the shifting earth
for chamber orchestra
Shattered Arcana Press
program note
the shifting earth takes its inspiration from René Daumal’s surrealist novel, Mount Analogue It tells the story of a climbing expedition ascending the titular mountain, an invisible peak so large that its presence bends light around it The allegory of the novel frames the climbing of Mount Analogue as a reaching for immortality, or a yearning for the absolute Daumal passed before he finished the novel, so his mountaineers are frozen in time, mid-sentence, stuck with their heads forever looking upwards into the cloud-covered crags The piece takes its title from the last three words of Daumal’s manuscript. the shifting earth was written for Donald Crockett and Thornton Edge and is dedicated to the memory of composer and friend Kris McCormick.
performer’s notes
–woodwinds/brass
–air - [x notehead] - blow air through the instrument; no pitch ex.
–multiphonics - [square notehead] - use the notated pitch as the fundamental of a multiphonic of your choosing. Additional text is provided to inform the player on the character / timbre of the resultant sound
–bisbigliando - [bisbigl. w/ trill line] - an oscillation between two (or more) fingerings for the same pitch
–tongue ram - [scalene triangle notehead] - thrust the tongue into the mouthpiece while blowing. The resultant sound should be percussive and short ex.
–percussion
–percussion legends
Perc. 1
Snare Drum (shared w/ 2)
Tam-tam China Cymbal
Pitched percussion: Vibraphone
Perc. 2
Snare Drum
Tam-tam (shared w/ 1) Suspended Cymbal
Bass Drum Bell Plates (2) Bongos (2) Crash Cymbal (mounted)
Pitched percussion: Tubular Bell (1 – D#/Eb4 – suspended above a small bucket of water deep enough to dip the bell in)
–piano
–palm muting - [cross above notehead] - mute the note with your hand inside the piano ex.
–inside the piano/pizzicato - [square notehead with pizz.] - pluck notes inside the piano ex. –gong hit - [square notehead with hand icon] - slap strings inside piano ex.
-bow pressure
-bow placement
-vibrato –muffled fingering - [square notehead] - use a finger pressure in the left hand between ord and harmonic pressure, creating a sound that is dirty and distorted.
ex.
–scratch tone - [thick black line above note] - use an extremely slow bow speed with high pressure in the right hand to produce a sound that is distorted and mostly without pitch. Breaks in the line indicate moments when pitch should peak through the noise more prominently.
ex.
–rough – in passages marked ‘rough,’ the player should dirty up their sound, using overpressure and light scratch tones in order to distort their sound to their liking. This marking only lasts for its respective gesture.
–general
–glissandi last the entire duration of the line –accidentals last through the bar without octave displacement –boxed material should be repeated to the termination of its corresponding arrow, following any additional text as provided –upward-oriented triangle noteheads signify the highest note possible –downward-oriented triangle noteheads signify the lowest note possible
DURATION: 13’ score is in c
orchestra
flute (doubling piccolo) oboe
clarinet in b-flat (doubling bass clarinet in b-flat) bassoon
horn in f trumpet in c trombone
2 percussion
-vibraphone
-tubular bell (1 – D#/Eb4)
-bucket of water (for dipping tubular bell) -crash cymbals
-china cymbal
-suspended cymbal
-2 bell plates (low and medium)
-tam-tam (low)
-2 bongos (1 pair)
-snare drum
-bass drum
piano
violin 1
violin 2 viola cello
double bass
lowest note possible indistinct, unstable
lowest note possible indistinct, unstable
straight mute
Tam-tam large soft beater
Violin
Perc. 1
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla. Vc.
Perc. 1
Perc. 2
Pno.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla. Vc.
Perc.
Vln.
Vln.
Vla.
Perc. 1 Perc. 2
Pno.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
C
Perc. 1
Perc. 2
Pno.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla. Vc.
C
Tbn.
Perc. 1
Perc. 2
Pno.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2 Vla.
Perc. 2
Pno.
Vln. 1
C Tpt.
Tbn.
Perc. 1
Perc. 2
Pno.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
senza sord