Tavener THEOPHANY

OnDemand

Tavener, John Theophany

Score for sale (North America): http://www.halleonard.com/product/viewproduct.do?itemid=14016697&lid=0&li Score for sale (UK, Europe and other territories): http://www.musicroom.com/se/id_no/00011012/details.html?kbid=1296 Information about the work and materials for hire: http://www.musicsalesclassical.com/composer/work/8503

Score begins on the next page.

Chester Music Limited Part of the Music Sales Group

John Tavener

THEOPHANY for orchestra and tape

CHESTER MUSIC 7.12

This work was commissioned by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra to celebrate its 100th Anniversary in 1993/4. It was first performed on 3rd May 1994, at Basingstoke Concert Hall, by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Hickox.

SCORING Flute (doubling piccolo) Piccolo (doubling alto flute*) 2 oboes Clarinet in B flat* Bass clarinet in B flat* Bassoon Contrabassoon 3 horns in F* 3 trumpets Trombone Bass trombone Tuba Timpani Bandir drum Strings Tape ‡ *Notated in C in the score ‡ The pre-recorded tape material is supplied on a DVD containing mixable sound tracks and also click and count tracks for the conductor (who should be connected to the sound engineer through an earpiece). A balance engineer will be needed for the solo sections.

A high-quality PA system will also be required, to reproduce the low frequencies involved.

Duration: c. 30 minutes Conductor’s score, tape‡ and orchestral parts are available on hire Score also on sale: Order No. SOS10292

Bandir Drum Dum Tek Te Ke Hek Du Me

right hand right hand right hand left hand both hands right hand left hand

bass note (extended) rim stroke (high note, extended) rim stroke (short high note) rim stroke (short high note) rim stroke (extended) between rim and middle between rim and middle

Hek

Me

Du

Dum

Ke

Tek, Te

Note: due to temperature fluctuations it may be necessary to dampen the drum OR warm it with a hairdryer.

Notation , ! and E denote microtones, the characteristic ‘breaks in the voice’ of Eastern chant.

COMPOSER’S NOTE Theophany for orchestra and tape is an attempt in musical terms to ‘redefine’ the presence of God in all things, as seen from the earliest days of Creation through to the Psalmist. I prefer to think of the music as an ‘ikon’ in sound, since I do not write in purely abstract forms, although it would be perfectly possible to listen to the music as organised sounds, with recurring phrases, textures, interactions, harmonies, rhythms etc.

The music is based on the Plagal of the fourth Byzantine tone. The orchestra is divided into strings, woodwinds, brass, timpani and tape, which runs for the duration of the piece. The music begins with taped sounds representing an ‘image’ of the ‘uncreated energies of God’ in distinct, and very low pitches with the Greek words (*: (,0, (I AM) signifying no beginning, no middle, no end: in fact no finite dimension. These pitches then literally form the ‘basis’ and ‘bass’ of the orchestral music that follows, painting colours over the stark ‘basis’. This happens first with the strings, then with the woodwinds, then with the brass and timpani, and then with the alto flute and bandir drum, an ancient drum used by the Sufis to represent the ‘heart-beat’; and from the tape we hear ‘Adam’ ‘singing’ without breath ‘I am’, and see an image or ‘hint’ of man in his Paradisial state. Then the ‘uncreated energies’ are heard once again with different pitches, providing the ‘basis’ of the string, wind, brass, alto flute, bandir drum and ‘Eve’ sections.

Before the final ‘cosmic tidal wave’, ‘Adam’ and ‘Eve’ and the whole orchestra join together very quietly.

The final image of ‘uncreated sound’ is one of apocalyptic terror and awe – tape and orchestra playing together.

The 20 second silence that follows represents for me the cosmic catastrophe of fall and end. “…In the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” St Matthew 24 & 30 John Tavener

CHESTER MUSIC part of The Music Sales Group 14/15 Berners Street, London W1T 3LJ tel: +44 (0)20 7612 7400 fax: +44 (0)20 7612 7549

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Order No. SOS10292