SAUNDERS
Ire
Concerto for Violoncello, Strings and Percussion
Full Score
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Ire REBECCA SAUNDERS
Concerto for Violoncello, Strings and Percussion
(2012)
POD PETERS on demand
EDITION PETERS
LEIP ZI G L ONDO N NE W YOR K
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Commissioned by Ensemble Resonanz with the kind support of the Ernst von Siemens Foundation for Music and HCMF Huddersfield
(2012)
ire [aɪə] anger, wrath, rage n. b. 1300 (OF ire, yre, ME f. OF f. L ira)
„One must not think ill of the paradox, for the paradox is the passion of thought, and the thinker without the paradox is like the lover without passion: a mediocre fellow. But the ultimate potentiation of every passion is always to will its own downfall, and so it is also the ultimate passion of the understanding to will the collision, although in one way or another the collision must become its downfall. This, then, is the ultimate paradox of thought: to want to discover something that thought itself cannot think.“
Søren Kierkegaard, Philosophical Fragments
Written for Jean-Guihen Queyras and the Ensemble Resonanz for first performance at Huddersfield Contemporary Musik Festival and conducted by Peter Rundel
With my thanks to Severine Ballon
Instrumentation
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Solo Violoncello (scordatura II & IV, see below)
4 Violins
2 Violas
Violoncello
Doublebass (5-string, scordatura V down to Ab)
Percussion
General
This is an ongoing exploration of an extremely reduced palette of timbres, focusing in particular on two specific sounds. Within this small palette of timbres, the extremes of articulation are very important – absolute contrast of colour, attack and intent. Take every opportunity to explore soft, expressive and warm sounds, in contrast to the loud, distorted and choleric sound material. Silence is the canvas – despite choleric nature of sound material, all sounds surface out of, and disappear into, silence.
Also bring out the melodic lines – ordinary tones and the double-harmonic glissandi lines – as well as the close difference tones. The final section is fragile and delicate, without rubato or rit. Quasi-melodic, exploring subtle shades of timbre.
Scordatura
Solo Violoncello II ¼-tone higher, IV octave lower.
Doublebass V down to Ab
Tempi
Tempi given are only guidelines. Interpretation and acoustic of performance space are key. Important is a driven and flowing line, whereby rhythmic coherence and articulation of timbral contrast are clearly defined.
Fluctuations of tempi are necessary to maintain the extreme energy. The slower tempi are principally defined by how the Solo ´Cello IV-string reacts to, and explores, the octave scordatura. Expand fermatas and resonance-like moments accordingly.
Duration 17 - 18 minutes
All String Players
Two elemental sounds are explored extensively in this composition. A gradual process of fusion takes place.
1. Solo Violoncello: initial low timbral palette explores specifically the expressive and rich sonority of the fourth string when scordatura down one octave. Timbral potential and playing possiblities of IV are altered radically: an attack at f / ff is naturally delayed due to low tension of string; f / ff also changes pitch of string significantly; an increase of bow speed at louder dynamics is necessary.
Explore vertical bow movement and subtle degrees of flautando, extremes of bow speed and varying bow contact points – A IV-string lyrical and expressive line – enjoy!
An upper graphic stave shows the bow contact point between st+ (furthest possible point over fingerboard) and sp+, and serves to emphasise the importance of a fluid vertical bow movement on the fourth string.
Since VC scordatura IV is naturally quieter, all players need to consider overall balance carfeully!
2. Occuring in all string instruments, the second sound in it’s purest form, is an up-bow double-harmonic trill moving towards sul pont, with a fast and smooth glissando.
Immediate and present, but also unstable and unpredictable. Hold still where possible between the gestures. Double-harmonic trills are always very fast and regular – ff or pp , & with or without crescendo or decrescendo. Imagine the bow merely reveals an almost mechanical manic trilling sound, which lies hidden beneath the surface of silence.
In fastest sections, e.g. Tempo 134, the glissandi trills are so fast, flowing and continous, that no exact trilling harmonics are given – Play these trills with 2nd or 3rd finger sounding highest possible partials.
The trilled harmonics trace a quasi-melodic line – Bring out relative differentiation of pitch, tracing this line up and down the strings. The short-note interjections of ordinary single tones, open strings, and chords, trace a second and clear melodic line stretched through the piece.
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Harmonics
At all times the playing pitch of harmonics is given in the score and part. At key moments the string or harmonic node is also given for exact clarification. The harmonic nodes and sounding pitches can be seen in the two charts below: 1. for violoncello and 2. for violin or viola. Exact pitches are not critical, and please note that the addition of sul pont creates additional layers of overtones.
Solo, Duo, Trio combinations
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Violoncello natural harmonics
IV natural and microtonal
sounding pitch:
point of contact :
Violin and Viola natural harmonics
point of contact : IV natural and microtonal sounding pitch:
The Solo VC line combines with different members of the string orchestra: Solo VC and Violin 1 from bar 167; Solo VC, Orch. VC and Violin 1 trio from bar 195 till bar 242; Solo VC and DB from bar 301 till bar 333; Solo VC and Violin 1 again bar 340 till the end. There is also a Subtones Duo for Violin 1 and Viola 1 between bars 304 and 339.
Subtones Duo: here sp extremely intense. Subtones dominate. Long strokes near heel. Dialogue: eye-contact! Tempo = 152 is a separate tempo from the rest of the ensemble. Entries are given. Clear co-ordination with Tempo = 134. The conductor gives signals 1 to 5. In the parts:
1. ff sempre
2. cresc. or non cresc.
3.Accents or No Accents
or
Pitch (g) barely audible. Not too fast!
4.auxillary notes or not: i. open strings ii. ½-harmonic blocked chord, ad hoc.
Violoncello Solo and Tutti Strings
st+
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Sul tasto extreme flautando bow stroke well over fingerboard, as near to half-way node as possible; hollow, floating, beautiful st Sul tasto
sp Sul pont: pp / ppp bring out overtones. f / ff sound towards distortion.
½-sp Sul pont colouring, but actual written tone heard clearly. sp+ or + Sul pont extreme: complete distortion.
¬ Stop bow abruptly
Continuous and even transition from one timbre to the next. flaut Flautando.
m flaut Molto flautando. n flaut Senza flautando.
Glissando.
Glissando to top or bottom of string.
Harmonic trill glissandi are very fluid.
Raised or lowered by ¼-tone.
p vib/pv Poco vibrato
s v Senza vibrato m vib/mv Molto vibrato
Gradually from vib via m vib increasing left-hand movement to vibrato extreme, which is shown by the curve on the stem. The vibrato interval is given.
Gradually increase the frequency of the detaché strokes up to a very fast tremelando. The left-hand trill remains constant (and fast).
grafik 1
grafik 2
Gradually decrease the frequency of the tremolando via increasingly longer detaché strokes to the point of non trem. The left-hand trill remains constant (and fast). tr+
grafik 1
grafik 2
Tremolando and trill when played simultanously always very fast fused sound, mostly played at st /st+.
Behind the bridge at given string. Light fluid bows. Very fragile and beautiful.
grafik 3
Unspecific and high harmonics.
Gradually from ord. tone to harmonic; gradually releasing finger pressure.
grafik 3
akzentAccents are always biting, hard-edged sf / sff
grafik 4
grafik 4
A sp marcato attack, deep in the string and release immediately subito ord. Deep, loud and distorted effect.
akzent
LH + or « Bartok pizzicato.
LH pizz. Left-hand pizzicato (´Celli and DB).
batt viol Battuto violento with hair of bow OVER the fingerboard, so that the wood of the bow hits the wood of the fingerboard. Very loud. (Orchestral VC and DB).
BD Bass Dr um
TT Tamtam
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4 Coils 4 car coil springs
Metal Resonant metal plate
LR Lions Roar
Grate Nicophone or metal grate
Cymbal Large C hinese Cymbal
BD Very large natural skin, double-sided.
G z Just off-centre for full resonance.
Gz 1cm from rim, very high overtones and no deep bass drum resonance.
Gz G z Gradually move from edge to centre of skin. rim
Play on wooden rim. Use snare sticks at tip of stick (a.) or middle (b.) of stick.
b. a. Move from middle of stick to tip during trill.
Two soft large beaters, the first at G z on skin of bass drum, the second hits first beater.
+ chain Place very light sizzle-chain on skin of drum – hear high trilling surface of sound with low resonance of drum. At p / pp played trilling with light rubber beaters (R) or light snare sticks.
S Drag large superball beaters (use two and alternate for smooth sound) producing beautiful deep resonance when p / pp and a monstrous „noise“ when f / ff (with sizzel chain).
TT 95-100cm diameter Paste tamtam. A Wuhan tamtam is too heavy for theses sounds.
5 contact points: 1. Absolute centre, 2. In centre ring, 3. Over large smooth zone, 4. Outer-ridged zone, 5. Side edge.
S Drag superball beater slowly and carefully over surface of tamtam for mid-low resonant tones – beautiful and explorative.
M Fast loud action around surrated edge of tamtam (at least half of diameter!) with a metal beater – high partials and long loud resonance.
Bowed Bow at 5. C hoose mid-high complex and very resonant overtones.
+ chain Hang a very light thin chain or wire over the edge of the tamtam when indicated. When tamtam is struck chain vibrates lightly on surface of tamtam in a regular pulse. Timbre combines with metalic and non-metallic shimmering overtones.
4 Coils
Large metal car coils large to small. Coils 1 and 2 should be large unusual ones of contrasting size and relative pitch. Coils 3 and 4 can be standard Kolberg large coils („Autofeder“) therefore of relatively higher pitch. Hung in the middle or laid on top end on very bobbly/holey foam for very long loud complex resonance. Played with small metal hammers (M) or tubular bell beaters (TB). Ossia at p / pp : Kolberg triangle beaters.
Metal Small thin resonant metal plate with several small holes. Hung. Complex spectrum, no clear tonal centre.
Grate Ideally a Nicophone. Alternative: Very resonant heavy loud metal grate (or „Fussabtreter“) on very boobly/holey foam for maximum long complex resonance. Played with metal beater or hammer like a guiro along the whole length.
LR Lions Roar from low large drum head.
Cymbal Large chinese Cymbal, hung. Bow at edge with Bass Bow. Choose mid-high complex resonant overtones.
Additional notes to Beaters
R Light rubber beaters. E.g. handles of Kolberg triangle beaters.
Snare sticks. Use thicker snare sticks to avoid damage to skin of bass drum at f / ff. Ossia f : large round-headed wooden beaters; Ossia pp: very thin snare sticks.
Large thick fluffy beaters.
Ordinar y bass drum beaters.
TB Tubuar bell beaters.
Bowed. Bass bow.
MH Small metal hammers.
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Vla2
Vln1
Vln2
Vln3
Vla1
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Vla1 Vla2
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*)HarmonicsIV23andIV24(ortwootherneighbouringharmonicsbetweenIV22andIV26). WithtinyLHmovementandvaryingbowspeed,pressureandangletofindbalanceddyad. Extremelyfragileandbeautiful.
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Increasepressureslightlyfortrill.Averyfastregulartrillcreatesaquasi-multiphonic.
***)1/2-tonebelow5thharmonicsgivesmagicalcomplexmultiphonic. Adjustbowspeedandangleasnecessary. Increasepressureslightlyfortrill.Averyfastregulartrillcreatesaquasi-multiphonic.
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