Land of waking dreams (for piano solo)

LAND OF WAKING DREAMS

FOR PIANO SOLO

By Juhi Bansal

Land of Waking Dreams was commissioned by Piano Spheres, and is dedicated to pianist Nic Gerpe.

Inspired by the night sky seen from the desert backcountry, Land of Waking Dreams borrows the shapes, gestures and colors of a murmuring nightscape. Pointillistic stars and murky clouds against a carpet of shifting blues. Whistling wind across open plateaus, silence and a deep resonance.

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

Notes to performer: - This piece should be played with the utmost rhythmic freedom. Even gestures notated in time can and should be subject to all manner of rhythmic expression. These include the addition of rubato, slowing down and speeding up a phrase (or mid-phrase), adding subtle or overt agogic accents etc.

- Between rehearsal marks J and S, a light weight length of chain needs to be placed over the strings of the piano, between the pitches D#5 - D#6. This should be lightweight enough to resonate with the strings when played and add a "jangling" effect, but it must be heavy enough not to slip off the strings during performance. It is advisable to tape or otherwise secure the string to a crossbeam or to the wood of the piano, so it does not fall into the instrument's interior.

- All grace notes are on the beat - Between Rehearsal Marks J and S (where the chain is on the strings), make frequent and free use of the una corda pedal. (This will exaggerate the resonant effect of the chain on that octave.)

- Towards the end of the piece, there is a figure played four times, that produces a dramatic, low register blur. The figure appears at: 1. 1 mm before rehearsal P 2. 1 mm before rehearsal Q 3. 1 mm before rehearsal R 4. the final measure of the piece.

Each time the figure appears, its total length should grow longer and longer, leading to the culmination of the piece. In addition, the marked crescendo each time should be played exponentially - i.e. stay extremely soft as long as possible, and then furiously and quickly grow to the louder dynamic.

Juhi Bansal

q = 120 accel.

      

  



  





  3    



     

   



   

 

3

fff

              

    3    

  

     3

 



  

 

A Out of time (ca 6 seconds) .................................

 



n

   





    

       fff

     

   

 

 

     



accel.

 

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

pp

                                     

Copyright © Juhi Bansal 2014



3



   pp



 

  

         fff



    









p

On the strings









pp



On the keys

  

 



 



strum strings with fingertips or nails



 

 

       

 



pp



 





pp

    pp



 





  







 



     

  

 ppp

















3

3

(on the keys)



 





  3

     3



                fff



3

           3

p

       

slap lowest strings



 ff





4

 

(strum with nails)





  ppp



5

B 

q = 120 accel.





  

  



   



   



   



  



 

 

   









C   



ppp



 p

      

 













3

3

  





3

sfffz





     

   3   

fff



ppp

  

 

 

    

  



6 p

                



 

3

5

3

5

    pp



  

 

 

  5

 

3







  

 

3





   

  

     

5





accel.

3



  



f poco a poco cresc.

          

5



 





 6

7 5

  

    





    

6

5

5

     



    

5

     

      





molto rit.

    

  



fff



     



p

       





        

(continue F-A-C#-F figure) 



          

 fp





    

D



mp



      

  







 

 



8







    



 





   

         

pp



 







3                3

      

            

f



p



fp



         



 



    



9



   







    



3

 



 f

3

 











 

  

 

 

    





 

 rit.

    

ff

  











 

n











n











10

E



  

As fast as possible

               

fff

           

fff ppp



           





              



                               cresc.

f

        

     



accel.

      



 

  

  

  



       

rit.

       

 







3

ppp

            3

   

                

         

 

    

          

3

3

fff

Piano

 

F

a tempo

In Time, e. = 50





pp

rit.





 

pp

pp

      



     

     

       

11

   

    a tempo    

3



3



pp                   3

3

     



 

      

    

rit.

            



          

a tempo, in strict time

  





p



           

   

          



    

4                    



    

4

  

    

  

  

 

   

 

 

  

 

4

 



    

     

         

       

                         

12

       

          

            







   



        

    

   



H  

pp

                

p

    

           

   



    

   

  

(no emphasis on downbeats)

fff

               

               

G

  

     

I           p

        

  

                                  

    

                  

13

    

                              

pp sub.

     

    

   

J    

rit.



mp

  



K 

  



(Place chain over the octave F5 - F6 over the strings) (Repeat measure as many times as necessary to facilitate this)

repeat bar ad lib as necessary (prepare to place chain over the strings)



  



dim.

  





  



 











    

  

 









 





ppp

   

       

                        

    

        

        sfz         





                    

14

L    



ppp

     

         

    

  

                              

  







 





 

   

a tempo

sfz

rit.

    

   

     





   

rit.

a tempo

ppp



  





    

           

  

  

rit.

M In time     

       

 

    



    

          

  

                     



rit.

            



   

          

 

 

15

3

     

   

 



 

   

  





 

5

   

 N    (short)





f

fff



           

                

       pp sub.

                                                           





                                 

O rit.



              cresc.

Deliberately

      

                      

   



a tempo

 

p



              fff

16









  

             







  





molto rit.

   









    

         



  

ca 8 seconds out of time



ff

              



poco rit.



ppp

 



    



f

 

           



 

P                               



                              pp

      

      

       

      





cresc.

  ff

  

 

 



ca 10 seconds out of time

17



 

  

 

       

    

 

 

   



ff    



Q              pp



          

 



          



                    rit.

                                cresc.





ca 14 seconds out of time



 

 

 



ff

   



 

 

R  

       



            ppp fff  

 



  



 

  



  fff





                       



f



pp

  

  f

pp

18

  

S Audibly remove chain from strings.

 rit.

    



 

(at written pitch) pppp

T   

 

 



    

                       



pppp



  3

cresc.

ppp

 







 3

            

 

  3

 

3

 

        





  p





   



cresc.                                            



19

 

accel.

 

 

 





 



 



  





  

f

  

molto rit.          pp

   

              

  

as long as possible out of time    

                    



 





ffff

          

