Pine Meadow by Christina Rusnak

Pine Meadow

For Pine Meadow Ranch Center for Arts and Agriculture For Percussion Quartet

Composed by Christina Rusnak

Acknowledgements

Commissioned by the Roundhouse Foundation; created, in part, at the Pine Meadow Ranch Center for Arts and Agriculture Artist Residence Program.

Rusnak Music Press (BMI)

Pine Meadow - Notes

Duration: ~ 6:00

Pine Meadow Ranch is, and has been, a part of the rural Oregon landscape for over 100 years. For the last several decades, the 260-acre ranch was ranched, farmed and cared for by aviatrix and rodeo stalwart Dorro Sokol. Sold in 2017, the ranch was acquired by the Roundhouse Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting programs that inspire creativity, connect people with each other and their sense of place, and ensure sustainability for the long-term economic success of Oregon’s rural communities. Pine Meadow Ranch continues to operate as a working ranch and is developing and expanding arts, agricultural and ecological projects using the assets of the property.

As an Artist in Residence at Pine Meadow Ranch, I spent two weeks listening to the sounds and cadence of the ranch. My studio overlooked the pastures, and the mountains. I awoke to the sounds of the roosters, the creek, and ranch hands who start work very early. I learned about the mountainous high desert community and its history in more depth.

I chose to focus on the rhythms and timbres of this place, of rural life in a western state. The piece begins with the forest, and its historical inhabitants. Followed by the arrival of the settlers, who clear land and build homes and farms to prove their homesteads. The rhythms of this place are set into motion. Fences are constructed; barns are raised; pastures are watered. Wool is woven, cows are milked, bottles are delivered. All against the rhythm of the forest, the rivers and the mountains.

- - Christina Rusnak, January 2022

Instrumentation:

Long Board with hard rubber mallet (2) Short Board with hard rubber mallet (2)

Floor Tom (2) with mallets, rute, and wire brushes

Snare Drum (2) – no snares with wire brushes

Sand Paper Blocks (3 sets) Guiro

High Hat with stick (nearly closed) Brake Drum (stick)

5 unused paint cans (2 sets) with varying water levels (mallets) (Balter Green if available) Marimba with soft yarn mallets

Large Metal Pipe with dredlock Grasses (2)

Shaker - percussive - (wild rice or corn in a closed tupperware bowl works well)

Cowbells: 1 high, 1 mid; 2 mid-low and 1 low Wood Blocks (1 set) High, Medium, Low

5 unused glass milk bottles (2 sets) with varying water levels (yarn mallets)

Performance Notes:

1. Boards are open beneath. Think of MG’s Timber set up. Alternately, they could be secured at one end with the remaining board open. Use hard rubber mallets.

2. Low Tom and Snare (no snares) are mostly straight forward.

- Wire Brush Whisk B/F – with the ends of the wire brush (about last 3/4 inch) , whisk the brush back and forth across the drum head (whisk represents sprinklers).

- Rute is to be a lighter touch than mallet.

- Section D, Rute strikes the side of the drum.

- Wire Brush – Scrape Circles – continuous sound; also Scrape Across – this is one long motion across the drum head.

- Slap – this is a HIT with the wire brush – a different sound than the Whisking.

3. Sand Paper Block sets to not have to be identical; in fact probably better if not. (at least one set should be coarse.

4. Guiro – (wooden preferable)

5. High Hat ~ nearly closed - (stick)

6. Brake Drum as two functions:

- when it first appears on pg. 4, it represents the metal stake driven by a hammer into the ground;

- Section D, it is struck lightly in combination with a shaker and board to represent milking into a metal bucket.

7. Two sets of new, empty paint cans filled with 5 levels of water – struck with mallets

8. The marimba is the creek – the sustainer of life in the high desert plateau, from which the fields will be irrigated. It is primarily background. Instead of notating the dynamics of the flow of water, the player has the latitude to vary the dynamics, while maintaining its background function.

9. The large metal pipe is the conduit of the water to the fields. It is a low metallic brushing sound. Use dredlock back and forth.

10. From hobby/craft store two sheaths of grass stalks flowing softly.

11. Shaker - wild rice in a closed tupperware bowl works well – shaken down for percussive sound in combination with a shaker and board to represent milking into a metal bucket.

12. Cowbells: 1 high, 1 mid; 2 mid-low and 1 low – four pitches – mid low is played by two performers, thus the need for 2 mid-low. No Almglocken.

13. Wood Blocks - low, medium and high – normal

14. Two sets of new, empty milk bottle filled with 5 levels of water – struck with yarn mallets.

Percussion KEY and Map

Percussion 1

Long Board with mallet

Snare Drum – no snares (2) with wire brushes

Guiro Brake Drum (stick and wire brush) 5 unused paint cans (mallets)

Percussion 2

Long Board with mallet

Snare Drum – no snares (2) with wire brushes

Brake Drum (stick)

Sand Paper Blocks

Large Metal Pipe with dredlock

Cowbells: 1 high, 1 mid-low 5 unused glass milk bottles with varying water levels (mallets)

Percussion 3

Short Board with mallet (2)

Floor Tom (2) with mallets, rute, and wire brushes

Sand Paper Blocks

High Hat with stick – nearly closed 5 unused paint cans (mallets)

Cowbells: 1 mid; 1 mid-low and 1 low Wood Blocks (1 set) High, Medium, Low 5 unused glass milk bottles with varying water levels (mallets)

Percussion 4

Short Board with mallet (2)

Floor Tom (2) with mallets, rute, and wire brushes

Sand Paper Blocks

Marimba Grasses (2) Shaker - percussive

x x Long Board Hard Rubber Mallets -Guiro ! ~~~~~~~~~ 1 Snare Drum Wire brushes 5 Brake Drum Sticks Brushes 5 5 5 5 5 Paint Cans Sticks x x x x Long Board Hd.Rub. Mallets 5 Brake Drum Sticks g g g g g Sand Paper Blocks w Large Pipe Dreadlock ! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1 Snare Drum Wire brushes 0 0 Cowbells X Large Pipe Wire brushes Milk Bottles Mallet (Balter Green) œ œ Floor Tom Mallet ! 1 1 Wire brushes Floor Tom x x x x Short Board Hd.Rub. Mallets g g g g g Sand Paper Blocks x x x x 3 High Hat 1/2 O 5 5 œ œ 5 Paint Cans Sticks x x x Wood Blocks 0 0 0 Cowbells Milk Bottles Mallet (Balter Green) œ œ Floor Tom Mallet ! 1 1 Wire brushes Floor Tom x x Long Board Hd.Rub. Mallets g g g g g Sand Paper Blocks T T Grasses 3 3 Shaker Shaker Pine Meadow Percussion Map See Perfomance Notes Percussion 1 Sheathed if possible Percussion 2 Percussion 3 Percussion 4 + Marimba filled with 5 levels of water Brush Across Sheathed if possible Drag..............hit filled with 5 levels of water low, mid-hi, mid high, mid filled with 5 levels of water filled with 5 levels of water high. mid, low Drag.....................hit Shake down Shake back & forth Brush Across

            Percussion 1 Percussion 2 Percussion 3 Percussion 4        = 120 off stage off stage off stage off stage  mallet Timber! Floor Tom        mallet Floor Tom                      P1 enters                       3        P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 7         3     P2 enters               3                        3   h.r. mallet Long Board                  h.r. mallet Long Board        brng drum P3 enters Pine Meadow

Arts and Agriculture;

PERUSALSCORE ONLY

Christina Rusnak

Composed for the Pine Meadow Ranch Center for

Made possible by the Roundhouse Foundation

    P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 13       3       3                 P4 enters brng drum                                                                                     P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 18                 Short Board Short Board                 3 3         3 3                                Wire Brush                                                                                        P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 23         3 3         3 3                       3          3                   3              3                             Sand Blocks Sand Blocks  B&F                                 Guiro B&F               2 Pine Meadow PERUSALSCORE ONLY

    P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 28                                                                                                   P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 32                                                                                                                            P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 36                                                                                                                                                      3 Pine Meadow PERUSALSCORE ONLY

    P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 41                                                                                                   H.H.(almost closed )           P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 45                      poco rit.               3                          3    Fence

  sim.             3              3      = 90                 P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4                   3       A Fences  = 108   Rute  Floor Tom    Brake Drum                 3                                                      3         3                         3         3                  4 Pine Meadow PERUSALSCORE ONLY

Stake (brake drum-mid)

    P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 55                   3         3                     3          3   Sand Blocks                          3          3                                      3   sim.               P. 1 P. 2 T. Bl. P. 4 59                           Paint Cans     mallet                                                  3                     H.H.(almost closed )                3                 Brush B&F             P. 1 P. 2 T. Bl. P. 4 63                            3                                       3                                  3                                      5 Pine Meadow PERUSALSCORE ONLY

    T. Bl. P. 2 T. Bl. P. 4 67                                       Paint Cans   mallet                                                                            3            T. Bl. P. 2 T. Bl. P. 4 70                                 3                                                                            3                                                          T. Bl. P. 2 T. Bl. P. 4 74                                     3                                                         3                      3        P4 to Marimba   6 Pine Meadow PERUSALSCORE ONLY

    T. Bl. P. 2 T. Bl. Mrb.                                B Water                                      Long Board Freely Ebb and Flow dynamics                          Short Board                         P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 Mrb. 81                                                       

      P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 Mrb. 85                                                                                            3                     7 Pine Meadow PERUSALSCORE ONLY

Short Board

    P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 Mrb. 89         3 3                    3 3                                                                   Lg. Pipe Brush    Dredlock B&F                                       P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 Mrb. 93                   3 3                         Drag....hit Wire Brush S.D. Wire Brush Floor Tom                             Brush B&F    sim   Drag....hit Sand Blocks                        Wire

Drag....hit  S.D. Brush B&F   sim   Drag....hit           P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 Mrb. 97           3 3                  3    sim                       3      sim. B&F Brush              3 3                                                 8 Pine Meadow PERUSALSCORE ONLY

Brush

    P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 Mrb. 101              3 3                 3   sim                                          3 3                                      Sand Blocks    sim.                 P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 Mrb. 105                                                           sim                                                   

           9 Pine Meadow PERUSALSCORE ONLY

Short Board

     P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 Mrb. 109                  3     Marimba to P4                          Grasses - Shake                     3                                              3               P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4                    Cow Choir C Long Board  Playfully                                3                                      10 Pine Meadow PERUSALSCORE ONLY

    P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 118                        3                   3                                       3              3                      P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 122                         3 3                         3                   3                             3         3        P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 126                                          3                   3                                11 Pine Meadow PERUSALSCORE ONLY

    P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 130                                       Milk D                W.B.      P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 134                = 112-116 a little faster                                          Shaker  Brake Drum or Bucket  Brush                                        P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 138                      Short Board                                                                                      12 Pine Meadow PERUSALSCORE ONLY

                    P. 1 BX P. 3 P. 4 142                             Glass Milk Bottles  Sticks                                               Shaker                                                 P. 1 BX P. 3 P. 4 146                                                             Glass Milk Bottles   Sticks                                                                             P. 1 BX BX P. 4                              E Life Scrape across                              Rute Side of Drum Brush B&F   Wire Brush                                                               13 Pine Meadow PERUSALSCORE ONLY

    P. 1 BX BX P. 4 154                                                                       3                                                   P. 1 BX BX P. 4 158                         Paint Cans                                  Short Board                                                                                        P. 1 BX T. Bl. P. 4 162                                                         3 3                        3           Wire BrushDrag....hit  S.D.                    3 3                                   14 Pine Meadow PERUSALSCORE ONLY

    P. 1 P. 2 T. Bl. P. 4 166         3 3                                      3 3             3  Floor Tom       Brake Drum                 3                          3 3        3                                    15 Pine Meadow PERUSALSCORE ONLY

Chamber Ensemble Works

Water and Stone Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello & Percussion Dune Flute, Clarinet, Violin & Cello Dusk Clarinet, Violin, Cello & Marimba

The Way Through Flute, Clarinet, Cello & Marimba The Life of Ashes Flute, Viola & Percussion

Coal Creek Two Violins, Bass Clarinet and Marimba Canyon Voices Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello & Percussion (2) Free Land Flute Trumpet, Violin, Cello, Marimba & & Percussion

Repartee

Cello and Double Bass

Wy’am Flute, Clarinet, French Horn , Double Bass & Percussion Quartet

... among others

CHRISTINA RUSNAK

Christina Rusnak is a composer, explorer and cultural catalyst who draws inspiration from the world around her. She seeks to integrate a sense of context into her music from a variety of sources including landscape, culture, history, ecology and art, she strives to communicate something meaningful about the human experience through music to both performers and the audience.

Rusnak’s pieces range from grade 1 to professional levels and includes solo works, chamber, orchestra, wind band, flex band pieces as well as jazz, women’s choir, electro -acoustic works, and film. An avid hiker, Ms. Rusnak she has been commissioned by the U.S. Forest Service, The National Park Service, and Oregon State Parks with over dozen pieces inspired by experiences in their landscapes. In 2019, she led the renowned Composing in the Wilderness Seminar at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. Her work has been performed across the country, and internationally.

She earned dual graduate degrees in Composition a nd Arts Leadership from the University of North Texas in 2010. To intersect her passion for music with place and culture, she received a post-graduate certification in Cultural Planning in 2017 from the University of British Columbia.

In addition to composing, she has served as Sound Art Curator for the Dallas Contemporary Art Museum, as Executive Director for Orchestra 2001 in Philadelphia, on the board of Signal Fire Arts and currently serves as the President of the International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM).

Her essays on music and advocacy can be found on LandscapeMusic.org, New Music Box, and Oregon Arts Watch. Her works are available from Amazon, Naxos and Parma Recordings, with her scores available through her website http://christinarusnak.com and various distributors.

http://christinarusnak.com

Rusnak Music Press