Arias | What is Your World?

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Spencer Arias

SC O

R

WHAT IS YOUR WORLD?

PE

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for Saxophone and Electronics

E R SC O SA L U R PE

Published by Just a Theory Press, L.L.C. Ann Arbor, MI www.justatheorypress.com Copyright © 2019 Spencer Arias (ASCAP) All Rights Reserved.

For more information, visit www.spencerarias.com Cover photograph taken by Spencer Arias in Madrid, Spain Cover design by Benjamin Jackson © 2020 Just a Theory Press, L.L.C. First printed in January 2020 Second printing with clarifications and corrections August 2020 Typesetting by Joshua DeVries Max Patch edited by Emily Yang

Program Note:

Music.

connection

Mostly cold but, sometimes a little light shines through and it’s not so bad.

Art

Musical

Lonely

complicated

Hopeful

chaos

Bright

Chaos

Safety

Care

Possibilities

Vibrant

Evolving

Infinite

Grief

Depression

Intimidating

dark

creative

Exhausting

Cherishing

path(s)

Eclectic

Music

Complete

Exploration

abolition

nothing

Wife

building

Freedom

Chaos

Anxiety

Music

Disconnected

Love

Family

Friends

Love

Dreams

polycule

U

theory

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E

What is your World? was written in collaboration with Queer saxophonists and the wider Queer community.

The goal of the work was to give voice to Queer voices from across the world (or at least the internet). As Queer folk, we are often times silenced and our opinions are made to be irrelevant. In asking the question, “What is your world?” my goal was to show that our worlds are more than our sexuality: we are a diverse community, we have agency to speak up when we want, and agency to stay quiet when we want. The following 117 words and phrases were provided anonymously by members of the Queer community, and have all made their way into the piece. What is Your World? was commissioned by Grace Gelpi, McCall Kochevar, Jared Waters, and Ella Marchetti.

—Spencer Arias

contradictory

Chaotic

Mixed

Me

Friends

Untrusting

Steep Family Youth Hidden Sublime killingmesoftly

R

Whee!

Bicky

SC O

Unfulfilled.

SA L

Waiting

teal

Immeasurable

Tradition

overwhelming

Rose

Small

Humor

Unsteady

New

bursting

Love

color

Creativity

Loveless

Luminescent

possible

Nothing

Compassion

growing

Whole

Joanna

Cat

Love

Love

community

canine

Kids

closeted

Inspiring

Miranda

Song

cisheteropatriarchy

Multitudes

Appearances

Connection

Opportunity

child

Wisdom

Complicated

Community

Grey

Complicated

peace

Confusing

Love

Connection

borderless

Love

Friends

Creative

Roleplay

Complicated

curated

limitless

Perseverance

PE

Magical

June 2020

Performance Notes: What is your world? explores agency for the performer. It can be performed on any saxophone; versions for Bb and Eb instruments are both included. Pitches can be played in any octave, with the octave written merely being a suggestion.

Time cues are approximate, and are not meant to be strict (±5-10 seconds is okay).

E

Closed stemless noteheads within a bar indicate to improvise using the pitch material provided (again in any octave). I have provided descriptive instructions within the score, but I am also open to the performer to go more improvisatory.

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Traditionally notated bars (with specific rhythms) are meant to be performed as a unit at the same tempo, but register is flexible.

SC O

At the end of the piece the performer is free to improvise for about a minute, musically representing “what is your world?”

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In addition to performing the work, the performer may record up to 10 words that describe their world to be inserted at various points in the fixed media. Please note that this portion is entirely optional and is not required, particularly if you are experiencing dysmorphia and would prefer to have your voice not apart of the work. See the Tech Notes for more information.

Technology Notes: The fixed media portion of the work can be triggered in a number of ways. It can be played directly from the .wav file and be performed a long with just following the time cues ±5-10 seconds.

A similar method would be to put this in a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) such as Logic or Audacity. If you use this method you can record yourself answering the question, “In a single word, what is your world?”

You can put those words anywhere throughout the piece. This is entirely optional; you are welcome to use any of the 117 words provided or record your own words.

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An alternative method of performing this piece is with the provided Max patch. The current version as of this printing is v1.3.

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First place the patch in presentation mode (the small monitor icon in the bottom left hand corner):

The Max patch automatically loads the fixed media audio. Press DELETE (or the labeled button) to turn the sound on/off; the volume of the fixed media can be controlled with slider on the right.

You have the option to record answers to the question, “In a single word, what is your world?” After recording these individually, save them in the folder “voicecues” included in the patch folder. Change the file names of your recordings to the numbers 1-10, in the order you would like them played during the performance. They will automatically load into the patch. You can adjust the balance between the voice cues and the fixed media with the sliders.

Pressing SPACEBAR (or using a PageFlip or other foot pedal) begins the fixed media. If you have added voice cues, pressing SPACEBAR after beginning the fixed media will play the voice cues in order without stopping the fixed media. Cue 1 is the first voice cue, cue 2 is the second, and so forth.

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commissioned by the Queer Saxophonist C onsortium: Grace Gelpi, McCall Kochevar, Jared Waters, and Ella Marchetti

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Copyright © 201 9 by Spencer Arias (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved.

Published by Just a eory Press (Ann Arbor, MI). Printed in the U.S.A.

*) Time cues are all approximate (+/- 5-1 0 seconds). **) Stemless notes within a bar indicate an improvisation using the given pitch material. As with all pitches in this piece, the written octave is merely a suggestion and can be adjusted up or down.

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Copyright © 201 9 by Spencer Arias (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved.

Published by Just a eory Press (Ann Arbor, MI). Printed in the U.S.A.

*) Time cues are all approximate (+/- 5-1 0 seconds). **) Stemless notes within a bar indicate an improvisation using the given pitch material. As with all pitches in this piece, the written octave is merely a suggestion and can be adjusted up or down.

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