Harmony Blue=Orange (No. 159 from Paul Klee : Painted Songs)

Harmony Blue=Orange (Harmonie blau=orange, 1923) for Flex-Ensemble No. 159 from Paul Klee: Painted Songs

Jonathan Posthuma

2

"Harmonie blue=orange" is a series of overlapping interludes and episodes. Each section can be played on its own for any duration, but eventually should blur into the next. It is not necessary to only proceed forward in the piece, but the ensemble could return to material from a previous performed interlude or introduction. In general, ensembles should stay within adjacent sections and not drift too far away from each other.

Introduction. Inner lines and outer lines are partnered and played in tempo with each other, following the same series of repeats. Only when proceeding into Episode I should the partners drift apart.

Episode I. All players should stay in tempo, but will naturally find new partners because of asymmetric repeats. Solo Suggestion: E dorian = G lydian = F# phrygian = A mixolydian Interlude A. Solid line brackets should be played in tempo with a partner, but dotted lines are molto rubato, where partners drift apart Episode II. The steady quarter notes should be in tempo with the ensemble, but the shape of the cresc. and dim. will not always align. This texture works well as an accompaniment for both Interlude A and B. Solo Suggestions: G phrygian or G phrygian dominant or G Spanish phrygian Interlude B. All players should attempt to play independently, with staggered entrances of a quarter-note and independent repeats.

Episode III. All players should stay in tempo with a steady pulse, but bracketed material should be freely repeated causing new cycles and textures to drift or align. On cue, all players immediately begin Episode IV. Additional lines are provided to vary this episode when it is repeated, but this episode could be a vehicle for more extended improvisation. Solo Suggestions: F# phrygian=E dorian=D major, or fragments of the provided solos.

Episode IV. A group of players provide a drone accompaniment for a soloist. Then, new soloists join in an improvised "cadenza-like" texture that transitions back to Episode III. Each time Episode IV is played, new soloists should be chosen. The soloist for the Conclusion stays the same until the end.

Conclusion. After a few iterations of Episode III and IV, all players proceed to the Conclusion, where a soloist is accompanied by the rest of the ensemble.

The ensemble should be at least 4 players. If there is an odd number, not every player needs to have an assigned partner at the beginning because roles change in different sections. A single instrument can play multiple lines at once (e.g. double stops on strings) and keyboard or mallet instruments can cover as much of the provided material as needed.

Transposed versions or arrangements of this work for different ensembles is available by request.

The image below can be used as a palate for improvisation throughout the piece.

The various colors in Klee's "magic square" painting were assigned pitches which evolved into the musical lines, harmonices, and concepts that form each section.

Players can wander through this grid to create new lines and sonorities while still remaining grounded in the composed layers.

{

Harmonie blau=orange q = 60 - 66

í ™™ w

&

begin and stay with partner

˙™

ff f begin and stay with partner

& í ™™ w

Ens.

Ens.

f

˙™

mf

{

Episode I

#˙˙ ™™ ™ # í ™ n ˙™ &

f

bw ™

pp

ppp

™™îbw

bw ™

& ˙˙ ™™ ˙™ f

? ##˙˙˙

™™î

repeat ad lib.

nw™

™™î w

˙ ™™î ˙ ™

mf

™™î

repeat ad lib.

ppp

p

™™î

repeat ad lib.

nw ™

w

pp

™™î

repeat ad lib.

ppp

+ Solo ad lib. (E dorian=G lydian=F# phrygian=A mixolydian)

##˙˙˙ ™™™

nw w w

˙˙ ™™™ ™™î #w ˙ #w w

independent, in tempo, find new partners ad lib.

? í ™™

{

˙™

bw

pp

˙™

begin and stay with partner

ff

p

p

begin and stay with partner # w ˙™ ? í ™™ ™™î ˙

í ™™ #w

#˙ ™î ˙™ ™ mf

™™î #˙

˙™

ff

?

Ens.

No. 159 from Paul Klee : Painted Songs

Introduction

˙™ ##˙˙ ™™

p

w w w

f

f

˙˙ ˙

p

##˙˙˙ ˙ ˙ ˙

# ˙˙ ™™ ˙™ f

˙˙ ˙ p

˙˙ ˙

##˙˙ ˙

w ##w w

˙™ ˙ ™™ ˙

##˙˙˙

˙™ ™™î ˙˙ ™™

p

##w w w f

í ™™˙ ™™ ˙˙ ™

˙™ ˙ ™™ í ™™ ##w w w ˙

Copyright © 2020, Jonathan Posthuma Demodocus Music Publishing / www.jonathan.posthuma.com

p

™ ##w w w ™™

repeat ad lib.

w w w™™™

pp sempre

pp sempre

™™î ™™î

{

3

Interlude A independent, molto rubato. begin and end with any partner (solid lines), drift away (dashed lines)

í ™™ ˙

&

Ens.

& í ™™ ˙

f

U œ #œ ˙

f

? í ™™# ˙

í ™™#˙

{

{

œ n˙ ™

U ˙

U ˙ ˙ nœ œ #U ˙ œ œ ˙ U #˙

p

œœ œœ

œœ œœ

œœ œœ

Interlude B

œ n˙ ™ f

?

í ™™ bw

?

f

í ™™

w

f

™™î

œ n˙ ™

œ œ ˙

™™î

™™î

f

œ b˙ ™

œœ œœ

œœ œœ

ee ee

ee ee

ee ee

ee bbœœ œœ ee ffœœ œœ

™™î ˙ ™™î #˙ ™ ™™î

™™î b˙ ™

œœ œœ

œœ œœ

™™î

f

í ™™

pp

bw f

™™î ˙™

í ™™

pp

w

f

™™î b˙ ™

mp

mp

™™î ˙™ pp

p

™™î ˙ ™™î ™ #˙ ™ ™î nw

™™î ˙ ™™î ˙ ™ pp

nw

f

mp

f

f

™™î w

œœ œœ

™™î

independent, avoid aligning with any partners

&

œ b˙ ™

nœ œ ˙

+ Solo ad lib. (G phrygian or G phrygian dominant or G Spanish phrygian) dim. over 6 - 10 repetitions cresc. over 6 - 10 repetitions

bbœœ pp œœ

&

Ens.

œ n˙ ™

Episode II

?

p

p

U œ œ ˙

f

&

b œ b˙ ™

bœ b˙ ™

œ œ U ˙

?

Ens.

U ˙ # œ œ

p

™™î

ee ee

œœ œœ

w™

™™î

#w™

w™

ppp

mp

f

ppp

p

Copyright © 2020, Jonathan Posthuma Demodocus Music Publishing / www.jonathan.posthuma.com

ppp

ee ee

ee ee

™™î

ppp

#w™ ™ w ˙ ™™î ˙ ™™î ™™î ™™î p

ee ee

™™î

™™î

™™î

4

{

“” í ™™ œ ™

Episode III

+ Solo ad lib. (F# phrygian=E dorian=D major) opt. solo on repeats, or ad lib. solo

&

Ϫ

#œ ™

mf - f

Ϫ

#œ ™

Ϫ

& œJ í ™™ ##œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ œ #œœœ œ œœœ œ

Ens.

repeat brackets ad lib., in tempo

p

##œœœ ™ í™

?

í ™™ #w

?

Ens.

{

Ϫ

#œ ™

p

œœ œ

œœœ

œœœ

mf - f

œœœ

˙™

œœœ

œœ œ

œœœ

œ

˙

Ϫ

Ϫ

#œ ™

Ϫ

repeat ad lib. until cue

œœœ œ œœœ œ ##œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœœ œ ™™î

? ##œœœ ?

œœœ

opt. solo on repeats, or ad lib. solo

:“; & œ &

œœ œ

mp

w

œœœ

f

œœ œ

œœ œ

œœ œ ˙™

œœœ

p

œœœ

œœœ #˙

Copyright © 2020, Jonathan Posthuma Demodocus Music Publishing / www.jonathan.posthuma.com

mp

œœœ œ

œœœ œ

™™î

™™î

{

5

Episode IV

™ ™ & Œ œ #œ ™ œ œ ™ #œ ™ œ™

Ens.

™™ & bbw w w ™

{

p

new soloist

‰ œJ#œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ mf - f sempre

(mf, f)

w ww w

ff poco dim.

U W W W

#œœ œ #œœœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ & œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

™™î

U ? W W W

™™î

{

& &

Ens.

f

1.

U nW W W

ww w

on cue

™™™ w ? nww w™

Ens.

p

solo f on cue

extend phrases through improvisation, others join ad lib. to transition back into Episode III

p poco cresc.

Conclusion

‰ œJ #œ œ œ œ œ œ

œ œ œ #œ œ œ

w

˙™

#˙

˙™

˙

2.

ff

ff

? #w ?

w w w

pp sempre

œ #œ œ œ

f

f

˙ ™™ ˙˙ ™

mf

mf

˙ ˙˙

Copyright © 2020, Jonathan Posthuma Demodocus Music Publishing / www.jonathan.posthuma.com

#œ ˙™

p

˙™ ˙ ™™ ˙˙ ™

œœ

œbœ

œ

p

6

{ { {

bœ & œ

œ bœ

œ

bœ œ œ

bœ

pp

pp

bw ™

? w w w

w ™™ w w™

& bw

Ens.

Ens.

Ϫ

ff

Ϫ

#œ ™

n˙ ™

? #w

˙™

?

ff

& &

w

Ϫ

f

Ϫ p

œ™ ˙™

mp

˙™ ˙™ ˙ ™™ ˙˙ ™

˙ ˙˙ œ™

Ϫ

pp

U Ú

Ó

U Ú

ppp

w

mp

w w w

˙ ™™ ˙˙ ™

w w w

w

Ϫ

p

˙

p

˙™

Ϫ

mf

˙ ™™ ˙˙ ™ #œ ™

œ™ #˙

mf

? #w ?

molto

f

w w w Ϫ

molto

w™

w

&

Ens.

Ϫ

ppp

ppp

? w

&

#œ œ nœ #œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ

ppp

Copyright © 2020, Jonathan Posthuma Demodocus Music Publishing / www.jonathan.posthuma.com

U W W W

U Ú

ppp sempre May 12, 2020 Newport, MN