Stone Age (2022) for cello and electronics

Panayiotis KOKORAS Stone Age for cello and electronics

2022

Panayiotis Kokoras Stone Age for violoncello and electronics

Music Current Commission award 2021-22 Premiered by Ilse de Ziah

Duration 8’ 40” minutes

Denton, Texas © 2022 All Rights Reserved

Performance Notes General -

The virtuosity required for the piece may be called ‘La Virtuosité du Son’. The musician has the task to make sounds and not to play sounds.

The score works rather as a manual, which instructs the performer, how to produce and manipulate the sounds required for the piece.

The notation doesn’t imply necessarily the sound produced. The written note does not always correspond to the one that is sounded. The performer should follow the written note regardless of the sounding result.

The change from one sound type to another should not be executed at one instance (unless indicated) but a ‘transition time’ should allow the sound to be shaped. This transition time is important and creative tool for the interpretation of the piece.

Emphasis should be given on the precise production of the variable sound possibilities and the right distinction of one to another in order to be able to convey the musical ideas and structure of the piece.

The compositional method as an ‘Écriture du Son’ which is based on sound-to-sound structures, on transformation strategies from one to another as well as on functional classification sound models.

The significance of the diatonic interval, harmony and melody ceases to exist. The music is the sound. ***

Besides the in-score descriptions of the performance notes a complete catalogue of detailed audio/video examples is provided upon request by the composer. This is in order to give to the performer a better insight on how to produce each particular sound, which is so crucial for the piece.

For detailed performance notes, please refer to the online video demonstrations. Below you will find an index of the audio/video performance notes by measure numbers. Moreover, a reference studio mix of the piece can be provided upon request. *** Violoncello INSTRUMENT PREPARATION Rasp Bow - 3d printed

The frog part (gray) consists of 5 surfaces; the bottom (black) saw surface is used to produce click, roll, pluck, glissando sounds, etc. The blue section is used to produce snap and click sounds. The rasp (green part) is also played vertical and horizontal to the strings to produce roll, rattle, rasp, and glissando sounds among others.

Detune All strings should be detuned to C#. String C to C# an octave lower; G to C# diminished fifth lower; D to C# an octave and minor second lower, A to C# an octave and major third lower.

i

STAFF - Starting from top to bottom, the first section above the three lines corresponds to the area between the bridge and the fine tuners.

- The second Violoncello (Vc.) section indicates the position of the bow from ST (end of fingerboard) to the bridge. The string number is shown in roman numbers I, II, III and IV. - The third section (Vc.) indicates the fingerboard area from the end to the middle.

- The fourth section (Vc.) corresponds to the instrument’s first half from nut to the middle of fingerboard.

- The fifth lowest cello staff section, Sound (Snd.) below the three staff lines corresponds to the neck including the pegbox and provides text descriptions and/or visualizations of the sound to be produced. The vertical axis represents frequency and the horizontal axis time. Generally, the coloring represents loudness from black for the loud frequencies to white for silence. The patterns displayed in this section provide an arbitrary visualization of the sound to be produced such as high/low, bright/dull, ordered/chaotic, coherent/erratic, smooth/coarse, soft/raspy, tonal/noisy, etc. In addition, several onomatopoetic and/or echo-mimetic words/letters aiming to represent or imitate a sound or its context such as aggressive, peaceful, mournful cry of pain, mental and physical suffering, sorrow or pleasure.

- The sixth section (Sono) is a representation of the electronic part in the form of a sonogram.

More details in the Electronics section.

CELLO - Sound Lexicon Video Performance Notes for Cello

ii

Electronics FIXED ELECTRONICS The Spectrogram below displays the frequency on the vertical axis and the time on the horizontal axis.

Moreover, the colorings of grey indicate frequency loudness (from black for loud frequencies to white for silence). It works as visual representation of the tape part in order to guide/ help the performer to follow it easier and more accurately. The spectrogram aims to make it easier to discern individual musically meaningful features. At the left top corner of every staff there is a timestamp of the prerecorded material.

CLICK TRACK • Download the tape part and the click track so that you can create your DAW project.

• The stereo electronic part and the amplified sax should be projected from the speakers system.

• The click track file should be assigned to a separate output send to the performer's earbuds on stage.

Technical requirements for the amplification and reverberation AMPLIFICATION For the right projection of the sound details the use of amplification should be applied.

The equipment required are: • Mixer • Two loudspeakers • 1 microphone with stands • Limiter / Compressor In order to amplify the soft sounds without clipping some compression should be applied. This is something that most of the digital mixers have. It is also possible by a variety of software plug-ins.

NOTE: It is part of the aesthetic of the piece to create a superficial amplification, which results to the loss of the neutrality of the classical known instrumental sound. It is a microscopic point of view.

REVERBERATION Reverb audio example (cello_reverb.wav) A simple Large Room mode reverb (preferable algorithmic). The numbers below are indicative and depended on the actual performance space and reverberation unit.

Pre-delay: 10ms Reverb time: 1.5s Size: 100 Depth: 50% High Cut: 5200 Hz Mix: 22% wet, 78% dry

iii

Cello



Ghostly Mellow  = 80 

click on the saw teeth, keep touching the frog on the string and slide on left hand mutes the strings

|

Tune all strings to the lowest C Listen to audio examble

Sound

  4



Snd.

 

w

w



Snd.

    

Snd.



A4



e

 





e

e

e

e



w



 



G5

   C#4

 

 C 

 

e

w

C5

Vc.

Snd.



e

G#4

     e

e

e

e

  w





      

F4

e

e

e

e

e

e



w

e

 



e



e

e

 

frog click gliss e w e frog click gliss C5

 



 

e



e

Bb4

 e

 r  

E3 a

e

e

e e e

   

e

0:30

 

Bb3

 B

Sono

13

e

    

C5

w

e eee



w

  

F#5



w

|

e

frog click gliss



frog snap



e

  

press frog's first flat tooth on the string and snap down

4

w

0:19

Vc.



  

w

 



e e



   

e frog pluck frog click gliss w

  

Panayiotis Kokoras

pluck the string by pushing against the frog tooth, stays on the string

e

E4

Sono

10



frog click gliss e

Sono



I

 

0:09





  



 A

4



 

C6



   

Vc.

Vc.



four beats precount

Sonogram

7

to sakpot

Stone Age

e

e

  w

e

 





LH tap gliss





w









0:39 Sono © 2022 Panayiotis Kokoras. All Rights Reserved

2

D 16

 

Vc.

Snd.



  

frog click gliss

e

G#3

e e

e





e



e





Sono

19

Vc.

Snd.

  





frog pluck

0:58

E  



Sono

22

  Ⅱ Ⅲ

Vc.



Snd.

e



 



e

e

e

 

e

e

1:10

  

Sono

F

25

Vc.

Snd.





1:19

 Three Pointer Tap   Vc.

Snd.

poss. 

4

frog snap

1:31 Sono





 

B4

e





e



e



frog click gliss ee ee ee B4 ee ee e

Sono





I

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

28

e

≠

frog snap

 

LH gliss



  

≠

 

   ≠

press click on saw tooth, lift off frog, let vibrate, while LH gliss

  

e



e





6:8

e

e

e



e

bow from string IV to I, and gliss vertically, the ridges produce a rasping sound

 

Ⅱ

Ⅳ

double-triple stop rasp roll gliss



{{{ {{{{{ {{{{{ {{{{{

       

e

 

 



frog pluck LH gliss E3 w

w

e

F3





ee

0:49

  



e







downbow slowly, lightly with glissando, the ridges produce a rolling sound

 

rasp roll gliss

e

e

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx





   

   ≠







 

Ⅳ

frog click e





    e

e



31 Vc.

Snd.



     3

mz 



e

e





1:40



Sono

34



Snd.

4



Vc.

      8:6

 G

 

 

poss.

= = = === =



4

frog snap

LH tap



37 r Vc.

Snd.

             LH tap

9:8

================

xxxx





      5:4

mz

= = =

r    





LH tap

= ==

1:51

Sono



r

LH tap frog snap = =

4



4



I







keep pressing the forg on the string, while tapping; string stops on the fingerboard edge

 

poss.



4 4 F6

  

LH open

       5:4

LH tap

= = = =

 r

             3

LH tap

rasp roll gliss

===== =======

x xxxxxxxx

 r



 

3

         



7:6



= ============ LH tap

xxxxxxxxxx



 



xxxxxx

r

                  9:6

==============

xxxxxxxxx

LH tap

2:01 Sono

40 H   



I Ⅱ

Vc.

xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx rasp roll gliss xx

Snd.





I



Sono

43

Vc.

Snd.

                      

==================

2:21 Sono

 









3

==== ================

 I



=

xxxx



       

LH tap

==========

rasp light, slow and short

 A4

xxxxxxx

rasp roll

 –                  

6:6

LH tap

2:12

  

r      



LH tap gliss



 

xxxx

=

G4



4

J 46 Vc.

  

press click on saw tooth,

frog click

  

LH gliss

I





≠

≠

Snd.

      

 liftwhileoffLHfrog,glisslet vibrate, 

   



≠

≠

≠

  

≠

  

 

≠

≠





2:31

49



Vc.

Snd.

 

 

  

e

≠







2:41 Sono

52

 I  Ⅱ Ⅲ  Ⅱ    

Vc.

Snd.

a

a a

a

 I  a

 3        

Ⅲ



a

≠

a

Sono

Vc.

Snd.







yyyyyyyyyyy





3:01 Sono

58 Vc.

Snd.

 3:10

Sono







  I 

 Ⅳ

2:52

 55

≠





a





3

 

   ≠







yyyyyyyyyy yyyyyyy

 









··



poss.

rasp gliss

a D#4

Ⅲ Ⅳ

a

 L

 



rasp roll gliss



≠

3

Ⅲ

   a

slow bowing with some pressure to produce spiral groove clangs





yyyyyyyyyyyyyy

 M 

≠

LF pizz close to nut above bow, bow vertical slide ST to Nut, dbl-triple stop slide on plucked strings

   I  r Ⅱ  LH pizz





 



yyy

angled rasping



slow bow speed, each line indicates ~ spiral groove

rasp roll gliss



 K

Sono



  

   



  I Ⅱ

medium speed bowing produce granular sound

              

mz

rasp roll gliss LH tap

xxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

5 61 Vc.

Snd.

                                   

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

3:21



Sono

64 Vc.

Snd.





xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



x x x x

xx

x x x x x x x x

x x x x





3:30

 Iberian Tweet Fantasy 

Sono

67 Vc.

Snd.













thumb mutes the string bow on the forg

I frog click tweet B6

3:40 Sono

70 Vc.

Snd.

    !!



 

 







!!!!!!!!!!!







frog click gliss tweet

B6

3:51 Sono

73 Vc.

Snd.







!!!!

 

 









frog click e

B6

4:00 Sono





xxxxxxx

slow bow speed, each 16th indicates ~ spiral groove click

 

xxx xxx x x xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



 

 





frog pluck w frog click tweet !!!!!







 



frog pluck w frog click tweet !!!!









 

!!!!!! ! ! !



frog click gliss tweet





!!!!!!!!

    

6 I Ⅱ

76



Vc.

Snd.

I

 



 



!!!!!!!!!!!!

cc rasp roll toad

B6









frog click tweet

!!!!!! ! ! !



I Ⅱ



     

cc rasp roll toad

frog click gliss tweet

4:09 Sono

     

79 Vc.



cc

Snd.





 



!!!



     





 



!!!!!

 





!!!

!!!

 



cc rasp roll toad

 

 



4:18 Sono

82







Vc.

 

frog click gliss tweet

 





!!!!!!!

Snd.







!!!!!! ! ! !



frog click gliss tweet













frog pluck w

!!!!!

      cc rasp roll toad

4:27 Sono

85 Vc.

Snd.

N







 

!!!!!

 













frog pluck w



!!!!!

 



w



     



cc rasp roll toad

     cc









frog click e

B6

 



    



6

frog click

! !!!!

e

!!

frog click tweet

4:36 Sono

88 Vc.



e

Snd. 4:45 Sono

6

      !!



6

      e

!!



 



!!





 

 !!



 



!!!!





      

!!!



!!!!!!!!

frog click gliss tweet



O

91





Vc.

frog click tweet

Snd.

B6

!!!!!!!!!

mz







!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !

4:54

94



Vc.

Snd.

5:03

Sono



97 Vc.









! !!! !! ! ! !

frog click





! ! !!!!! ! ! ! ! !

!

!

!



frog click gliss









!!!!!!!

B6

    



!!

Snd.





frog click gliss tweet

Sono

7

 Firelight Bird 



I Ⅱ





poss.

frog click

I

5



!!!!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxx

5:13

rasp roll





 P Ⅱ Ⅲ

 

rasp trem gliss LH gliss

z z z z z z zzzzzz

zzzzz

Sono

100

Q



Vc.

zzzzzzzzzzzz

Snd.

5:28

   103

Sono

Vc.

Snd.

5:34 Sono





Ⅱ Ⅲ

  

rasp trem gliss LH gliss

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

zzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzz z z zz zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 R

 Ⅱ  Ⅲ

rasp trem gliss LH gliss

  

z

  

 



LH open/mute string

zzzzzzzz orch hit 4 zzz z z z z z zzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzz

8

 S 



106 Vc.



 

Ⅲ Ⅳ

œœ

LH gliss

 







bow both vertically and horizontally

 



 

 



 

  ...



 





 

  

 

  



 



bow from string IV to I, gliss vertically

  Ⅳ

zz angled rasping zz zz z z z zzz z z zz zz zz zzz zzzz zzzz zzzz z z z z z zzz z zz zz z z z zzzzzzz z z z z z z z z z zz zz

Snd.

5:43

 T  

Sono

109

     I œœ  I Ⅱ

LH open/mute string





LH gliss

up and down bow, with some pressure, produce rattling sound









 U 



 



wwwwwwwww zz orch hit wwwwwwwww 4 orch hit wwwwwwzz 4 rasp rattling gliss

Snd.

    œœ

Ⅱ Ⅲ

 

 

3



3









3

 

 

 

wwwwwwwww 4 wwwwwwwww wwwww orch hit zz



Vc.

 

8:6

5:54

V

   112  Vc.

Ⅱ Ⅲ

W                  œœ                    

!!!!!ww

Snd. frog click

wwwwwwwwwwww

rasp rattling gliss

6:06 Sono

 115 Vc.

Snd.

 5

Snd.



wwwwwwwwwwww

   

Ⅱ Ⅲ

orch hit



5

5

5

g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g bow tap

 X 







Ⅱ I

rasp rattling gliss zzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

z zzzzzz4 g zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz orch hit w





Ⅲ

4

ww

LH open/mute string

rasp rattling gliss

        Ⅱ hit strings and fingerboard with the bow as you gliss lower



   







zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 4 orch hit zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

6:25 Sono

   ¿ 5

¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿ ¿¿ ¿

6:15

Vc.

 5

 

g g gg g g g gg g g g g g gg g gg g

Sono

 118

5

wwwwwwwwwwww

zz

Sono



Ⅲ Ⅱ

  

z zzzz rasp rattling gliss



121





zz

Vc.

Snd.

    

orch hit

         7:6           







Y  

drop the bow; move fast and sharp; press down all strings and glis; let the strings vibrate

Ⅱ Ⅲ

œœœœ

I Ⅳ LH gliss

drop gliss d d

w orch hit w4 wwrattling rasp gliss

4

bow drop

d

d

d d

d

d

d

 Z 

  9:8             



œœ œœ

d

d

d

d

d d

d

d

d

d

6:35

  7:6 Fan bow drop   3          AA   3   6    Flatspot       124                                  œ Ⅱœ Ⅲ  œœœ œœœ œœœœ Vc. I Ⅱ Ⅱ Ⅲ LH gliss œœ œœ rasp roll rasp roll d bow drop drop gliss d d d d dd CC d d d Snd. d d C d d q C d d q d d drop gliss doppler gesture doppler gesture

Sono

6:44

Sono

 BB

  127 Vc.

  7:6        CC            

Snd.

I Ⅱ

œœ œœ d

d

d

d

d

d

d

rasp roll

CC

q

doppler gesture

    

 3     ⅡⅢ œœœœ LH gliss bow drop

drop gliss d d

 DD

       I Ⅱœœœ

 130 Vc.

            ⅡⅢ œœœœ LH gliss bow drop

3

drop gliss d d

Snd.

  œ   I Ⅱœ œ

d

d

rasp roll

rasp roll

Cq C

Cq C

doppler gesture

7:06 Sono

 133

     œœ œ

Snd.

C q

Vc.

7:16 Sono

    œœ    œ



   CqC



yy



Ⅱ Ⅲ

  œœœ

   CqC



d

     rasp roll

CC d qgesture doppler

    Ⅱ Ⅲ œœœ

d

CC

q

d

  

doppler gesture

   I œœ Ⅱœ



rasp roll

doppler gesture



d

rasp roll

d

6:56 Sono

   

            



bounce

C C q

C doppler gesture



yyyy



C

y y



  IⅡ  œœœ C

9

10 136 Vc.

Snd.



  I  œœœ



yyy

bow from string I to IV; hold





     I Ⅱ  œœœ

FF



Snd.



yyy CC

q



CC

q

7:26

Vc.

     Ⅱ Ⅲ  œœœ

C C yyy

qC

Sono

 139



 down all strings; let vibrate    Ⅳ 

EE

q

     Ⅲ Ⅳ  œœœ



     œœœ



mz

rasp roll

xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx CC q y y y CqC

7:36

 GG  

Sono

142

Vc.



I Ⅱ

 

œœœ



  

y y C

Snd.



   ⅡⅢ  œœœ

  



CC q

qC yyyy



Ⅳ Ⅲ

 HH

Sono

Vc.

Snd.



 mz

7:57

Vc.

Snd.



angled rasping

Ⅳ



rasp roll LH pizz xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx x x x x x x

f

Sono

148

Ⅳ Ⅲ

bow both on the fingerboard corner and string IV



xx x

x

x

x





Ⅳ

mz

x

x



crosshands; LH taps below bow; bow slowly

             rasp rattling

xx x x x x xx x x x x x x x x

 II

Ⅲ                                 Ⅳ     8:07



LH tap rasp roll

x

x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x xx x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x

Sono

 œ   œœ

xxxxxx xx x x x x CC q

7:46

Sultry Wagon   145



yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



JJ

151 Vc.

Snd.



angled rasping



Ⅳ

yyyyyyyyy

11

bow both on the fingerboard corner and string IV



rasp rattling

yyy yyy xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxx xxxyy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

8:16 Sono

 154 Vc.

Snd.

KK









yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

rasp roll

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

8:25 Sono



bow very close to the nut on IV string produce a bright rolling sound

