartet on March 2016, commissioned by the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard university.

INSTRUMENTATION

String Quartet Fixed Media

Duration: ca. 30 minutes

Performer’s Notes: - A laptop and sound system is necessary.

- This score comes with a MIDI controller foot pedal and a max patch to be controlled by the first violinist.

- The pedal has two buttons that are labeled A and B. Cues are written in the first violin part.

- The third button is STOP and is only intended to be used for rehearsal purposes. Instructions on how to use the software are indicated in the patch.

- Time marks in a box represent the time from each specific track that is being played and it will be visible in the computer screen.

- Text in Italics in the score are excerpts from the three poems described in the program notes.

They are intended to set the mood of the different section and the overall specific movement.

- Ordinario refers to manner of bowing and indicates the end of non vib. passage.

- Normal refers to the position of the bow and indicates the end of a sul pont. or sul tasto passage.

- A horizontal arrow ( such as from ord. to sul pont.

) indicate a gradual transition from one bowing position to another,

Full Score

Ausencias/Ausências/Absences for string quartet, fixed media, dance and interactive video commissioned and premiered by the JACK quartet

Introduction Carolina Heredia (2016)

Violin I

° &

4 q = 120 Determined, vigorous 4 U

O

Ó™

∑

Œ

∑

U Œ >˙™

∑

O

#œ œ- œ > 3

Œ

Ó o

f

Violin II

&

∑

‰

∑ œ ˙™ >-

o

o

f f

U Œ œ- œœ œœ ˙˙ ™™ >

B Ó Viola

Ó

Œ

œ œ ww >-

Ó

o Violoncello

¢

f

U œ ˙™ œ ˙™

‰ œ ˙˙ >-

œ- œœ >

o

f

? Œ

Œ

Œ

f

>‰ ‰ œ ˙˙

w w

Πo

3

‰ œ ˙˙ >

o f

f f

=

5 4

6

Vln. I

° &

∑

>‰ œ ˙™

#œ ™ >-œ # œ œ œ

˙ #˙ ˙ >-

#>-œœ

f

>-œ

œ

fff

#œ ™ Vln. II

& Œ ˙™ >-

œ

œ œ

#œœ>

˙ ˙

œœ ##œœ ˙˙ >-

#œœ>

œœ ##œœ- œœ >

f

Vla.

B w w

#>œ-œ

œœ

fff

˙˙ ™™

#>-œ œ

nœ ™ ˙ ˙

œ >œ #œ œ

˙

>œ ##>œœ #œ

œ

fff

Vc.

? w ¢ w

œœ >-

œ œ >-œ œ œœ >œ

œ

#œ ™ œ >œ.

>- œ œ

™ œ >œ #œ. ##œœ>

##>œœ fff

©Carolina Heredia 2016

œœ & nbœœ ™™

4 4

10

Vln. I

4<#>U˙ ™ 4

, œ

flautando non vib.

˙

° &

Ó

Ó

∑

˙-

b˙- ™

Œ

˙˙ ™™ -

Œ

∑ bw w

w w

w

w

p subito

, <#>U ˙™ bnœœ

flautando non vib.

˙˙ Ó

Vln. II

Ó

∑

& ˙-

∑

p subito

, U ˙™ bœ nœ

flautando non vib.

˙ ˙

B

Ó

∑

∑

bw w

w w

w w ∑

w w

w w

w w

∑

Vla. p subito

Vc.

U , non vib. ? œ w bœ w ¢& <b>˙˙ ™™

w w

w w

p subito

= ord.

b >-œ ˙ ™

18

Vln. I

° &

∑

∑

n>-œ

˙ ˙ b˙>

‰

> b -œœ

>-œ œ ™ œ œ™

œ œ

f

fff

>-œ œ >-œ ˙ œ œ œ ˙

ord.

Vln. II

Œ ˙™ >-

& w

>-œ œ œœ ™™

>-œ œ b>-œœ œœ œ œ

w

f

fff

ord.

>Œ œ##œœ w w

B Ó

#>-œœ

˙˙ ™™

œœ n>-œ œ

˙˙

œ >œ >-œ œœ ™™ nœ

˙

Vla. f

Vc.

>ord. ? ‰ #>-œ œ ˙˙ ¢

fff

w w

##œœ>

> >-œ œ >- -œ œ >œ. œ ™ œ #œœ œœ #œ

n>œ- n œ œ >œ. # œ ™ œ œ œœ >-

> œ™ n-œœ#œ ™

f fff

=

Vln. I

U 23 ˙™ ° ˙™ &

, #œ

˙ Ó

non vib. #˙- ™

Œ

∑

w w

w w o

p subito

U ˙˙ ™™ Vln. II

, non vib.

œœ

˙˙

Ó

&

Œ ˙™ -

∑

##w w

w w o

p subito non vib.

U ˙˙ ™™ B

, œ #œ

˙ ˙

w w

w w

w w

Ó

∑

Vla. p subito

U ˙™ ? <#>˙ ™

, non vib. w ?œ œ w

w w

w w

Vc.

¢ p subito

2

w w ∑

5 4

A ord. #>˙ ™ ° & 29

Vln. I

#œ

œ œ #˙ Œ

œ≈‰

3 4

œ ™ >-œ

#œ

œ ˙ ‰

#˙ ˙ f energetic mf delicate

ord. #>˙ ™ Vln. II

##œœ

j #œœ œœ

#œœ ™™

&

j #œœ œœ ##œœ

œœ ™™

œœ

˙ œœ

œ™ > nœ-

Œ

mf delicate f energetic ord.

#>˙ ™ ˙™ ≤ #œ. #œ ˙

B Vla.

##œœ mf delicate

Ϫ

#œ ‰ #œœ ˙˙

œ≈‰

> n-œ

Œ

mf fp

f

f energetic

#œ ™

#w

ord.

>™ ? ˙ #œ ™ #œ œ

Vc.

¢

Ϫ

#œ œ œ

#œ ™ #œ J

#œ œ

n>-œ

#œ #œ mf delicate f energetic

= 33

Vln. I

° &

3 4 >œ

4 4

2 4

#>œ

˙™

n˙ bœ

˙

j bœ œ >

b˙

œ ‰

4 ,4

∑

∑

, > & bœ ™

Vln. II

œ bœ œ

‰ bw

Œ

∑

bœ ˙ ,

> B bœ œ ˙

œ bœ ˙ œ ˙

œ

Vla.

œ

nœ ™

œ >œ bœ bœ

? œ.

Vc.

¢

œœ >-

œ œ

˙˙ ™™

w w

œ™ #œ #œ.

œ œ ™ #œJ œ #>œ

œœ #œ œ >

&

3 , 3 5 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœœ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

fff

= 38

Vln. I

4 4

>œ-

>-œ ° # & œ œ # œ> f

>œ- # œ ™

3 4 ˙™

fff

4 4

#>-œ

>-œ œ bœ œ >-

>-œ # œ ™

f

#œ ™ U ˙

3 4 ˙™

, #>-œ

fff

f

fff

œ™ U ˙ Vln. II

>-œ œ œ œ J

>- ™ & œœ ™ f

> #-œœ œ™

˙™

fff

> #-œœ

œœ

#>-œœ œœ

#>œ- # œ ™

f

#œ ™ œ œ #>-œ >. fff

& n˙> f

, >-œ

fff

bϪ Vla.

˙™

fff

f

œ™ U ˙ ˙™

,

˙™ œ œ #>-œ >-

˙ >f

B

> #-œ

fff

fff f

bϪ Vc.

? ¢ #>œf

Ϫ

˙™

#>œ-

#œœ>

> n -œ fff

˙™

, b>œ-

œ

nœ ™

Ϫ

#œ ™ U ˙

f

œ #œ>

#>-œ fff

3

#>-œ fff f

4 4

B q = 88 Subtle, fragile sul tasto non vib.

43

4 4w

w

3 4

w gliss.

Vln. I

° &

˙˙ ™™ mp subito p sul tasto non vib.

#w w Vln. II

w w

w w

gliss.

#˙˙ ™™

& mp subito

p sul tasto non vib.

w w

˙˙™™

w w

gliss.

B

∑

Vla. mp subito

o

sul tasto ord.

Vc.

non vib. ? w w ¢

˙ ™™ ˙

w w

>œ œ

˙>˙

gliss.

o mp subito

p

= sul pont 47

normal Vln. I

° ˙ &

Oœ

Oœ

Oœ

œ

Oœ œ Oœ œ Oœ œ Oœ œ Oœ œ Oœ œ bbO˙ ™™

œ Oœ œ Oœ œ

3

˙™

5

3

mf f normal

∑ Vln. II

∑

∑

Oœ

˙ &

Oœ

Oœ

œ

mf

B

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

Vla.

Vc.

œ>œ

? ˙ ¢ ˙

>œ œ

>˙ ˙

j œœ

˙˙™™

œj œ

˙>˙ ™™

>œ œ

>˙ ˙

o mp

= normal 52

Vln. I

° bbO˙ ™™ &

˙™

bbO˙

Oœ

n˙ ˙

Oœ

Oœ

œ

œ Oœ œ Oœ œ

Π3

f sul pont normal 5 3

& œ Oœ œ Oœ œ

Vln. II

Oœ œ Oœ œ Oœ œ Oœ œ œO œ œO œ O˙™™

O˙™™

˙™

Œ ˙™

˙

3

f

B

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

Vla.

? ˙>˙ ™™

œœ

j œœ

˙>˙

œœ

Vc.

¢ mf

4

>œ œ

œ >œ

j > œœ œœ ˙˙

˙˙

>œ œ