Richard Wilson
Gravitas for Solo Double Bass
Gravitas was written at the request of Yann Dubost, a brilliant young virtuoso and competition winner from France. He gave the work its première at the convention of the International Society of Bassists in Oklahoma City on June 9, 2007. —Richard Wilson Gravitas has been recorded by the Yann Dubost on: “Richard Wilson: Brash Attacks” Albany Records, TROY 1080, 2008.
Richard Wilson was born in Cleveland in 1941, and much of his early musical study took place at the Cleveland Music School Settlement. He also studied piano privately with Leonard Shure, and cello with Ernst Silberstein. Later, Wilson attended Harvard; upon graduation he received the Frank Huntington Beebe Award, which allowed him to study piano in Munich with Friedrich Wührer, and composition in Rome with Robert Moevs, who had been his composition teacher in college. Wilson has composed some ninety works, ranging in medium from solo tuba to full orchestra, which have been played in major halls around the world. Soloists and ensembles who have performed his compositions include Dawn Upshaw, Amy Burton, Jan Opalach, Mary Nessinger, Rolf Schulte, Sophie Shao, Blanca Uribe, Ursula Oppens, Fred Sherry, Walter Trampler, the Chicago Quartet, the Muir Quartet, the Delmé Quartet, and the Composers Quartet. Orchestra performances include the San Francisco Symphony under Herbert Blomstedt, the Residentie Orkest of the Hague under Gerald Ostkamp, the Orquesta Sinfonica de Colombia under Luis Biava, and the London Philharmonic, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the Sao Paulo Symphony, the American Symphony Orchestra, and the Jerusulaem Symphony, all conducted by Leon Botstein. Wilson has received numerous awards, including an Academy Award and the Walter Hinrichsen Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Creative Arts Award in Music from the City of Cleveland, the Stoeger Award from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and a Guggenheim Fellowship under which he composed his opera Æthelred the Unready. He is composer-in-residence with the American Symphony Orchestra. A member of the Vassar College faculty since 1966, Wilson occupies the Mary Conover Mellon Chair in Music. Richard Wilson’s music is available on five Albany Records CDs.
for Yann Dubost
Gravitas
Seven Pieces for Double Bass
I.
q = 108
- = - = - 5 5M 5M Mp
-M -M 5 - 5 5 5 5 5 = = = = 5 = - = 5k 5M = M E5M 5M p mp mf
4
5 5 5 !5 5
poco f
5 5 E5 5 3
! 5 : 55 55 M5 : M M = 5 M = M M M
7
fp
fp
p
5 E5 5 5 5 5 E 5 E5 !5
10
3
3
f
Richard Wilson
M 5: E 5 5 E 5 E 5M ! 5
mp
5-M E 5-M = =
mf
5 5 5 E5 E5 5
M 5 5 ! 5- - 5 ! 5-M 5k E 5 E5M 5 5 5 E5 = mf (sub)
poco f
3
5 5: ! 5- 55!5 !5 5 5 5 !5 5 : 5 E5k E5 E5E 5 = = 5 5 K
mp
fp
mp
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mf
mp
f
II.
q = 66
5 k 5 E5 5 5 5 = 3 5 = 5 EB G E5 5!5 :E 5 5 E5 5 5 5 mp poco f
3
5 5 5E5 5 E555E5 7
5! 5
5 5 5 : E5 : 3 5 5 5 E 5 5 5 : 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5
E5 E5 !5 E5 5 5 E5 5 G 5 5 5!5 5k mf
4
mp
5 : E5 5 B
7
11
5
5 5
p
cresc. poco a poco
f
3
!5 5E 5 5 5: 5 5 5 5: !5 5 5 5 5 = 3 5 5 = = 5 5 5 5 E5 5 3 5
p
5 : E5 5 5 5 5
mf
G
5 : poco f
mp
5 5 5 E5 5 !5 : 5 5 E5 5 E5 5 mf
!5 5 5 5 E5 5 5 5 E5 5 5 E 5 : 5 = 5 = !5 E5 4 5E5 5 5 5 5 : 5E5 E5 5 p mp p
14
mp
4
x = 336 (e. = 112)
III.
M : !5 5 E5M E 5 5 5 ! 5 M G 5 5 !5 5 5 : 5 E5 !5 : E 5 5 5 5 M mp
5 : M5 ! 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 G 5
5
E5M 5 E 5 5
5M 5 M
5M 5M !5 : E5 5 5 5 5 5 M E 5 ! 5 !5 E5 E5 5 5 5 5 E5 !5 5
9
M
5
13
mf
poco f (sub.)
5M
5M
E5M
5M E5M
mp (sub.)
5 5 E 5 E5 E 5 ! 5 !5 5 5 5 5 5 G
poco f
5 !5 5 5 5 5 5 E 5 E 5 5 5 5 5 5 E 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 G
17
più f
ff
IV.
6 Tempo rubato
" " " " " EB" 5" " 5 G 5I E5I 5 !5I E5I I simile sempre p e legato possibile 5 I " 4 "5 5" " " 5 " " " E 5 " E 5 E 5 5 5"
E5" G E5" E 5 5 q = 48 all natural harmonics "
" " " " " " " " 5 E 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 " 5" "5 E 5 5" ! 5" 5" 5" 5" 5" 5"
" " 5" " "5 5 " 5" " " " 5 5 5 E5" E5" " E5"
" 5" E5 5" 5 G G 5 5 5
8
12
G
5"
B"
Tempo giusto
5 5 5 5 E5 5 5 E5 pizz. mp
5:
5
" "5 5" E 5" 5" E5" 5" 5 G 5" ppp
5
E 5 E5 5 =
V.
8
q = 60
E55 3 5 5 5 sfz
55 5 5
3
f
55
55 5 5 5 E5 E5 !5 5
E55 ::
5 5 !5 5 5 5 E5 5
+ E5 5 5 5 5
55
mp
E5 E5
K M 5
+ 5 5E5E5E5 5 5 M 5 !5 G 5 : 5 5 E 5 5: p
mp
5 5
5 35 5 5 5
55 !E55
5 5
55
f
5
8
5
!5 5 k 5 5
E55. 55. 5 = 5 sfz
sfz
5 E5 55 55 5 mf
=
5
!5 5 E5
5 5 5 5 5 5 + G 5
10
ยง ยง ยง !ยง = ยง ยง !ยง Eยจ G ยง ยง q = 60 p
VI.
ยง ยง ยง ยง ยง ยง Eยง
mf
= Eยง ยง ยง ยง Eยงยง G
p poco
ยง : ยง ยง ยง ยง ยง ยง ยง ยง ยง !ยง ยง ยง ยง ยง ยง = ยง ยง G ยง !ยง !ยง ยง ยงG E ยง p
5
mf
G Eยง
8
ยง ยง ยง ยง ยง ยง ยงG ยง ยง ยง G p p mf
mf
ยง G Eยง ยง
10
p
ยง : ยง ยง: ยง ยง
ยง
ยง
G
mf
ยง p
ยง ยง ยง ยง
mf
K ยง ยง ยง ยง ยง ยง Eยง ยง ยง ยง !ยง ยง ยง E ยง ยง ยง Eยง ยง G E ยง ! ยง ยง ยง ยง mf
p
mf
13
G
ยง"
p
" " "" ยง" ยง" " " ยง ยง: ! ยง ยง E ยง Eยง ยง Eยง ยง Eยง !ยง ยง Eยง ยงยง E ยง G G Eยง ยง mf
p
mf
p
mf
VII.
Furioso
11
M M 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 M 5 5 5 !5M E5 5 5 5 5M 5 5 5 5 5 E5 E5 5 5 5M E5 M M M 3 e = 112 3
3
sempre f e agitato
5M 5M 5 : 5 M 5 5M 5 5 5 5 5 5 M E5E5 5 5 !5M 5 5E5 5 5!5 E5 5 5 5M 5M 5 5 5M M 5M 3 3 3
4
mf
8
E5M
E5M
5M
M 5M 5M 5 5 5 5 5 5 M 5 M M M 5 E5 M 5 E 5 ! 5 5 5 5 5 E5 5 5 5 5 5E5 M 5M M M cresc. f
M M M M 5 M 5 5 5 E 5 !55 M 5 M E5 M 5555 55!5 55E555 5M5M 5M!5 55E5M 5M E 5 5 5 !5 E5 E5 M E555 55E5 3 3 3
12
3
3
3