Brown NEW PIECE by ScoresOnDemand

BROWN

New Piece Score

EARLE BROWN

New Piece

Score

EDITION

Earle Brown NEW PIECE (1971)

NEW PIECE is related to the MODULES series for large orchestra, but texturally much simpler. Each of four groups of instruments is orchestrated on a single interval: 5 ths, octaves, minor 9 ths, and 10 ths. The conductor may combine, shape, and form them in various ways. As in MODULES , “a simple sonic event.” The four groups are positioned around the audience.

Earle Brown

Duration:

Approximately 6 to 11 minutes

Earle Brown (1926–2002)

Litolff/Peters Nr. 11118

Edition Peters 11118

Instrumentations

There are several instrumentations for NEW PIECE

Written for an Earle Brown Portrait Concert (New York City, 12 November 1972 ), the instrumentation of NEW PIECE was originally arranged to match the 18 instruments of AVAILABLE FORMS I (previous page):

Version “Aspen “ 81 ”: 1.1.3.1 Woodwinds, 1.1.1.0 Brass, 3.2.2.2 Strings

Brown later adapted the instrumentation for other ensembles or to fit the instrumentations of other compositions of his, such as FROM HERE or EVENT: SYNERGY II as they were performed along with NEW PIECE in the same concert. When played in the same concert as EVENT: SYNERGY II , the instrumentation scored on the following page can be used:

Version “Durham, 1981”

2.2 ( 2 . Eh) .4 ( 3 E b , 4 B. Cl) Woodwinds, 4.2.2.0 Strings

Alternative instrumentations fitting EVENT: SYNERGY II and FROM HERE , and three more variations, are listed in the appendix.

Earle Brown (1926–2002)

Litolff/Peters

2007 by Henry Litolff’s Verlag Ltd & Co. KG, Leipzig

Directions for Performance

Excerpts from correspondence between Earle Brown and the conductor Neil Rolnick, 19 September 1976 :

A BOUT S EATING

The minor 9th and the 10th are at opposite sides of the stage with as much separation as possible, but each interval-group clustered closely.

The octave and 5ths should be placed at opposite corners at the back of the hall (which side for which interval is not very important), to your taste.

I NSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL PLAYERS

Ideal: all notes to be sustained (in balance) very quietly for long periods of time.

I NSTRUCTIONS FOR W IND PLAYERS

Wind players breathe when necessary without strain. Re-enter with as little attack as possible and come back to given dynamic as quickly as possible.

I NSTRUCTIONS FOR G UITAR , V IBRAPHONE , P IANO

Guitar (with amp), vibe, and piano play quiet, even tremolo or, especially in case of piano, strike keys in non-periodic rhythm so that the sound of the interval is statistically constant.

The pianist could also tremolo on the strings with yarn mallets.

I NSTRUCTIONS FOR VOICE

If the instrumentation with voices is used there should be at least two and hopefully three voices on each pitch so that they can breathe “out of sync” and maintain a steady sound.

I NSTRUCTIONS FOR V IOLIN

The high 5th is difficult for violin to hold for long periods, but insist. Let violin experiment with harmonics and fingerings, etc., until most comfortable is achieved.

A BOUT C ONDUCTING

I have so far always conducted it myself, from a central position, visible to all in all groups.

Decide if with or without mutes (trombone might be in cup or felt hat).

You must not over-rehearse it and lose the intensity of the musicians. It has to be gotten into and done as a lowkey, high-intensity meditation.

Signal very clearly, give them time to see that you are about to give them a down-beat so that you always get together, balanced, full chords. Add, subtract, combine the four intervals any way you wish, building a quiet, rather slow, but full and strong sonic, textural, meditative, GORGEOUS “composition.”

Don’t be impatient or try to make it too “interesting.”

It has proven to be a real spell-binder when you get the mood right. Let your compositional time-sense determine the duration in performance.

You will get a feed-back from musicians and audience (and your gut) when it has realized itself and the intensity is about to drop. Don’t force it. Don’t crescendo to the point where the balances go off.

ENJOY

Appendix

Six more instrumentations:

1 . Use when performed in the same concert as EVENT: SYNERGY II

2 . Use when performed in the same concert as EVENT: SYNERGY II

3 . Orchestration for Neil Rolnick and Port Costa Players, September 1976 , use when performed in the same concert as FROM HERE

4 . Rotterdam version (IV), 8 March ‘74

5 . Rome version ‘87

6 . Leipzig version ‘95

2.2.4.2 Woodwinds, 3.2.2.0 Strings

Use this instrumentation when NEW PIECE is performed in the same concert as Earle Brown’s EVENT: SYNERGY II.

2.2.4.2 Woodwinds, 4.2.2.0 Strings

Use this instrumentation when NEW PIECE is performed in the same concert as Earle Brown’s

EVENT: SYNERGY II

6 S .6 A. 3

Use this instrumentation when NEW PIECE is performed in the same concert as Earle Brown’s FROM HERE

T. 3 B Voices, 1.0.1.0 Woodwinds, 0.0.1. (or 1 ) Brass / Pn, Vib, amplified Guit./ 1.0.1.0 Strings

1 (or Ob) .0.2 (or alto Sax) ( 2 B. Cl). 0 Woodwinds, 0.2 (or 1 and Fl). 3.0 Brass, 5 (or 4 and Fl). 2.3.0 Strings

Leipzig, 1995

Rome, 1987

Version:

Voice / 1 (alto). 1 (or Fl). 2 ( 2 . bass) . 1

Woodwinds / 2 Pn, Mar, Vib / 2.1.1.0 Strings

Version:

Voice / 1 (alto) .0.2 ( 2 . bass). 1 Woodwinds, 1.1.1.0 Brass / 2 Pn, Vib / 2.1.1.0 Strings

Earle Brown

Earle Brown was born in 1926 in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, and in spirit remained a New Englander throughout his life. A major force in contemporary music and a leading composer of the American avantgarde since the 1950s, he was associated with the experimental composers John Cage, Morton Feldman and Christian Wolff, who – together with Brown – came to be known as members of the New York School. Brown died in 2002 at his home in Rye, New York.

Earle Brown wurde 1926 in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, geboren und blieb im Geist ein Leben lang Neuengländer. Ab den 1950er Jahren war er eine treibende Kraft in der zeitgenössischen Musik und einer der führenden Komponisten der amerikanischen Avantgarde. Enge Verbindung unterhielt er zu den experimentellen Komponisten John Cage, Morton Feldman und Christian Wolff, mit denen gemeinsam er später der sogenannten New York School zugerechnet wurde. Brown starb 2002 in seinem Haus in Rye, New York.