Begin - for soprano and piano

BEGIN

FOR SOPRANO AND PIANO

Text by Neil Aitken, music by Juhi Bansal

Program Note Begin comes from a set of poems called Babbage’s Dream, about the first man to conceptualize the idea of a programmable computer in the 1820s. Poet Neil Aitken charts the course of Charles Babbage’s life, from his initial envisioning of an analytical machine, through his death with the machine only partially built.

It is a story that might have been technical and academic, and yet, what caught my eye was the poet's knack for taking complex concepts and pulling a story from them which is classical, beautiful, and universal. To me, the text of Begin is applicable to the beginning of any endeavor: The words feel like a personal reflection from someone enraptured with a vision which no one around them can see, understand, or imagine as yet.

This piece was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and 21C Liederabend.

Contact information: Email: juhibansalcomposer@gmail.com Website: www.juhibansal.com

BEGIN Someone dreams of fire in a field In a cold house, in the winter, your head is on the table, your mind, busily constructing a machine Something taps at the door, calls you out from the deep reverie of making and unmaking The wood is dark and full of veins lost in its haze, you glimpse a shape through the thick trees of night And hear, the distant sound of an engine moving its pistons and gears heavy with shudders and sighs How it seems that you've always heard it coming, long before it appears, the embodied will of the earth set to flame, a metaled desire The semblance of an unknown name you've carried home with you, unwittingly— all night, your body singing In the hallway mirror, something stirs in the corner of your eye and you cannot say what it is Only that grows, like a wild fire in a storm that it tastes of steam, That you would lay every number in the world on end and still, it would not be enough— the heavens opening wide their spiraling arms And the dark heart within yearning to pull everything back while you stand on the threshold, believing.

Babbage's Dream 2

3

Notes on Performance: Voice: A few disctinct vocal techniques are used in this piece: 1) An x notehead indicates an audible inhale on a pitch. (The pitch will naturally be imprecise, and may also bend downwards - both these natural effects are desirable.)

2) A diamond notehead represent humming on pitch or gesture. (If needed for balance, these gestures can be sung instead on a neutral syllable.)

3) Glissandi are indicated by a straight line between pitches. These are used for an improvisatory, expressive effect. Feel free to take time to bring these out if needed (particularly where a strict tempo is not needed to coordinate with the pianist.)

Piano: 1) Use the una corda and sostenuto pedals liberally to create a variety of colors and timbres.

Voice and Piano: 1) This features a number of free, unmetered sections, as well as metered ones in strict time.

Where unmetered, notation is proportional, and should be goverened by natural speech rhythms and the indicated sequence of events. (Dashed vertical lines are occasionally used to clarify where the piano and vocal parts fit against each other.)

2) The section between rehearsal marks 1 and 7 is extremely free and improvisatory. Feel free to stretch and contract time, breathe and pause, speed up and slow down for expressive effect.

4

1 Senza mizura, improvisatory



(hum)

Random, disjointed, like chimes in the wind

mmm

As if singing to yourself

pp





        







(inhale)

 



pp

2

 

(hum)

 



(inhale)

 









 



    

 

mmm

 

(inhale)



   

(hum)











 



x2



     mmm       

3







     mmm



 

   

 

 





mp



 

 

4 

mp

  



Some - one



 

dreams

of

a

 

    

fire

in

p

 



in

a

 cold





house

in

  



 win

 pp

 -



  ter



  

 6

ppp

  

 

  

pp

 5

field

 

   



a





(leave ringing)

 



(leave ringing)

   

    

your head on the

ta- ble, your mind

p

       pp

dim.

 

5

      

 

con - struc - ting a ma - chine

 pppp



7

6

(driving q. = 70 by mm 16)

Become rhythmic, gradually settling in time

 



       p

  

  

12



  



      

  













      



      

    

mf



                 



 

 



      cresc.

        

15

 





 

      

Some - thing taps at the door,

    



mf                            

16

q. = 70

          

call -ing you out from the deep

   re - ve rie







        of mak - ing and

un -

    



mak - ing

                               



 

p



 

          



19

7

       f

        

f (hum or neutral syllable)



        mmm

Rhythmic



f

 

        

         

22

  

                



   

        

          



         

    

      



ff

 

The

         

                      

25                   is dark and full of veins                       

f

  wood

     

pp

ff

   

pp sub.

4:3

4:3

4:3

4:3

            

8 28



  

29      lost

         4:3

 

you glimpse a shape

34 



 Rhythmic                                



hear,

through

  



   

 

the thick

             

night

36



mp

    

of

   

              



   

32

in its haze,

  

31



 







trees

 

  f



And

                    machine-like

sfz

f

         



    



                 the





dis - tant sound of an en - gine mo - ving its pis - tons and gears

                               (under the voice)

     



    



    





9 39

 

               f



            sffz

    

(audible sigh) ff







hea - vy with shud ders and sighs



             

42   











                        sffz                   



46    f

 

How it seems you've al - ways

  

      

      

     

 

47

heard

 

    

   

mf

ff

 

 

  



 

    

it com - ing

long



          

 





 

 

  

be - fore



   





ff

   it a- ppears,







                 ff

10

51  







 

f

 Em

 

-

    

bo - died will of

                                   mf subito



       

54

   



mf subito





    





earth

f

   will of





  

       simile.

57  

earth,



  

set

to

 

                                                 mf mp                               

58

   flame,



    a



me - talled

   

de - sire

61   sem

-

   

blance of an

                           mp cresc. simile.                       

65 62

 

ff





un - known

66

  



   

   



  

 72

       



pp



     

    

  

                

 

ffp

              

    

mf

your bo - dy sing- ing

 



un - wit - ting





     

p

  

 

69         

 

     

71

f

car - ried home with

        

you

 

 



name

           

11

   

pp

    



all







night

 



    

p



      

Flowing, with growing tension





Flowing, with growing tension

                              ppp sffz                                 

75 p             

12 74





In

   



 

     











          

80          on - ly that it

 

   p

    

some - thing stirs,

     

   

  

                       

 





the hall - way mir - ror

  

77



    

         

you

can - not

  



 

         







say what it is

     

  

  



                     

 



f

83  

grows,

   



 

grows,



    







   







     

 mf

  

p

84

     





      

88

mf

cresc. poco a poco

  like

a

fire



     

cresc. poco a poco

93

 

   



 

it

4

 

     

    

    



in

storm



  a

 

    

    

tastes of

 

    

4

95    

      

       



 

      

mf



    

that

 



   

    wild



p



4

     





13

86   

  

 



p

f

ff



   



    



steam



f



     

              

14 97

  

4 f         



That you would lay

        

  

ev

 3 

ery

 

num - ber

in the

           



ff

f

            

             



una corda

101

 

 



on

end

world

pp

     

it would

     

f sub.

                           

105

  not



4





be

      



 

and still

             

  









rit.

 e

     

            

 -

-

-

-

  

        



nough

          

 

109

15

accel.

 

 

A tempo (q. = 70)



               



   

 

    

f



 flowing, lyrical

   

        

f                                      tres cordes p

sffz

112 4     



hea - vens o - pen

  

 

 wide

  



   

       

         

3

  

3

3

3

3

3

         



116

   



     

Senza mizura

   

     

f

    

their spi - ral - ling

fff

                

fff (Leave pedal down until mm 125)

   p

  

3

3

          3

     arms





3

117 rit.

 



cresc.

 

The

3

  

3

16

118

mf

   



yearn

  

yearn - ing

  



  -

         

p

    

ing

to pull ev- ry - thing

 

    

f

pp

pp

back

  

                  -

-

ving

be lie

-



while you stand at the thresh - hold,

   

 

be lie



wi - thin

  

    



heart



p

 





dark

  

120

122

And the

f





 

       

ving

123   In time q. = 70              



pp





127 rit.

124 pp



mp



       be

-

-

lie

        



rit.

128 mp

   - lie   

 -

 

mp

    poco rit.

132 mp



 

-lie



mp



 

-

 

-

ving

 



pp



pp





    -

pp

ving

      

ving

be

pp



a tempo

            be



-

-

-

      



        a tempo



p

       

-

      

 

-

     



pp



           -

-

-

                 4                4

pp

 

-

pp

be

       

 



134 

  -



4





 





-



mp







17

a tempo



4

4

18 136

  



f

- lie

-

  

f

 

-

ving

-

   

     

 

4



p





        

   

f





138

p

4

p

    

4



         4

4

140 f

139

               be

-

-

-

-

lie

 

           4



142



         4

 lie

 

f



mf

  

-

 

-

 





  

-

-

  

p

f

  

  

 

mf

           

  

 

be -

   

   

be

 



4

 

 



ving





mp



-

 

ving



   

4



   -





 

 p

    

  

 



 









   lie



 

ff



145

-

  

-

-

4

    

 

148

      

 







p

4

rit.

ving

ving

      

ff

 

 



be - lie

 f



  





     





 -

 mf

p



 







pp (inhale)



 

mp

 

 



 



 

4



4

 

 

  

    

 



  



disappearing

   



 

-

   

-

 

f (inhale)

-



(hum)

19

 

pp

