Sankaram | Taking Up Serpents

Taking Up Serpents

PERUSALSCORE

Music by Kamala Sankaram

Libretto by Jerre Dye

PERUSALSCORE

Taking Up Serpents

A Chamber Opera in One Act

PERUSALSCORE

Music by Kamala Sankaram

Libretto by Jerre Dye

PERUSALSCORE

PerformanceNotes

General

A box indicates an aleatoric section. Materials inside the box should be repeated freely until the next cue.

Aleatoric sections are accompanied by which indicates number of downbeats until the next change

Singers

Much of the ensemble writing for this piece is based on the practice of “shape note” singing. Shape note music is a way for non-musicians to quickly learn and sing new hymns. The notesheads have different shapes, each of which indicates a different solfege syllable. (though in this practice, only Fa, Sol, La, and Mi are used.) Shape notes singing is untrained, so the sound should be as forward and bright as possible. Shape note passages are indicated by differently shaped noteheads.

Glissando to x notehead– this is an ornament found in Eastern European vocal music. The end of the glissando does not need to be perfectly pitched, but should be a sharp upward gesture.

Nelda

The “speaking in tongues” sections can be very free and improvisatory. Where indicated, use a single breath to complete the phrase.

Winds

Color trill– rapidly alternate between different fingerings for the same pitch.

Clarinet

Multiphonics suggested fingerings. I II

Bassoon

FrenchHorn

Strings

indicates slap tongue. Remove reed, blow air directly into bocal and stop air with tongue.

In your own time, open and close cup mute to create a tremelo effect.

WhirlyTube

Indicates highest note possible with microtonal gliss around note.

Freely gliss around highest possible note.

Jagged gliss up and down highest string.

Jagged gliss over any string, using heavy bow pressure.

Diamond noteheads = play pitch as if you were playing a harmonic.

These are plastic tubes that are played by being spun around. Spinning them faster changes pitch according to the overtone series. Whirly tubes MUST be tuned to Ab(G#)

Players may freely adjust spin speed/pitch during whirly tube sections

Guitar

For electric guitar, please use a smaller amp placed in the orchestra. The goal should be to blend with the acoustic sound as much as possible. For Wah pedal o=open; +=closed