Loïc Destremau: Mutual Intelligibility (2016–19)

Loïc Destremau

Mutual Intelligibility (2016–19)

for amplified accordion, string instrument, video and tape

Dur. 10′40″

SCORE

T/ (+45) 3313 5445 · E/ sales@edition-s.dk · W/ www.edition-s.dk

This version arranged with kind support from Danish Composers’ Society / KODA Culture

Composed with support from the Danish Arts Foundation Supported by Koda’s Cultural Funds

Edition·S publications are supported by the Danish Arts Foundation / Edition·S udgivelser er støttet af Statens Kunstfond

Loïc Destremau

Mutual Intelligibility (2016–19) for amplified accordion, string instrument, video and tape

Dur. 10′40″

PROGRAMME NOTE

The grey zone between two encountering media producing an outcome that may either be perceived as a hybrid or as a third autonomous expression – thus influenced by a translational vs interpretative parameter:

Clashing media – taking its starting points in the sonority and visuality of spoken vs written language and music with their potential biproducts – in this case the Serbocroatian language, poetry and music – engaged in a digitalized, instrumented and fragmented distortion with the intention of amplifying some of the detailed elements in the connection between language and music.

The poems are kindly lend by poet and literary critic Nadija Rebronja from her work Ples Morima

PERFORMANCE NOTE

The two performers sit opposite one another in front of a screen as shown in the image. The performers should be positioned relatively close and centred in relation to the screen, which should ideally be placed behind the performers, elevated by about a metre above the floor. The projection is from the front and should ideally cast a shadow of the head and shoulders of each performer onto the screen behind them. During the piece, the video will sometimes split into two halves, one being white, the other black. The white splitscreen should ideally cast light back on the performer on the same side of the split, while the other performer in front of the black part of the screen should disappear in darkness. The splitscreen thus alternates between spotlighting and concealing each performer.

The concert room/hall should be as dark as possible, ideally only with light from the music-stand lamps, or if performed from tablets, the light of the tablets themselves. The red text in the center of the video can be very hard to read if the room isn’t darkened enough.

Versions

This version (2019) for accordion and string instrument is an arrangement, commissioned and premiered by EKKI MINNA Duo, of the original version for two string instruments (2016 – 2017).

Each performer has a headset mic (for whispered articulations), headphones (for click-track) and a transducer attached firmly to the instrument at its most resonant spot (e.g. on strings, on the bridge or close to the f-holes) and an instrument (clip-on) microphone. See the electronic setup-plan on page 6.

NOTATION / PERFORMANCE NOTES

Vocal Articulation

X s.t. A Tch very fast RH güiro on keys as one perc impuls hit keys as perc impuls while sustaining note

knock On body knock on bellows

Capital Letters

Articulate the letters as individual phonemes/phonetics with very clear whisper into headset-mic.

Strings

Not to be confused with lowercase letters: These letters only indicate what phonetic sound the instrument should aim to sound like.

Bow straight and steady right onto the bridge to achieve an airy noise sound with no pitch. (Avoid bowing just the slightest of the string(s) on each side of the bridge, as it may create unwanted high-frequency pitches.).

Dead stroke on the strings by damping with l.h. and bow.

Sound result is a subtle percussive impuls. Hold the position until lift-sign.

Finger trem.

‰ œœ b ¯ ‰ –––‰ 3 — ¯ — ¯ — ¯ –‰ 3 F IV crush low note in 1st pos. p Žj cluster F œ æ æJ œ ‰ œ m J œ ‰ π π ––––––––––––‰ –‰ IV crush cluster p p â â â Loïc Destremau: Mutual Intelligibility - 22 v.1 12.04.24 4 4 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ vibr. gliss. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ vibr. gliss. vibr. æJ œ ‰ J œ ‰ 9′01.5″ –––––––––Œ – – –Œ T IV crush p cluster p ––––––––––––– – – –crush IV –––––––––Œ – – –Œ w ww f s.p. f molto vibr.

Whisper/articulate

m

‰ œ

Whisper: A, B, Ts, D, E, G, I, J, K, O, P, Rr, S, T, U, Tch, ShHum: L, M, N, Ž

The pronounciation of the letters is as pronounced in Serbo-croatian: Ts → C, Tch → Č/Ć, Sh → Š

And Italian: G → Gh, Tch → Ce, Sh → sci

Vowel-mark

Refers to the 5 different vowel sonorities [A-E-I-O-U] that can approximately be achieved on different positions between ponticello and tasto with the bow (also sometimes depending on the string and the amount of hair used in the bowing).

Chromatic approx. of gliss. ‰ œ æ æ J œ æ . œ Œ . ˙ m π P π 4 2 4 3 4 4 4 2

Lift l.h. and bow dynamically according to indications and prepare next action.

vibr. – gliss. – perform a glissando while vibrating along the direction.

Slightly out of tune unisono – the ideal is a deviation of around 1⁄8 of a tone.

8 2 4 3 4 2 4 4 4 2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

flaut. flautando Hit with palm or similar somewhere on the instrument that would produce a low pitch percussive impuls.

Play behind the bridge.

Light high pitch percussive impulses produced by tapping the body of the instrument (with either hand). Slash on the beam refers to the non-importance of the exact rhythm or density. Perform the action as fast as possible.

All strings are damped, and the sound should be percussive without clear pitch.

Pitchless playing on the highest position as close to the bow as possible.

Noise (rarely pitch). Sustained noise effect (creaking, crushed or bowing pitchless).

Accordion

Swipe bow along string(s) from bridge to neck or vice versa to create a windy noise effect.

X. s.p. sul ponticello estremo

s.p. sul ponticello

ord. ordinary position

s.t. sul tasto

X s.t. sul tasto estremo

Air F F

Air noise from air button.

On

Tremolo on keys and chromatically move up to approximate a tremolo bend.

Knock with closed fist on the bellow for a clear mellow percussive hit. Press a coupler registration button with high motion for a clear and percussive effect, sounding much like a type writing click. This changes the coupler registration, so change back to the right registration when playing the next pitch.

Performed on coupler registrations.

Hit a spot on the instrument with the nail that sounds percussive and very clear and as loud as possible (not too far either from microphone). Should in this case sound much like the phonetic articulation of the letter “D”, or as in “Deh”.

Right hand güiro on the keys as fast as possible, so that the sound more resembles a quick “Tch” sound rather than a sustained “grrrrrr…”. This is the sustained güiro “grrrrr…”, same principle, just slower and over “larger distance”.

perc impuls hit keys as perc impuls while sustaining note

Same as above but with a sustained note – in this case C4

Hit with side of the thumb on the body of the instrument with more mellow than treble percussive sound effect.

Vib. Vibrato Low cluster chord with hand palm on keys.

SETUP

• 2 string instruments (with wooden mutes): any combination (if two different: highest sounding → str.1 and lowest sounding → str.2.)

• 2 transducers planted on the body of instruments

• 2 vocal mics

• 2 instrument mics

• 2 headsets (and two headphones for click)

• PA-system stereo with subwoofer

• Video-projection

• Electronic platform

Open the Max patch in Presentation Mode and follow the instructions. All files (video and sound files) should be in same folder as the patch.

The files can be downloaded from the Edition·S website: https://edition-s.dk/music/loic-destremau/mutual-intelligibility

String and accordion should mix in sound quality as much as possible. This affects both bowing technique and accordion coupler-registration.

Loïc Destremau With click-track 2016–2017 for amplified accordion, string instrument, video and tape

s.p. X s.t. A Tch s.t. very fast RH güiro on keys as one perc impuls hit keys as perc impuls while sustaining note ‰

& & 4 2 Acc.Str 130 Œ – – ÷j — ‰ ‘creak’ noise effect p p nail güiro on keys j ¿

Acc.Str

& 4 4 8 2

as perc

while

135 ¿ ‰ œ ‰ ∑ thumb hit Be X s.p. arco I On body œ Œ œ Œ On body knock p On body knock p ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ Œ ∑ key clicks F

note

sound result (pitch/noise)

palm

body

trem.

approx.

10″ fermata. wait for click

Mix with backing track. Blend in with the voices and imitate the frasing and vocal sound.

Mix with backing track. Blend in with the voices and imitate the frasing and vocal sound.