Ratkje A HIGHWAY IN STATE SPACE

EDITION WILHELM HANSEN WH33235

Maja S. K. Ratkje

A HIGHWAY IN STATE SPACE For Solo Cello and Electronic Effects

SCORE www.musicsalesclassical.com WH33235 ISBN 978-87-598-4226-3 ISMN 979-0-66134-534-3

Maja S. K. Ratkje

A HIGHWAY IN STATE SPACE For Solo Cello and Electronic Effects (2017)

Duration: c. 15 min.

For Jeffrey Ziegler

Copyright © 2020 Edition Wilhelm Hansen AS, Copenhagen WH 33235 ISBN: 978-87-598-4226-3 ISMN: 979-0-66134-534-3 Edition Wilhelm Hansen AS Bornholmsgade 1A 1266 København K Denmark www.musicsalesclassical.com

Performance Notes A Highway In State Space is an artistic interpretation of professor Signe Kjelstrup's work on energy conversion, corresponding to an article including the same wording which was published in Chemical Engineering Science 60 (2005) by the authors Eivind Johannessen and Signe Kjelstrup.

The piece consists of two dierent types of music.

Letter [A] is a selection of motifs which the performer can freely choose from.

[B]-[D] are 'musical reections'.

[A] starts the piece and is also found before each other section [B]-[D], like a ritornello.

All the motifs in [A] should be played more than once in the piece, but not necessarily within each presentation of [A].

[A] - [B] - [A] - [C] - [A] - [D] - [A] - [E]

A Highway In State Space solo cello and electronic effects Maja S. K. Ratkje 2017

A Choose between these main motifs. Make your own order. Each motif can be played naturale, or undergo two types of processing: 'multiplication' and/or 'pressure'.

'Multiplication' is done by adding a suitable Stereo Space Echo, and/or storing the motif in X2 Looper while playing new, similar layers on top.

'Pressure' is interpreted as adding distortion by using a Tube Screamer.

Make nice transitions or pauses between the motifs that you choose to play.

Motif 1: Gas molecules.

A cloud of molecules, zoomed in so we can see each one of them bounce around and gradually orient themselves towards a uniform dissipation.

Short, high-pitched sounds in high/extreme register. Generally fast, but pitch, dynamics and tempo is ad lib.

Use one or two of these techniques: ord., harmonics, behind the bridge, pizz.

Always non vibrato.

Max length: 20s. including transition and ending.

Ending alternative 1 Transition.

œ œ œ œ œœ ÷

sim. ad lib. œ œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œœœ

q = 110

repeat ad lib.

œ œ œ ™™ & ™™ œ (even tempo)

optional decresc.

Ending alternative 2

Ending alternative 3

Keep repeating one of the pitches in fast tempo.

Stop gradually after x repetitions or let Space Echo take over by bringing it into self-oscillation.

÷

œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ accel.

Copyright © 2020 Edition Wilhelm Hansen AS, Copenhagen

q = 110

œo

œo

(even tempo) arco

& ™™

always p

Œ

Œ

? ™™

2

Motif 2: Entropy.

Loss of energy through entropy as a function of temperature and pressure.

Start "from nothing" each time, and make the motif sound like one smooth line.

Never really loud.

q = 60, very freely

?

1

as high as possible sul A g li ss.

˙

o

˙˙

gliss.

µœ

b˙

Bœ

airy

nœ

Œ

Motif 3: SO2 oxidation.

Even with free inlet and outlet temperature, the oxidation process seems to follow the same "highway".

This motif has a free and vivid introduction, all improvised, but always ending on the written double stop.

Whenever played, it is with a new and different introduction. Dynamics ad lib.

œ

÷ œ

œ

q = 60, freely

œ œ

œ œ œ œ œ œ

?

#w w

mp or more

#œœ

crush-tone no clear pitch

U œœ

Motif 4: Steam reforming.

From large differences in temperature to steady movement within a small range.

Continuous glissando on any two strings starting from a large interval.

Pitches on higher and lower string vertically crossing towards end of gliss. to play a small or large second with lowest string on top note.

Always legato, but change strokes when needed.

q = 60, freely

U ÷ !w

top note as high as possible from start

mp

ww ™™

(change finger position if needed)

˙˙

always up a minor third

gliss.

U ww

I find this model very inspiring for the use of Ziegler’s effects set-up!

This is a model for the most efficient separation of CO2.

(My mother says: «Do not take one big step – take three smaller ones!»)

My mother explains that «a system which has sufficient degree of freedom will orient itself so that it follows a path of uniform dissipation. If you can choose, you will drive your car in a lane where you can keep constant speed.» She has named this path A highway in state space2.

But the easies and most efficient path isn’t necessarily a straight (boring) line from A to B. Some of my mother’s colleagues3 have revealed beautiful, labyrinthical patterns when experimenting with sucking liquid out from one point on a glass plate covered with tiny, round particles. Below are pictures of some longshots. Strangely familiar figures appear, do we see patterns like this in nature?

The biggest difference, as I see it, between science and art is this: Where science – and nature perhaps – is concentrating on processes that are coherent, human artistic expression is often rooted in what is less easy, and sometimes logically and physically contradictory. The biggest similarity between science and art lies in the way it is created. Intention and contextualization in arts and science makes us different from other living beings on our planet. Our knowledge and ability too contextualize also makes us responsible, in a way the planet has never seen the like of before.

Nature has always inspired art. When science, if it’s done right, shows us the beauty and richness of nature, it may also be of great inspiration. In this work, I want my music to address science, and acknowledge the strangely felt familiarity.

2

http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/State_space

3

Knut Jørgen Måløy, Bjørnar Sandnes, Henning Arendt Knudsen and Eirik Flekkøy