Harrison BALDERDASH

ISSUU version for perusal only

Holly Harrison BALDERDASH

for string quartet

Full Score

Commissioned for Musica Viva Australia by Silo Collective for the 2018 Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition

Music G. Schirmer Australia Pty Ltd Sydney, NSW

Wise

ISSUU version for perusal only

If this work is to be performed publicly as a live concert, permission must be secured from the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) Locked Bag 5000 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012

Tel: +61 2 9935 7900

Email: apra@apra.com.au

If this work is to be streamed, synchronised or performed publicly as an opera, ballet or theatrical dramaticomusical performance, a grand rights and/or synchronisation licence must be secured from Wise Music G. Schirmer Australia Pty Ltd.

Tel: +61 2 8252 6200

Email: classical@wisemusic.com

Unauthorised reproduction of any part of this publication by any means including photocopying is an infringement of copyright.

ISSUU version for perusal only

About Balderdash…

Balderdash begins and ends with amplifier feedback: a sound that quickly makes us bring our fingers to our ears! The piece imagines an alternate world in which music is heard between the feedback – a sort of sub/hyper-sonic sound world which takes place in mere seconds.

With this in mind, the string quartet explores musical ideas inspired by electric guitar, including distortion, white noise, whammy bars, power-chords, dive-bombs, wah-wah, phaser effects, slap bass, and of course, speaker feedback. Balderdash makes high use of punk rock rhythms, dissonance, and percussive-based jams, which morph in and out of bluegrass, grunge, prog-rock, metal, and . . . disco.

Given the piece was commissioned for a competition, I felt it might be fun to experiment with a battle-of-the-bands theme within the string quartet itself. Throughout Balderdash, players go rogue (especially the cello!), engage in oneupmanship, jam, duel, challenge, compete, interrupt, surrender, work together in teams, and cooperate as one. The piece is intended to be theatrical and encourages the quartet to perform with abandon.

I have called the piece Balderdash as it is a term used to refer to nonsense – of which I am quite a fan! The ‘dash’ part also resonates with the high intensity nature of the work, and the sense of moving somewhere quickly.

ISSUU version for perusal only

ISSUU

[phaser-like:graduallytowardsbridge]

for perusal only

[phaser-like:graduallytowardsbridge]

[graduallybacktonat.] [graduallybacktonat.]

ISSUU

for perusal only

ISSUU version for perusal only

for perusal only

ISSUU version for perusal only

version for perusal only

ISSUU version for perusal only

Œ ‰#œj‰#œ

bœœœœœœœœœœœ

ISSUU version for perusal only

Noisyandraly-canadlib. pizz.

[slap]

inthespiritofpunk,some 'out-of-tuneness'-isOK [strum]

Temposuggestionsonlyapproximate:themost importantthingisthatthetempoacceleratesovertime

ISSUU version for perusal only

#œœ ‰ #œœœœœœœ#œœ ‰ œœœœnœœœ#œœ‰œnœœœ#œœœœœ‰œ#œœ

‰

#œœœœœ ‰

#œœœœœœ‰œœœ#œœœœ#œœ ‰#œœœ

#œœœœœœ‰œœœœœœœœœ‰œœœœœœœœœ‰œœœœ#œœœœœ‰œœœ

ISSUU version for perusal only

Selected works by Holly Harrison also available from Wise Music G. Schirmer Australia

ORCHESTRA

Centrifuge (2022)

Hi-Vis (2021)

Black Ice (2021) for string orchestra

Fizzin’ Fury (2019)

Splinter (2018)

Jammed (2018)

Frumious (2013) for chamber orchestra

Big Top (2021) written for young audiences

POWER UP (2021) 4 min for body percussion and orchestra, written for young audiences

CONCERTO

Hovercraft (2025) for theremin, percussion and strings

Superhighway (2024) for saxophone and orchestra

Hellbent (2021) for trumpet and orchestra

Hotwire (2019) for viola and orchestra

Wise Music G. Schirmer Australia Pty Ltd

min

CHAMBER

Swivel & Swerve (2024) for soprano sax and piano

Daredevil (2023) for clarinet, string quartet and piano

Riffs and Revs (2023) 7 min for flute, bass clarinet, cello, and keyboard

Burnout (2022) for brass ensemble 4 min

Triple Threat (2021) for brass and percussion

min

Bend/Boogie/Break (2018) for mixed sextet 11 min

The Mad Hatter’s Tea-Party (2018) for narrator and mixed quintet 18 min

Balderdash (2018) for string quartet 15 min

Lobster Tales and Turtle Soup (2016) for mixed sextet 12 min

WIND BAND

(2023)

And Whether Pigs Have Wings (2022) 10 min New version for soprano and wind band

Splinter (2020) 8 min

Find perusal scores & recordings for more of Holly Harrison’s works on wisemusicclassical.com

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook