Twittering Machine for Saxophone and Piano (No. 1b from Paul Klee: Painted Songs)

Twittering Machine for Alto Saxophone and Piano No. 1b from Paul Klee: Painted Songs

Jonathan Posthuma

2

About Paul Klee: Painted Songs Paul Klee: Painted Songs is an ongoing series of instrumental chamber works inspired by the visual art of Paul Klee. The series began in 2011 as a composition assignment from my first composition teacher, Luke Dahn, who asked all of his students to compose a work for clarinet and piano inspired by the iconic "Twittering Machine." Over the years, I have added to the series, continuing to draw on the wealth of inspiration from Klee's images, which are filled with musical references, textures, colors, and symbols that closely linked musical concepts with his Klee's philosophy of visual art. To me, these pieces are musical settings of visual poetry, hence "painted songs." What continues to fascinate me about Klee is both the diversity and consistency of his total body of work. Throughout his vast career, certain ideas continue to resurface and find new applications. In this spirit, Paul Klee: Painted Songs continues to expand, ever exploring the poetry of his work through musicial interpretation.

Performing Paul Klee: Painted Songs Each piece within Paul Klee: Painted Songs can be performed separately and is considered an independent, free-standing musical work. But, performers are encouraged to recontextualize these pieces into "galleries." Like a curator of an art gallery, performers can combine these works in any order or number, interpolate them with other works by other composers, or arrange them for different instrumental forces. Some pieces are more flexible than others, but the full work is designed to self-referential and open to interpretation. As the series grows larger, I have aided "curators" by arranging "galleries" that are multi-movement works that were conceived together, but even these can be rearranged and will evolve as more "painted songs" are added to the series and developed in collaboration with performers.

About "Twittering Machine" (Die Zwitscher-Maschine, 1922) Four bird-like creatures appear to be roosting on a rotating device above an open pit. Are they playfully bobbing up and down, are they sinister birds luring other creatures to the pit, or are they themselves the victims of a maniacal death trap? In this interpretation, the machine starts at a standstill and slowly increases its speed. The playful uneven chirps slowly grow in complexity until they transform into squawks and screams. After this climax the machine slowly relaxes like a music box and ends without resolution.

Note: No. 1b "Twittering Machine" appears as Mvt. II in Gallery I and is an arrangement of a work for clarinet and piano (No. 1a / Mvt. V in Gallery II).

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Transposed Score

Twittering Machine (Die Zwitscher-Maschine, 1922)

Piano

{

{

No. 1b* from Paul Klee: Painted Songs

& bœj ‰ Œ pp ? ∑

& Œ

Pno.

6

2 &4 Œ

{

œ 3 b œJ J ‰ 4 ‰ Œ

pp

2 & 4 œj ‰ Œ ?2 ∑ 4

{

3

Œ

2 & 4 bœj ‰ Œ mp

∑

7

Œ

j ‰ b œ-. ∑

4

Œ

j ‰ bœj ‰ Œ bœ ∑

3 4Œ

14

j ‰ œj ‰ b œ-. ∑

8

‰ bœj Œ j ‰ 42 bœ 2 ∑ 4

b -œ. œ œ ‰ œj J ‰ Œ ‰ J ‰ J Œ 11

12

cresc.

3 j ‰ bœj ‰ Œ 4 bœ 3 ∑ 4

bœ œ 2 &4 ‰ J J ‰

?2 4

Œ

j ‰ Œ bœj ‰ bœ∑

10

13

Alto Sax.

j bœ ‰ Œ

∑

∑

9

Pno.

Œ

j ‰ Œ œ

?

Alto Sax.

2

non pedal

5

Pno.

Jonathan Posthuma (b. 1989)

Quirky, but steadily; q = 100

‰ œj 42 >-

‰ j Œ j ‰ bœj ‰ j ‰ j ‰ 42 bœ œ b œ- bœ cresc. > 2 ∑ ∑ 4

‰ bœJ œ bœ mp

3 j ‰ bœj ‰ Œ 4œ 3 ∑ 4

* originally for Bb Clarinet and Piano

© 2011, 2015 by Jonathan Posthuma Demodocus Music Publishing www.jonathanposthuma.com

15

‰ œ-j ‰ œJ Œ

j ‰ j ‰ ‰ b œ j bœ b œ> ∑

4 16

Alto Sax.

Pno.

& Œ

{

3 œ œb œ œ b œ œ œ j J ‰ œ ‰ J J ‰ ‰ ‰ bœ œ bœ œ ‰ ‰ ‰ J ‰ bœJ œJ ‰ 17

Pno.

bœ & bœbœ œ bœj ‰ œj ‰ bœ bœ j ‰ J ‰ b œ3 > mf ? ∑ ∑

œ ‰ œJ ‰ bœ & -œ J

{

Pno.

3

21

Œ

nœ

bœ ‰ ∑

j bœj ‰ bœ bœ œ bœ b œ- > ∑

pleasant, lilting œ b œ œ bœ œ bœ œ 2 ‰ œJ ‰ j 3 ‰ œJ ‰ J ‰ nœj 87 4 œ- 4 > mf 22

23

f

3 2 3 7 Œ j ‰ j ‰ ‰ j b œ b œ & 4 4 8 œ bœbœ œ bœ b œ bœbœ œ b œ œ bœ bœ œ bœ bœ œ bœ 3 >mf f 2 3 7 ? ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ 4 4 8

pleasant, lilting

3

-œ. b œ b œ œ bœ œ bœ œ 3 b œJ œ 7 2 3 5 j J œ & 8 bœJ ‰ ‰ œ ‰ 4 ‰ 4 J ‰ ‰ œ- 4 bœ J ‰ ‰ J 8 > f

24

Alto Sax.

19

mf

20

Alto Sax.

18

{

25

26

3 3 7 3 2 & 8 bœ bœ bœ œ bœ œ œ 4 bœ bœ bœ bœ œ œ 4 bœ bœ bœ bœ b œb œ> > 3 2 ?7 ∑ ∑ ∑ 8 4 4 © 2011, 2015 by Jonathan Posthuma Demodocus Music Publishing www.jonathanposthuma.com

27

3 bœ bœ 3 4 bœ bœ œ b œ f >3 ∑ 4

5 œ8 5 8

5

œ# -œ œ bœ b œ œ‰ j3 ‰œ 5 &8 œ 4 J

28

Alto Sax.

Pno.

{

29

sfp

Pno.

œ b œ œ b œ # -œ 3 &4 J J

33

3

f

{

-œ œ œ b -œ œ # -œ œ -œ œ œ # œ 3 œ 7 2 8 J ‰ ‰ ‰ œ-j bœ 4 4 > soaring

34

sfp

ff

35

mf

ff

bœ bœ œ b œ b œ b œ j bœ nœ œ 2 3 7 3 ‰ b œ b œ b œ b œ b œ & 4 bœ 8 4 4 b œ- bœœ œ bœ b œ œ bœœ œ ff 3 > -œ. b with growing anxiety b œ b œ œ b œ b>œ 2 ? 3 bœj ‰ >-œ ‰ Œ 7 ‰ bœ œ bœ ‰ j 3 b-œbœ -œ œ J ‰ 4 - J 8 4 ->nœ bœ 4 > 3 >f 3

3

nœ bœ œ œ # -œ œ œ -œ b œ œ n œ# -œ œ n œ 3 J & 4 J

{

37

fff

bœ & J

Pno.

31

with growing anxiety

36

Alto Sax.

œ # -œ œ œ n œb œ œ b œ œ 7 3 J ‰ ‰ œJ ‰ >-œ 8 4

3 3 3 3 5 3 7 3 b œ b œ b œ b œ b œ b œ b œ & 8 bœ 4 8 4 b œ bœ œ œ bœ b œ- bœœ œ bœ b œ- bœ œ œ bœ b œ- bœbœbœ œ > > > 3 7 3 ?5 ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ 8 4 8 4

32

Alto Sax.

30

? ‰

3

38

-œ œ # -œ b ‰ œJ

œ

j ‰ b>-œ b œ œ œ bœ J

‰

f

‰ ‰ nœj -.

f

3 b-œ. ‰ j ‰ 4 J œ-.

œ bœj ‰ J >

3 ‰ bœj œ b>œ 4 >

j bœ-. j nœ

‰

ff

b œ n œ bœ bœ b œ œ œ ‰

© 2011, 2015 by Jonathan Posthuma Demodocus Music Publishing www.jonathanposthuma.com

3

6

œœ bœ -œ ‰

> n>œ œ œ >-œ n œ n -œ œ ææJ ææ

poco accel.

n>œ æ & æ

39

Alto Sax.

{

ff menacingly

>-œ J‰

Pno.

3

Pno.

42

3

n -œ -œ b œ œ# -œ n œ b œ# œ œnœ œ 2 ææ & 4

{

44

fff

fp

3

48

f

3

Cheerfully; q = 133 46

p sub.

cresc. molto

3 3 bœ œ b-œ. ‰ bœj ‰ 4 J -. bœ bœ-. bœ-. bœ œ œ -. b œ-. p sub. cresc. molto b œ bœb œ b-œ.

3 ‰ J ∑ 4 J ‰

49

sfp

3

3 ‰ bœ n-œ bœ -œ bœ j b-œ œ bœJ -œ bœ 4 J œ-

rit.

œ# -œ b œ œ J - bœ & œ- bœ œ œ œ- bœ

{

3

45

>-œ >-œ >j bœ 2 b & J ‰ œ- ‰ bœJ ‰ 4 J ‰ bœ > b œ n œ bœ bœb œ œ œ b œ b œ -œ 2 ?

4

47

Alto Sax.

b œ n -œb œ# -œ œ b œ n -œ b œ# -œ œ b œ ‰ J

b>-œ ‰ J

43

Alto Sax.

41

>- >-œ b>-œ >- >-œ j‰ Œ Œ j bœ ‰ J ‰ J ‰ œ ‰ bœ ‰ J ‰ œJ > >- J menacingly b œ n œ bœbœ b œ œ œ b œ n œ bœ bœb œ œ œ b œ n œ bœbœb œ œ œ b œ n œ bœbœb œ œ œ ? >b & œJ ‰

Pno.

40

œ - b œ œ# -œ J œJ J J

ff 3

50

sfp

œ - b œ œ# -œ J œJ

ff 3

sfp 3

& bœ bœ-. bœ-. bœ œ œ bœ bœ- bœ- bœ œ œ bœ bœ- bœ- bœ œ œ bœ bœ- bœ- bœ œ œ > b œ- > > b œ- > b œ-. b œ> > ff f cresc. molto ? ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ © 2011, 2015 by Jonathan Posthuma Demodocus Music Publishing www.jonathanposthuma.com

7

Tempo Primo; q = 100

œ & J‰Œ

51

Alto Sax.

Pno.

{

Pno.

Pno.

fff

?

& Œ

{

∑

∑

‰

{

ff

œbœ Œ

f

#œ œ nœ œ ‰ J ‰ ‰ ææJ

55

mp

f sub.

# -œ

œ J

ff

pp

57

j œ- ‰ Œ

Œ

58

∑

∑

‰ bœJ Œ

‰ œj -. pp

p

mp

j bœ ‰ Œ

Œ

Œ

p

∑ 60

mp

j ‰ œj ‰ b œmp

p

∑

∑

j ‰ Œ b œ-. pp ∑

breathe and move subtlely (as if going to play)

∑

∑

54

mf

& bœj ‰ bœj ‰ Œ ?

sfp

œ J‰‰ j Œ œ >-

‰ j Œ j ‰ bœj ‰ j ‰ j ‰ j ‰ Œ bœj ‰ Œ bœ œ bœ b œ bœ

p sub.

?

&

# -œ

53

f

& ‰ bœj ‰ ‰ bœj ‰

59

Alto Sax.

‰ œj œJ ‰ Œ ‰ bœJ

j & bœj ‰bœ ‰ Œ

56

Alto Sax.

52

∑ Œ

j ‰ Œ œ

ppp

61

‰ ¿j Œ

Œ

Ó

‰ j ¿

∑ © 2011, 2015 by Jonathan Posthuma Demodocus Music Publishing www.jonathanposthuma.com

∑

62

U ∑ U ∑ U ∑

February 2011 -- Sioux Center, IA revised March 2015 -- Madison,WI