Geter | Invisible

Invisible

E

Damien Geter

U

SA L

SC O

R

for Baritone, Trumpet (or Clarinet) in Bb, and Piano

PE

R

Piano Score

Copyright © 2019 Damien Geter (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved.

Published by Just a Theory Press | www.justatheorypress.com

Invisible

E

Damien Geter

U

SA L

SC O

R

for Baritone, Trumpet (or Clarinet) in Bb, and Piano

PE

R

Piano Score

Copyright © 2019 Damien Geter (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved.

Published by Just a Theory Press | www.justatheorypress.com

Program Note Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man is a commentary on the relationship Black Americans have with themselves and the world around them. As the title suggests, it is a world navigated through the lens of a narrator who although exists in a physical state, reminds the readers that he is invisible because, “people refuse to see [him] me.”

This is a setting of the first paragraph of the prologue.

SC O

R

E

The brooding introduction invites the listener to sit in discomfort just before the baritone sings. The motive is reminiscent of a rather melancholic march and symbolizes the nomadic state of the narrator wandering throughout life. He is accompanied by a muted trumpet (or clarinet) as a tribute to Ellison’s love of jazz. An ectoplasmic world meets us in the first section of the aria as he affirms that he is not to be feared in terms of the supernatural, but that he is indeed an actual living being, who, despite what others might think, is capable of his own thought processes.

The next sound world we enter is that of a circus. The Invisible Man compares his existence to that of being a part of a side show whose mirrors distort the view of himself, and those who seem to surround him.

SA L

The piece closes as it began with the same fretful chords and sad march.

—Damien Geter (2020)

PE

R

U

“I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.”

—Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

Copyright © 2020 Damien Geter. All Rights Reserved.

Published by Just a Theory Press, LLC | www.justatheorypress.com

Commissioned by Opera eater Oregon, 2020

Invisible

for Baritone, Trumpet (or Clarinet), and PIano e singer should be placed outside of the view of the audience.

Piano

4

  





 

         

    

7

Poe;

 

Tpt. Cl.

No,



     





  



     

I am not a spook like



 



  

     





I’m an in - vis - i - ble man

       

  

      

PE

Bar.

   

     







R

Pno





 

Tpt. Cl.

              

  

 





 

U

Bar.



harmon mute

            



     



SC O

 

B♭ Trumpet/Clarinet

  



          

SA L

Baritone



E

 = 65

    

Damien Geter

     

R

Ralph Ellison

  

 



       

those who haunt - ed Ed - gar Al - lan





    

  

 

 







one

of



   

   

"Ectoplasm music"

  





Nor am

I









 

your

 

   

                                            Pno                Copyright © 2020 Damien Geter Music. All Rights Reserved.



Published by Just a eory Press, LLC. | www.justatheorypress.com

www.damiengetermusic.com

2

Damien Geter | Invisible

      

9 Bar.



    

   

Holl - y - wood mo - vie ec - to - pla - sms.

   



       I am

   



 

a man of sub - stance,

 

   

Tpt. Cl.

 

Pno

                                                                              



E

 







am

a

man

of

sub









 



 

     

 

Pno

               

-

 -

stance,

   

                                  

     

                    



 

Freely

of flesh and bone fi - ber and li - quids…

Tpt. Cl.





            

   

        

and I might e - ven be

said to pos - sess a mind.



 

                  

Bar.

    



SA L   

R

                     13

I

 

    

U

 





R

  

 

         

PE

Pno



SC O

 11           

A man of sub - stance.

Tpt. Cl.





Bar.





   

Piano Score

Bar.

 

Tpt. Cl.

Pno



I

  

 

             









       

23

Bar.

Pno

 







  

  



  

 

  



 

  



  

     

  



I

am

in



    

     

 

  



 

  



 

  

in -

- vi





  



-

-

si

     

 -

 

ble,



 

      

 



               

 

simp - ly

   



    

 

 

     

 

 

 



    







un - der - stand,

Tpt. Cl.





U

    



SA L

    

 



R





PE

Pno

  

 





- vi - si - ble,

 

vis - i - ble.





       

Tpt. Cl.

am in



20 Bar.

   

E

     

  

 

SC O

15

  

R

In time

3

  

    





be - cause



 

peo - ple



    



        re - fuse to see me.







    











    

4

Damien Geter | Invisible

Tpt. Cl.

 

Pno

          

Slower  = 60







              



     



   

 



 

Pno

 



Like

      

    

    

   

Tpt. Cl.







38

Bar.



 





      

   





   

the

bo - di - less



         heads…

    

       

   



  

R



 



     

PE

Pno

   

SA L

 





      



  

Tpt. Cl.

 

 



33 Bar.



U





E

  

SC O

Bar.

R

28

 

      

      e

     

                                                                 

 

   

Piano Score

5

        

40





Pno



   

   

  



    





the

bo - di - less







   

  



heads.







   





   

    



      

    

Slightly crazed and hushed ("Circus Music") ( = 132)

     

 

 



                          

U



        







   

Like the

Tpt. Cl.





   

45

Bar.

Like



R



 

PE

Pno



SA L

 

  



  

Tpt. Cl.

  





42 Bar.



R



                  

Pno

 

heads…



E

 

Tpt. Cl.

bo - di - less



SC O

Bar.

  



  

bo - di

  

                       

 -

less





  

  

heads you



 

see some - times



 

      







  



      









  

in



   



cir - cus side - shows,



     











       



  

 

it

  

Damien Geter | Invisible

 

Tpt. Cl.

Pno



is

as though





         



of hard,

 



been

sur





 

 

dis - tort

-

ing

  









  



   



  



    

 

glass, mir - rors of hard





     





U

                        







mir

-

rors

 











  

 

  



accel.

- ing





glass.

 

               

  







      









        

dis - tort



        



by

   

  





 

round - ed

   





-

 

R









have

 

PE

Pno

 

I



     

Tpt. Cl.

 



 

 

50 Bar.





SA L

Bar.



E

   

SC O

48

R

6

More Frantic ("More distorted circus music") ( = 150)

53

  

Bar.

 

Tpt. Cl.

Pno









   

                          

 



  





     

  

                





declarations as wrien are approximations        

I’m



 

 





sur - round - ed!

  

              







 

  

  

Piano Score

 

Pno





                 

  

  

Pno



mir - rors…

 



    



  

 

dis - tort - ing







 I’m sur - round - ed       

         





 

  

glass.

   

  

       

It is as

legato

               

      











           



 

      

   

     

      









Tempo primo  = 65

                       



 





 

 

though I have been sur - round - ed.

 

Tpt. Cl.

  



R   

63

Bar.

 

   

U



PE





by

        





 

by mir - rors of



 

Tpt. Cl.

Pno

 

   

  



     



 

                                      

59 Bar.

I’m sur - round - ed…

  

  



R

Tpt. Cl.





SA L

Bar.

  



E

  

SC O

56

7



  

         

   

      



Damien Geter | Invisible



I am in - vis - i - ble.

 

Tpt. Cl.

Pno



            





  

 

78

   

Bar.

 

Tpt. Cl.

Pno







    



  

-

am in



     

        



   

-



vi - si - ble,

       

      





    



  

  





un - der - stand,



vi - si - ble,





  









simp - ly

   

  



  

 

 

          

 

 

be - cause



    

R



      



PE

Pno



   

  

in

  

I

SA L

 

Tpt. Cl.

 



  

    

U

Bar.



 

   

 

  

 

74

 

E

Bar.

     

    

R

          

69

SC O

8



peo - ple



          









re - fuse



   

 

  



 

  



  

  

to…

  

     

          

   

ap - proach me…

  



When they









 





  

Piano Score

 

Tpt. Cl.

Pno



       



                       

  

Bar.

 



my

sur - round





 

 -

Tpt. Cl.

 

Pno

                                

SA L

     



 

Pno



            





 

 

    

 

      

  

  

 

  



 





 



(they see on - ly my sur - round - ings)

Tpt. Cl.



      





U

PE Bar.



           

86

 



   

 

R









ings,



    

               



     

they see on - ly



Cool  = 108 84





SC O

Bar.



E

  

R

81

9

   











         









           





                            

 

 

  

    

  

    

   

  

Bar.

them

-



 

-



 -

-

 

-

Pno

                                   



Bar.

  



Tpt. Cl.

 



Bar.

 

Tpt. Cl.

Pno



  



      

 

          

soo voce





     



or

                          

 

   



ritardando

          

   

 



 



fig - ments…

  



 

 

              

Hauntingly  = 65

     





U

93

 

  

           



R



PE

Pno

                                     



 

       



(them - selves)



SA L

90



  



SC O

 



selves,



Tpt. Cl.



E

88

Damien Geter | Invisible

 

R

10

 







     

or

                                  

 

 

 







fig - ments…



 

 



                    

Bar.

Tpt. Cl.





              

        



 



101

             

 

 



or

fig

  

 



 

Tpt. Cl.

 

103

     

Bar.

Pno

 











  

  

of

                              



or

fig

          

           

              

  

 

 

     

PE

Pno

     





-



   

-

ments





      

  



 

    

 

 

their

i

ma - gi - na

 

       

-

ments…

     

                        

-

 

 



 



 



 



 

  





     

 

        



 

SA L



fig - ments…

R

Pno



or



  

E

 

Tpt. Cl.





U

Bar.



R

   

 

11

SC O

97

Piano Score

 

-



 

tion;

 

 

                                         

 

  

      

 

Damien Geter | Invisible

 

in - deed,

 

Pno



  

      

 

 

I’m

an in - vi - si - ble man.





   



  



   

ex - cept







          

 

   





      

      

me.

 



 



 



 

 

                       

 = 108



I’m an in - vi - si - ble man.

       

       

 = 108

U

 = 65

     





      

PE

Pno



        

112

Tpt. Cl.



R

Pno

          

     

 

 

   



 

Bar.

  

 

Tpt. Cl.



  

 

 

and an - y - thing



       

   

Bar.

e - very - thing

  

110

   



SA L

Tpt. Cl.



SC O

Bar.

E

        

105

R

12

   



 = 65

         I’m an in - vi - si - ble man.



   

                                                      





     

      

Piano Score

Bar.



  



  

 

  

-



  



  

   

-

-



-



 

 

si

-

-

 

 

   

   



PE

I’m

in







   



     

 

 



ble.









  

  



 



   

R



 

 

vi

I’m an in - vi - si - ble man.





118

 

Tpt. Cl.

Pno

 

U

Pno

I’m an in - vi - si - ble man.

    

SC O

Tpt. Cl.



         

SA L

Bar.

        

E

  

R

115

13

 

      



 

   



   

   

-

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