Three Minutes With Ned for tenor and piano (2013)

Three Minutes With Ned for tenor and piano

Verse I - Finally Verse II - But I've heard...

Verse III - The Paris weather for the occassion of Ned Rorem's 90th. birthday

Kurt Rohde Ripley Dog Face Music

I studied with Ned Rorem at Curtis from 1986-1988. To this day, I still consider his concise advice, which seemed as appropriate to my music then, as it does now: Less is more, except when more is more. Our last lesson was the best composition lesson I ever had with anyone.

Many thanks to David Ludwig and Jonathan Holland for including me in this celebration.

-K.R.

Verse I - Finally Finally heard Liberace. Extraordinary, his fingerwork! He plays all the right notes wrong. (from New York Diary, Spring, 1956) Verse II - But I've heard...

But I've heard nightingales sing and it's not so beautiful as all that. (from Paris Diary, Marrakech, Morocco, January-February, 1952) Verse III - The Paris weather The Paris weather, pale as death, continues as in January though July is nearly here.

Everyone talks of the Rosenbergs. Hot and cloudy. Yes, the Rosenbergs were electrocuted. (from Paris Diary, 1953)

Performance Notes This song is in three brief parts; each part is a verse using short excerpts from the New York and Paris Diaries of Ned Rorem. The three verses are to be played without pause; they are connected with one another in tempo by way of a metric modulation.

Verse I - Finally Startled, revealing, barely containing one's glee q = 92 - 96 very long fremata cresc. suddenly at the end non vib. vib. fpp f

Tenor Solo

U U 3 ≈bœ^ ™ ˙ &4 ‹ Fi -

non vib. fpp

f

œ bœ ‰

Œ

3 4 œ bœ œ b>˙ ™ 4

Œ

nal - ly,

3 4

Fi - nal -ly heard

Startled, revealing, barely containing one's glee q = 92 - 96 a tempo

^r nœ

^r bœ

U > 3 b˙ ™ &4

œ bœ

œœ

œnœ

>˙

œ accel. a tempo bœœ œœ œœ œœ œœ >œœ 3 4

bœbœ 44 œœœ

nœ œ

7

sub.

6 5 p lightly accent upper notes

molto f Piano

U ∑

{

? 43

‰ bœ

ff

f

4 4

j bœ

bœ

sub. pp

3 4 w ø

°

suddenly flat, mechanical, perfectly rhythmic, as if echoing vowels during warm-up

= vib. poco f molto legato

non vib. fpp

4

f T. Solo

.

3 bœ ™ bœ ™ bœ ™ œ™ &4 ‹ Li - be - ra - ce.

Œ

‰ Ex

^r œ

3 <b>˙˙ &4

œ bœ 2 bœ œ œ^ œ -œ ™ 21 4 16

bœ

œœ nœbœ bœ œnœ #œbœ œ œ 5

^r bœ œœ

6

Pno. p

tra - or - di - na - ry(ee)

-

(aa)

3

2 4

œ œ bœ œ > f

21 16 ˙

œ

{

? 43

‰ <b> ˙

œ ø

‰

bœ

j nœ ø>

2 4

21 16 ˙

vib. seductive 3

o 7

T. Solo

21 b-œ ™ -œ ™ -œ ™ -œ ™ -œ ™ -œ ™ -œ ™ 3 b-œ ™ -œ ˙ & 16 J J J J J J J 4 ‹ (ee) (ii) (oo) (uu) (aa) (ee) (ii) (oo) (uu)

˙™

^r ‰ ™ 43 #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ#œ œ œ œnœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ gently

21 & 16 ˙™

Ϫ 5

6

f sub. ppp

ppp Pno.

œ™ # œ œ # œ

œ œ

{

? 21 16 ˙™

‰ ™ 43 Œ °

Ϫ

‰™

Œ

pp

ø

= languid p

10

mp T. Solo

nœ

∑

& ‹

#œ ‰

œ œ his

œ

#˙

He

plays

‰

fin - ger - work!

^r ^r 6 5 nœ bœ 5 & #œœœœœœ#œœœœ œ œ œœ #œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œœ# œ œ œ#œœœœnœ #œœ œ œœœœn œ œ 6 5

Pno.

sub. f ppp

<#> ˙

-Ϫ

{

?

mf

œ

œ™ bœ œ #œ

œ

pp

œ™ #œ œ

≈

pp mp

ø

ø

= 13

mp gently T. Solo

& œ™ ‹ all

#œ ™

Ϫ

œ #œ ˙

the

right

notes

perfectly in time - a full whisper, not spoken at all; almost punative piu pp < h = h > f j œ

2 4

Œ

¿.

[attacca]

wrong.

“” n œœ nn# œœœ. œ 3 œ œ J 42 & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ™ bœ œ bbœœ ™ œ œ

< h = h >

∑

3

Pno.

ppp mp ppp

{

2 4

? b˙™

b˙™ “‘

∑

abruptly stop playing and lift pedal [attacca] immediately before "wrong"

Verse II - But I've heard...

4

Still, hovering, haphazardly precise h = 46 - 48 16

T. Solo

∑

& ‹

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

3 8

∑

n œœ. bœ 2 3 8 ‰ ‰ ™™ 4

∑

2 4

Still, hovering, haphazardly precise h = 46 - 48

“œ”.

“œ”. ‰Œ

&

ppp

. Œ œ œ ™™ nœbœœ ∑ œœ œœ ™™™™ R

‰Œ

“” # œœœ. ‰ Œ

∑

j œ pp

Pno. ppp pp

ppp

p

{

?

∑

Œ

∑

∑

bœ ˙

‰ Œ b œ. “‘

=

∑

∑

3‰ ‰ 2 œœ 4 œ-

&8

molto p nervous, miniature chirping

poco sfz

25 6

T. Solo

2 &4 ∑ ‹ “”. œ 2 &4 Œ

∑

3 8

∑

2 4 Œ “” # œœœ.

2 ‰ 4

∑

b œ^. ‰ ‰™ Œ

3 8

∑

∑

≈ œ œ œ œ œ ≈œ œ œ œ œ Œ -. . -. . -. -. . -. . v.

But I, But I, But But I, But I, But

Œ

∑

“”. . . . ^. œœœœœ ∑ ? 83 Œ j & 42 ‰ 6 b œ. p sfz “‘ °

Pno.

6

ppp

{

2 &4

∑

∑

‰

Œ bb>œœœ mf °

= poco fp

longingly

31

T. Solo

& ‹

pp

∑

∑

‰ œ™ v But “œ”.

. œ ‰ Œ 83

˙

&

∑

‰ Œ

2 4

∑

I've

nœj

∑

∑

∑

∑

“” . œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ^. ™ n œ. b œ. œ 3 2 8Œ J 4≈ 7

pp Pno.

p

{

& <b><b>˙˙˙

˙˙˙

˙˙˙

˙˙˙

˙˙˙

3 8 œœœ ™™

2 4 ˙˙˙

sfz pp

molto p legato p

38

5

3

6

T. Solo

œ œ œ œ œ œŒ -. . -. . -. .

& ‹

But I, But I, But I,

&

œ

. œ

I've

heard

∑

3 8

∑

3 8

night - in - gales sing

“”œ. . # œœœ. n œ. b œ n œ. ™ œ. ‰™ ‰ ≈ ≈ ‰

Œ

œ ‰™ Œ .

œ œ ˙

œ

œ. ∑

Œ

‰ ™™

ppp freeze!

Pno. ppp

{

?

& <b><b>œœœ

n œœœ

œœ bbœœœ œ

‰Œ ˙˙˙

˙˙˙

&

˙˙˙

3 8

b œ. “‘

mf

ø = legato

sub. molto p

molto p

beginning nervously, becoming lyrical p

44

p 6

T. Solo

3 &8 ‹

3 &8

∑

∑

3

3

.

2 ≈œ œ œŒ # œ œ ‰ 4 .- œ. -. œ. -.

But I, But I, But I've heard “” . bœ Œ ‰™ 2 4 n ˙˙ ˙˙ ˙ ˙ -

œ #œ œ

œ ‰ ‰ ≈œ œ . . .

night- in - gales sing

˙˙ ˙

and it's

˙˙ ˙

Pno. p abrupt!

{

3 &8 Œ

pp calm

≈ bœœ 42 b œv

∑

∑

n#˙˙˙

˙˙˙

sffz

ø

° = legato mp

fly away! p

piu p . . n Œ #œ ‰ Œ œ ‰

49 6

T. Solo

3

3

. # œ ≈ ≈ ‰ ‰ ‰ œ œ œ & œ. œ. œ. œ. œ œ œ ‹ not, and it's not, and it's not as beau - ti - ful

as

all

∑

∑

∑

abrupt!

& bbn˙˙˙

n ˙˙˙

œœœ ™™™™ ™™

r œ bbœ-œ v

∑

mp Pno. sffz calm

{

& <#>œœœ ™™™

bnnbœœœœ œœœœ

˙˙˙ ˙

œœœ ‰ Œ œ

n#>˙˙˙ mf

ø

°

˙˙˙

˙˙˙

6 pp 55

T. Solo

< h. = h. >

U nœ. ‰ Œ & Œ Œ ‹ that. “”œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. . #œ U ‰ Œ & Œ

3 8

3 4

∑

6 4

∑ [attacca]

6

< h. = h. >

6

3 3 8 œ. nœ. œ. œ. œ. œ. ‰ 4 œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. Œ

6 4

Œ

9

sub. ppp

pp Pno.

U & <#>˙˙˙

{

3 8 œœœ ™™™

˙˙˙

3 4

6 4

∑ [attacca]

=

Verse III - The Paris weather non vib. alla falsetto - floating, pure molto p

Plaintive, rolling along h. = 30 - 32 59

œ™ œ™ œ™ œ™ ˙™

[as if in 2/2] T. Solo

6 &4 ‹

∑

Ϫ

Ϊ

∑

Ϊ The

Par

-

is wea - ther,

Plaintive, rolling along h. = 30 - 32 emerging

™ ˙ ™ #˙

#œ ™ œ ˙™ 6 œ œœ œœœ Ó™ & 4 ‰Ó

Ó™

Œ

#w™

˙ ™ #˙ ™

œnœœ œœœ Œ

6

6

p Pno.

ppp

pp

{

6 ™ & 4 #w w w ™™

w w w ™™™

#w w ˙ ™™™

w ™™ b œ #w ˙™

˙

œ #˙

°

= 63

Ϫ T. Solo

& Ó™ ‹

œ ™#œ ™ œ™ ‰™

pale

as death,

#˙ ™ <#> w ™ & Ó™

Ϫ

Ϊ

Ó

œnœœœœœ Ó - 6 pp

œ™ œ™ #œ ™ œ™ œ™ nœ ™ œ™ œ™ ™ ‰

con - tin - ues

as in

Jan - u - ar - y

#˙ ™ #˙ ™ #œ#œœœ‰ Œ œ#œœœ‰‰ œ œ Œ #œ#œ ‰ Œ -3 -6 -6 -

œ ˙ œ #œ Œ œ sub. mp

Pno.

{

& <#>˙˙ ™™ ##˙˙ ™™ <#> w™

˙˙ ™™ w™

##˙˙ ™™ ø

w w ™™

gradually leaving falsetto to ord. poco vib.

66

7 T. Solo

œ™ œ™ œ™ ™ ‰ J & ‹ though Ju - ly

œ™ œ ™ œ ™

Ϫ Ϫ

™ ‰ ™ œ bœJ ™ œ™ œ™ œ™ œ™

Ó™ is

near

ly here.

-

E - very -one talks of the

bœ <#> ˙ ™ & <#>˙

œ b˙ bœ ˙ bœ -

b˙™

˙™ ˙™

˙

b˙ œ ˙

œ b˙ -

œ bœ -

˙

Pno. sub. mf

{

& nnww ™™

bw w ™™

˙˙ ™™

b˙˙ ™™ ø

=

sub. piu p restrained, as if echoing vowels ord.

69

T. Solo

bœ ™ bœ ™ œ ™ Ó ™ & ‹ Ro - sen- bergs.

bœ ™ ‰ ™ œ™ œ™ -œ ™ -œ ™ -œ ™ -œ ™ -œ ™ -œ ™ -œ ™ -œ ™ -œ ™ œ ™ Hot

and clou - dy(ee) (ii) (oo) (uu) (aa) (ee) (ii) (oo) (uu)

˙™ <b> ˙ ™ & <b>œ b˙

˙™ œ b˙

œ ˙ ˙™ œ œ™ ˙ -

˙™ œœœ œœ œœœ œœœ˙

Pno. mf

mp

{

& w w ™™

˙˙ ™™

p

n ˙˙ ™™

w ˙ ™™

˙

œ

ø = o

72

mp molto p

, T. Solo

& w™ ‹

‰™ œ ™ ‰™

Ϫ Ϫ

Hot

˙™ & #˙

#˙ ™ œ ˙™

Pno.

˙™ ˙ -

œ™ ‰ ™ Œ ™

and clou - dy.

œ

‰ ™ œ™ œ™ ‰ ™ ‰ ™ #œ ™ Yes, Yes,

#˙ ™ ˙™

˙™ ˙™

the

˙ #œ œ # œ #œ mp

{

& w˙ ™ ™

œ ˙

w™ ˙™

˙

œ

˙w ™™

˙™

matter of fact mf

75

pp

8 freeze!

T. Solo

j & <#>œ ™ #œ ™ ‹ Ro

j j Ϫ Ϫ Ϫ -

sen

-

j Ϫ

#œ. œ. œ. nœ. œ. œ. Ó™

bergs

were e - lec - tro - cut - ed.

nœ w ™ #˙ & <#> <#>œ

Œ™ “” # œ. œ #œ

#˙

Ϊ

Ó™

Pno. freeze! ppp

{

?

& # ˙w™™

#˙ ™

œœ

j Œ™ # œ.

Ó™