Kitzke: Haunted America

JEROME KITZKE

HAUNTED AMERICA for violin/vocals, clarinets/vocals, piano/vocals, and percussion/vocals

In Lakota stories, a great Buffalo stands as a metaphor for the world. As the story goes, through the vastness of time, the Buffalo intermittently lost a single hair from one of its legs until that leg finally disappeared with the falling away of its last hair. Gradually a second, and then a third leg vanished in like fashion, leaving the world on its last leg, so to speak. No one knows how many hairs remain on that leg, but September 11th and the sad state of human relations around the world could make one wonder. Or, there is the argument that things are really only as they have always been, and that what appears as a world gone madder is only a manifestation of our global ability to see instantly, in vivid, horrid detail, the suffering we inflict on each other. One could argue strenuously about this, but in the end, the arguing fades and people find a way to keep moving. That is what I have seen New Yorkers do. In the numbing early stages of 9/11, I had to put off working on a commission that had subject matter I had temporarily lost feeling for. There were too many things to attend to and consider for me to lift my pencil. I then came to my senses as I was reminded of one of life’s great subtle beauties, namely the unrelenting healing power of the day-to-day. All those mundane little things that keep a human life going helped me to come back to my pencil and paper, which in the long run is the best way for me to fight terrorism. So, this piece, Haunted America, is simply a reflection on everything I have seen and heard, good and bad, in the aftermath of 9/11.

As in many of my works, the instrumentalists are asked to vocalize non-verbally or even non-sensically. Amidst all the nonsense, however, they do intermittently say “Hey America! What haunts you? Do you know? When will we end the human war? (Ginsberg) You know we can’t! What can we do? We must just live!” Eight months later, it feels as if we are doing just that.

Special thanks to Sally Wilson, Julia Kamin, and the Ledig House in Ghent, New York. ─ Jerome Kitzke May 2002, NYC

Performance Notes Accidentals apply to the given measure only.

All vocals should be performed with great theatrical verve, whether pp or ff. All sung vocals are written in bass clef; octaves should be adjusted accordingly when performed by women. The vocal solo written in the violin part (mm. 1948, 149-153, and 169-180) may be sung by an extra performer.

Non-pitched vocals are preceded by the non-pitched clef ||. For vocal lines in this clef, the noteheads indicate the general ‘pitch’ location. The spoken text quoted above may be performed by the quartet as written, by one member of the band, or by an extra performer. All other vocalizations are performed by the entire group. Light amplification may be used if necessary. The solo whistling in the piano part may be done by en extra performer.

Percussion: floor toms should be tuned to different pitches and snare should be crisp in sound. Cowbell should have some resonance.

Stage Set-up:

Instrumentation Piano

Violin/Voice E/B/Bass Clarinets/Voice Piano/Voice Percussion/Voice

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mounted tambourine referee whistle cowbell maracas, hand claps ride cymbal splash cymbal large triangle medium triangle small triangle Tubular Bells (chimes) 1½ oct.

4 Harmonicas: A, G, C, E

Violin

Percussion Clarinet