James Black Everything is gonna burn, we'll all take turns (I'll take mine too) (2017) for tango quintet Dur. c. 15′
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we’ll all take turns (I’ll take mine too) James Black Everything is gonna burn, we'll all take turns (I'll take mine too) (2009)
for tango quintet
for tango quintet Dur. c. 15′
I - Feelin’ fine (q =112) II - Four Haiku (Largo con grande solennita, q = 40) III - CRACKED (e = 38) INSTRUMENTATION Upright piano* Accordion (doubling piano) Violin, prepared with paper (doubling piano) Guitar (doubling piano) Double Bass, prepared with paper (doubling piano) *the piano used should be the most broken down, beat up piano available. It is advisable to scour freecycle, gumtree, dba, craigslist or similar sites where such pianos are usually being given away. It should be able to play most notes. Tuning is relatively unimportant. All players apart from the guitarist should be equipped with two drumsticks. The disposition of the players should be as follows:
Accordion
Double bass
Violin
Guitar Piano (pianist with back to audience) Audience
During the course of the second movement, all players move one by one until they are all playing on and around the piano (see ‘Notes for performers’ and ‘Notation guide’). By the end of the second movement, the disposition should be: Violin Accordion
Double bass Piano Guitar (playing pedals) Audience
NOTES FOR PERFORMERS The violin and double bass should be prepared with a sheet of A4 paper, folded in half lengthwise and threaded around the two lowest strings, close to the bridge. A smaller piece of paper may be advisable to use for the violin. Different notation is used depending on whether the players should bow directly on the paper or on the string (see ‘notation guide’). The front of the piano should be removed so that the inner mechanism of the piano is visible to the audience. This is essential for two reasons: 1. To facilitate the inside-playing of the piano in the first and second movements 2. To make visible to the audience the action of the una corda in the third movement. For this reason, the pianist will have to play off a music stand, as the normal notestand will be removed. In the second movement, ‘Four Haiku’, each player makes their way to the piano at the moment indicated and hits the piano with drumsticks at the locations indicated (see ‘notation guide’). The drumstick hits should always be very loud and forceful, even at the beginning of the movement. The two exceptions are the piano and the guitar players. The piano player does not move from the piano stool. The guitar player, however, moves to the lower front of the piano and manipulates the pedals. Towards the end of the movement (from b.107 onwards) players are instructed to improvise ad lib. However, no new sound elements may be introduced (for example, no playing on the strings, no playing on the keys apart from the pianist, no hitting new parts of the piano). Rather, the improvisation should be seen as an intensification of the existing musical material on all levels (dynamics, density, tempo). All players should come off together, but b.128 is NOT to be performed as a pause bar - it should be counted together at the new tempo. In the third movement, ‘CRACKED’, the violinist, accordionist, and double bass player should leave the stage from their position at the piano at the moment indicated. The guitarist should return to their playing position at the moment indicated. The pianist should leave the stage after the resonance from the tre corde has died away at b.41, meaning that the piece should end with the guitarist alone onstage. NOTATION GUIDE I - Feelin’ fine Blank noteheads signify a vocalisation with the sound to be vocalised written underneath the notehead and the dynamic of the vocalisation written above the notehead. For the violin and double bass, noteheads with a slash directly through signify the player should bow directly onto the paper. For the accordion, large noteheads signify clusters to be played with the palm. For the piano, box notation with an arrow running through signifies that the pianist should lightly run a drumstick over the keys, without depressing any pitches, to create a guiro effect. The accidental in the box signifies if they should run over white keys or black keys. The arrow indicates the duration of the glissando. The duration is indicated above the box. For example: For the duration of a dotted minim Glissando upwards Over the white keys Where three staves are employed in the piano part, the lowest stave indicates pedalling, with una corda, tre corde, or both written in. Cross notation with a tremolo in the piano part indicates that the pianist should use a drumstick to ricochet against the inside frame of the piano. For the guitar, square noteheads followed by an arrow indicate the guitarist should firmly strike the strings with a thick plastic water bottle and glissando upwards or downwards (similar to slide bottleneck technique, except with plastic).
Similarly, square noteheads with a tremolo line following indicates a strong attack with the plastic bottle followed by rapid, small slides up and down the strings. Triangle noteheads in the double bass and violin indicate a very high unspecified pitch. II - Four Haiku
‘catch’ the undamped string caused by the silently depressed key, resulting in a faint pitch.
Blank noteheads signify a vocalisation with the sound to be vocalised written underneath the notehead At above bar 14,the thenotehead violinist moves to the rear of the piano. The four lines on the and the dynamic of the vocalisation written stave correspond to four different parts of the piano the player must strike to create four slightly different sounds. This will vary wildly from piano to Square noteheads in the piano part indicate a key to be silently depressed. ‘catch’ thepiano, undamped string caused byand theexperimentation silently depressed key, resulting so some exploration is required. in a faint pitch.
Cross noteheads in the piano part indicate the inner frame should be struck with a drumstick. The Squarethe noteheads withstring an arrow indicate violinist should use the resonance from the drumstick hit should ‘catch’ undamped caused by thethe silently depressed At bar 14,drumstick the violinist moves to the rear of the piano. The four lines on the to quickly swipe across the wood case of the piano, resulting in key, resulting in a faint pitch. stave correspond four sound different parts of the piano theattack. player must strike a quick to ‘wipe’ with a small percussive to create four slightly different sounds. This will vary wildly from piano to At bar 14, the violinist moves to piano, the rearsoofsome the piano. The four lines on the stave correspond exploration and experimentation is required.to four
different parts of the piano the player must strike to create four slightly different sounds. This will vary Square noteheads with a wavy line indicate the player should rapidly rub wildly from piano to piano, so some exploration andcase experimentation is required. the piano with the drumstick, create a fast wiping sound with a small Square noteheads with an arrow indicate the violinist should use the percussive attack. drumstick to quickly swipe across the drumstick wood caseto ofquickly the piano, resulting Square noteheads with an arrow indicate the violinist should use the swipe across in a quick ‘wipe’ sound with a small percussive attack.
the wood case of the piano, resulting in a quick ‘wipe’ sound with a small percussive attack.
At figure E, the accordionist and double bass player should move to the left and right hand sides of the piano respectively. Cross noteheads indicate Square noteheads with a wavy Square line indicate the player should rapidlyindicate rub the piano caseshould with the noteheads with a wavy player rubwith either the players should useline a drumstick the to forcefully strikerapidly the piano drumstick, create a fast wiping the sound with a small percussive attack. piano the caseleft with fast wiping sound with ahand, smallthe lower or the rightdrumstick, hand. Thecreate upperastave indicates the right percussivestave attack. indicates the left hand.
At figure E, the accordionist and double bass player should move to the left and right hand sides of the piano respectively. Cross noteheads indicate the players should use a At figure E, the accordionist andstave double bass player should move to the Noteheads with a thick indicate the player should drumstick to forcefully strike the piano with either thebelow left orthe right hand. The upperblack staveline indicates the left and right hand sides of the piano respectively. Cross noteheads indicate rub the drumstick along the tuning pegs inside the piano for the duration right hand, the lower stave indicates the leftshould hand. use a drumstick to forcefully strike the piano with either the players indicated. This creates a crackling, irregular, and highly percussive sound. the left or right hand. The upper stave indicates the right hand, the lower Noteheads below the stave withstave a thick black line the player should rub the drumstick along indicates the indicate left hand.
the tuning pegs inside the piano for the duration indicated. a crackling, irregular, and highly signifies The two-line stave This usedcreates in the piano part from bar 95 onwards percussive sound. clusters to be played by holding the drumstick parallel to the keyboard
Noteheads below the stave a thick black indicate thehand player should and using it to playwith a large range ofline keys. The right should exclusively rub the drumstick along the tuning pegs inside the piano for the duration notes, the left hand should exclusively play on white notes. The two-line stave used in the piano part play from on barblack 95 onwards signifies clusters to be played by holding indicated.The Thisstave creates a crackling, irregular, highly percussive should be understood as and representing the entiresound. range of the
the drumstick parallel to the keyboard and using it to play a large range of keys. The right hand should keyboard. exclusively play on black notes, the left hand should exclusively play on white notes. The stave should be understood as representing theThe entire rangestave of theused keyboard. two-line in the piano part from bar 95 onwards signifies
clusters toIII be- played by holding the drumstick parallel to the keyboard CRACKED and using it to play a large range of keys. The right hand should exclusively III - CRACKED playpart on black notes, the left to hand should exclusively play on white notes. The opposite notation in the guitar signifies harmonics The opposite notation in the guitar part signifies harmonics to The stave should be understood as representing the entire range of the be guitar, playedalternating on the three lowest stringsthe of the guitar, alternating be played on the three lowest strings of the freely between three strings. As much keyboard. freely the three Aswhere much the as possible, keepbe to the as possible, keep to the notated rhythm, and usebetween the wavy line as astrings. guide to finger should notated rhythm, and use the wavy line as a guide to where the placed (higher or lower on the strings). finger should be placed (higher or lower on the strings).
III - CRACKED
The opposite notation in the guitar part signifies harmonics to be played on the three lowest strings of the guitar, alternating freely between the three strings. As much as possible, keep to the notated rhythm, and use the wavy line as a guide to where the finger should be placed (higher or lower on the strings).