please continue
(2020) for soprano, double bass, and electronics
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Phaëthon Press
instrumentation
--soprano
Required Materials
-1 DPA headset microphone (for amplification)
-1 earbud (for clicktrack)
-1 guitar pick
-2 music stands (one on either side of the bassist)
--double bass
Required Materials
-1 DPA microphone level with the right f-hole (for amplification)
-1 earbud (for clicktrack)
-1 guitar pick
-1 music stand
--pre-recorded electronics (2-channel, stereo diffusion)
Required Materials
-1 Computer running Max 8 with please continue patch
-1 Audio interface (minimum 2 channel input with pre-amp, 2 channel output) with connection to Computer
-2 cables (XLR) to connect microphones into audio interface via Inputs 1 and 2
-2 speakers (see STAGE SET-UP for placement)
-Method to trigger patch (MIDI pedal/handheld clicker or extra personnel triggering laptop with spacebar)
performance notes
--soprano
-hit the bass – using the bottom of the fist, strike the body of the bass on its face, as close to the f-hole as possible; aim for as much resonance as possible.
-inhalation/ingressive singing – breathe in while phonating.
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--double bass
-highest note possible – play the highest note possible on the string marked.
-clb = col legno battuto; clt = col legno tratto
-pressure trill – vertical trill between harmonic pressure and normal pressure in the left hand.
--bow pressure overpressure scratch
pitch noise
--bow placement poco sul pont syl pont molto sul pont
--general
-accidentals last through the bar without octave displacement
-glissandi last the entire duration of the note marked
-trills that occur across glissandi maintain their intervallic range as they go up or down
-transitions in technique: arrows with filled bodies relate to changes in bow pressure arrows with dashed bodies relate to changes in vocal technique/bow placement and vibrato
-sections with an X for time signature are out of time – refer to brackets with time durations in seconds to pace gestures
-boxed numbers indicate cue markers for the electronics
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stage set-up
= music stand
= microphone
STAGE
AUDIENCE
ch. 1 ch.2
inputs
outputs
ch. 1 ch.2
program note
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8) audio interface
please continue seeks to examine the relationship between psychedelics and American culture. By setting trip reports from the 1890s to the 1920s, the piece decentralizes the narrative that these substances were the products of 1960s counterculture – they’ve been with us as a species for much longer than even the texts I’ve selected can attest. With the setting of a quote by John Ehrlichman, Richard Nixon’s policy advisor, the piece illuminates the pure politics that led the United States to pursue the War on Drugs, disenfranchising entire communities and contributing to the highest per capita imprisonment rate in the world. please continue draws further parallels between today’s blind and unguided continuance of the War on Drugs and the Milgram Experiment, which showcased how humans are willing to go against their conscience, to the point of harm, in order to appease authority figures. Drug laws need to be recalibrated towards rehabilitation rather than punishment – people must receive the benefit of the doubt, not institutions. The electronics used in the interludes of please continue are taken directly from presidential speeches from the Nixon administration to 2020. please continue is written for and dedicated to Anika Kildegaard and Will Yager of LIGAMENT.
MIDI pedal (opt.) double bass computer (running Max
At 12 noon of a busy morning I took fully 1½ drachm of an extract of which each drachm represented one mescal button. I went rather quietly, taking two stairs at a time and without pause, to the fourth storey of a hotel, and did not feel oppressed or short of breath.
The display which followed was such as I find it hopeless to describe in language which shall convey to others the beauty and splendour of what I saw. I saw the stars. And then an abrupt rush of countless points of white light swept across my field of view, as if the unseen millions of the Milky Way were to flow a sparkling river before the eye. A white spear of grey stone grew up to huge height becoming a tall Gothic tower of very elaborate and definite design. As I gazed every projecting angle, cornice, and even the face of the stones at their joinings were by degrees covered or hung with clusters of what seemed to be like masses of transparent fruit. To give the faintest idea of the perfectly satisfying intensity and purity of these gorgeous colour-fruits is quite beyond my power. All the colours I have ever beheld are dull as compared to these. And then, in an instant, all was dark.
-S. Weir Mitchell – Remarks on the Effects of the Mescal Button (1896)
II
Slowly two immense cosmic systems were created…Shining with their own light, they appeared in unlimited space. From the interior new rays in more luminescent colors. Becoming perfect…
…wingsofwonderfulinsects…monstrousforms,fabulouslandscapes…
…they assumed the form of oblong prisms. At the same time they began to move.
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-Anonymous Subject – Mescaline Study of Kurt Beringer (1927)
-HavelockEllis– Mescal: A New Artificial Paradise (1898)
You want to know what this was really all about…You understand what I’m saying…Nixon…The Nixon campaign…The Nixon White House had two enemies…We couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but…disrupt…arrest…raid…break up…vilify them.
Did we know we were lying?…You understand what I’m saying.
-John Ehrlichman – Domestic Policy Advisor to President Richard M. Nixon (1991)
postlude
…I was at last conscious of the fact that at moments I was…asleep…
…edge of…huge cliff…over…gulf…unseen depth…
…I pictured an American flag…only partially succeeded.
-S. Weir Mitchell
please continue the experiment requires that you continue it is absolutely essential that you continue you have no other choice; you must go on
-four verbal prods from the Milgram Experiment (1961)
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DURATION: 16’
spoken - clearly and scientifically
please continue I
At twelve noon of a busy morning I took fully one and a half drachm of an extract of which each drachm represented one mescal button. I went rather quietly, taking two stairs at a time and without pause, to the fourth story of a hotel, and did not feel oppressed or short of breath.
head down - limp and disengaged have left hand on A4 harmonic on D string
The display which followed was such as I find it hopeless to describe in language which shall convey to others the beauty and splendour of what I -
grab 'aw' syllable from mouth using hand closest to the bassist... push hand into the side of the bass gently sprightly
count
less -points ofwhitelightswept
across my
fieldofviewasiftheunseen-mil
lions oftheMilk
y-Way
weretoflowasparkling-river
huge
height, be mp com-ing-atall,Goth ic -tower -
of
very-elab-o-rate-anddefi-nite-design.- As mp I
gazed every-project-ing-angle,-cornice,-and
even-theface ofthestones
attheirjoinings-were by degrees-cov er'd or
Db.
hung
withclusters-
of
whatseemtobelike
Db.
faintest-idea-oftheperfect-inten-si-ty-andpuri-ty-ofthesegor f geous-colour-fruits-isquitebeyond-mypow p er. -
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the
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S.
Db. El.
interlude #1
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* - staff lines correspond to strings on the bass from bottom to topnoteheads indicate plucking the strings of the bass
** - sounding pitch
*** - all directions pertaining to the E tremolo pedal will be placed below the staff. All other noteheads = finger without playing (soprano plucks string)
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S.
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S.
unlim-it-ed-space
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randomize number of 32nd notes between each eighth note (between 3 and 8)
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whispered; deeply, slowly,and with wonder; speak to the tailpiece/bridge of the bass
spoken 1/2 whisper
Be p com-ing-per mf fect...- wings f of won mf der -ful-insects... p - mon f strous-forms...
take pick; kneel down to the instrument approach each new gesture with pure novelty/wonderment behind the bridge (with pick)
intersperse this figure at random; maintain tremolo pedal between outbursts
* - vertical placement of notehead indicates relative pitch of the whisper/speech as indicated; horizontal placement still corresponds to length
- 'windshield wiper bow' (see interlude #1) + col legno tratto
- hit body of
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msp
1/2 spoken 1/2 whisper whisper
mp fab f -u-lous-landscapes p - they mp assumed-theformofob ff long- prisms. -
ffff
slowly turn vertical stroke into horizontal stroke (maintain col legno tratto)
behind bridge
ord (still with pick)
allow the quantity and density of pizz to mirror the dynamic hairpin (max. pluck every 1/2")
(they as - sumed the form of ob
long
sms)
move to other side of the bassist (to original position); cross upstage of the bassist
* - using normal l.h. pressure, follow the gestural arc of the line in rhythmic unison with the soprano's line as indicated (soprano plucks strings to produce pitch).
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maintain airy stroke, but allow pitch to flicker in and out at your discretion as stroke transitions to ord
they ass med the form of oblong prisms they assumed he form 0f oblong prisms they assumed the form f oblong prismstheyassumedtheformofoblongprismsheyassumedtheformofoblongprisms
they assumed the form of oblong prisms they assumed the form f oblong prisms
they assumed the form of oblong prisms
thesame time, they
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began-to move.
* - stop all four strings with the hand; bow only IV all directions involving left-hand pressure from here to the end of the movement involve only string IV
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S.
Db.
El.
interlude #2
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cefurnaafmsuaiooeldhrh,sothsd,nestydhhe EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE asso uete gohoa gprohrsnef yo lwao csikeiht dsnzcsntesn'teurn eldhraioocefurnaafmsustydhhe,nethsdh,socefurnaafmsuaiooeldhr theexperimentrequiresthatyoucontinuetheexperiment
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stydhhe,nethsdh,so theexperiment
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eldhr aioo cefurnaafmsu cefurnaafmsuaiooeldhrh,sothsd,nestydhhe eldhr aioo cefurnaafmsu stydhhe ,ne thsd h,socefurnaafmsuaiooeldhrh,sothsd,nestydhheeldhraioocefurnaafmsu theexperimentrequiresthatyoucontinuetheexperimenteldhr aioo cefurnaafmsu cefurnaafmsuaiooeldhrh,sothsd,nestydhheeldhraioocefurnaafmsu theexperimentrequiresthatyoucontinuestydhhe,nethsdh,so eldhr aioo cefurnaafmsucontinuecontinuecontinue continuecontinuecontinue continuecontinuecontinue continuecontinuecontinue theexperimentrequiresthatyoucontinue eldhr aioo cefurnaafmsu nnrpwd,heuaordtheexperimentrequiresthatyoucontinuetheexperimentrequiresthatyoucontinue theexperiment eldhr aioo cefurnaafmsu nnrpwd,heuaord continuecontinuecontinue asso uete gohoa gprohrsnef yo lwao csikeiht dsnzcsntesn'teurn cefurnaafmsuaiooeldhrh,sothsd,nestydhheeldhraioocefurnaafmsu theexperimentrequiresthatyoucontinuecontinuecontinuecontinue theexperimentrequiresthatyoucontinue eldhr aioo cefurnaafmsu nnrpwd,heuaordtheexperimentrequiresthatyoucontinuetheexperimentrequiresthatyoucontinue theexperiment eldhr aioo cefurnaafmsu nnrpwd,heuaord continuecontinuecontinue asso uete gohoa gprohrsnef yo lwao csikeiht dsnzcsntesn'teurn eldhraioocefurnaafmsustydhhe,nethsdh,socefurnaafmsuaiooeldhr theexperimentrequiresthatyoucontinuecontinuecontinuecontinue
S.
You f want sub mp toknowwhatthisisreal ly-all about. - You f un sub mp der -stand-whatI'msay f ing. - You mf underwith doublespeak q=160
with doublespeak q=160
Db.
stand. Nix
Nixon-cam paign,
WhiteHousehadtwo ene-mies. - You
wanttoknowwhatthiswasYouwanttoknowYou
Db.
recite boxed text as fast as possible; as if papering over a detail you don't want known - drift into speech
couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black
* - use an extremely slow bow with extreme right hand
to create a gravelly, static-like sound. Breaks in the line under the staff indicate brief flickers of pitch caused by loosening the right hand.