Hunt | And So I Looked to the River

Jessica Hunt

PERUSALSCORE

And

So I Looked to the River

for String Quartet (2018)

SCORE

Jessica Hunt

PERUSALSCORE

And

So I Looked to the River for String Quartet (2018)

SCORE

The Columbia River wends a meandering path alongside the Cascade Mountains until it slices West through the gorge dividing northern Oregon from southern Washington. I grew up near this river, and found solace in my inner thoughts whenever I could leave the urban bustle of the Portland metro area behind and drive through those sharp cliffs, the spray from many waterfalls misting my windshield. Fifteen years later, struggling to maintain a sense of hope and identity in the bleak global landscape of 2018, I find myself dipping my toes into the practice of secular meditation. I close my eyes and I am surrounded by the force of water. I swim to the bank of the River, look out across the ever-shifting gray-and-white force, and breathe. The River is made of my thoughts, and I remove myself from them; I find my place of peace when I look to the River, when I stand on the high cliff high above without being swept away within its beautiful, chaotic power. I acknowledge the thoughts of the River flowing past; I see them and I breathe.

Duration: c. 7 minutes

Performance Notes

x noteheads — X-shaped noteheads indicate the duration of two simultaneous events: audible breath effects and non-audible playing gestures. An X-shaped notehead by itself is always accompanied by an up-bow or down-bow symbol.

up-bow = inhalation and the simultaneous execution of an up-bow gesture which does not at any point touch the strings or make sound

down-bow = exhalation and the simultaneous execution of a down-bow gesture which does not at any point touch the strings or make sound [phoneme] — Bracketed phonemes (like lyrics) indicate the desired mouth-shape or mouth-action to be executed during a given moment. These can appear under X-noteheads (see above) or under playable pitches. In the case of phonemes appearing under playable pitches, the phoneme should be executed simultaneously with the instrumental playing. Hairpins (both crescendi and decrescendi markings) followed by rests indicate the duration of sustained phoneme/breath effects. At times, the duration of the phoneme/breath effect is shorter or longer than the duration of the instrumental pitch with which it is played. At all times, aim for a balance of sound between phoneme/breath effects and played pitches.

u = an un-pitched, audible breath through an “ooo” mouth-shape (“moon”)

a = an un-pitched, audible breath through an “ah” mouth-shape (“paw”)

PERUSALSCORE

f = an un-pitched, sustained exhalation through an “f” mouth-shape

ʃ = an un-pitched, sustained exhalation through a “sh” mouth-shape

ǂ = a percussive tongue click (like making a “tick-tock” sound effect)

—Jessica Hunt

Meditative

q = the pace of each individual's breath (do not coordinate with ensemble)

( 5-7" after viola)

(7-9" after vln. I)

( 3-4" after vln. II) Play 2x

cresc. 8" after vln. II stops taking rests ( cresc.

Bittersweet

arco (s.t., non vib.)

s.p., non. vib.

s.p., non. vib. col legno (imitate bow sounds with unpitched consonants, "TKTK")

s.p., non. vib.

([u] on on [a] on . Do not coordinate, change bow as needed.)

fragile, intense�p molto espr.

PERUSALSCORE

([u] on on [a] on . Do not coordinate, change bow as needed.) s.t. /

...to stillness...

([u] on on [a] on . Do not coordinate, change bow as needed.) s.t., non vib.

Allow an airy whistle (on any B ) to sneak in around the edges of the tone of the breath. Continue to / [u] and / [a], but allow the bow to gradually disconnect from the string until only the semi-whistling breathing sounds.

(hold breath, keep bow still at apex of the up-bow gesture)

PERUSALSCORE

(hold breath, keep bow still at apex of the up-bow gesture)

PERUSALSCORE

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