one wing for violin and piano
(2019)
-for Anna & Eric-
kurt rohde ripley dog face publishing ©2019
2
PERFORMANCE NOTES MST = molto sul tasto MSP = molto sul ponticello SP = sul ponticello PSP = poco sul ponticello flaut. = flautando X notehead = indeterminate pitch or nearly pitchless o harmonic symbol = harmonic fingering at written pitch; sometimes, written pitch will not have a naturally occuring harmonic at written pitch, but player should still play accordingly slash thru notehead = 1/2 circular bowing/1/2 ordinary bowing; will creating a combination of the written pitches and the chaotic generation of additional pitches; timbre will be "whispy" and fluttering ord. = ordinary norm. = in the normal manner square noteheads = clusters; white-note clusters, black-note clusters, or full clusters are indicated specifically in the score microtonal accidentals are notated in the usual manner
PROGRAM NOTES It is not always wise to base one's new piece on the music, or the influence, of a significant piece or body of work by a well-known composer. What exactly is the goal? To respond, to react, to add onto, to stand in opposition from? It is so abstract that its vagaries feel more specific than anything else. Years ago, I went to see the San Francisco Opera's production of Messiaen's St Francois d'Assise - - - twice! This is NOT grand opera. It is not enrossingly entertaining in the manner the best Puccini, Verdi and Glass operas are. St. Francois d'Assise, which I have trouble even accepting as opera, is over five hours long, and has long stretches of tedious, almost maddeningly incomprehensible enactments of mystical experiences that are so personal, so specific, so rarified that they feel as if they are meant to actually pushing you, the listener, away. Then the angel arrives. Only a few times throughout the 5+ hours does this creature appear onstage and sing. It is some of the most unanticipatedly moving and beautiful music I have ever heard. I clearly remember the first time I heard the Angel Music in performance, and by the end of the aria, I was quietly weeping, as were the people around me. It blew me away, and in my frustrated state after the first performance, I was skeptical of my reaction to the effect of the music. Hence, I decided to endure another performance and went back the next evening. And even that second time, knowing what would happen, produced the same reaction; it was a profound experience. The SF Opera production had the Angel costumed with only one wing. It was ingenious and captivating to see. Was this just a modernist take on constuming, or was it a way telling us to reimagine the properties of the angel? We assume angels must have two wings in order to transit because that is how it is done in our natural world. But angels are not of this world, they are not birds or butterflies, and their nature might be totally different. Perhaps one wing is all that is needed to move about and deliver messages from the almighty. I don't believe in angels. But if I did, I would imagine them as a point of transmission between us mere mortals and the divine creatures beyond. They can talk to us, traveling from a realm we cannot get to, and they can also talk to the inhabitants of that realm on our behalf. In my piece, the violin and the piano are either us (here) or them (there). You are free to decide which. The two instruments play near each other, but never with each other. Their rhythmic parts operate in a predetermined plan:
(piano)
7
-
9
-
10
-
11
-
12
-
13
(becoming agitated)
(violin)
6
-
5
-
4
-
3
-
2
-
1
(becoming enlongated)
UNITY 8
Only when they reach the "end" of the plan (13/1) is there a common space for the two players to connect, to be as one and communicate in a singular way, sometimes as one, sometimes alone.
3
4
one wing for violin and piano (2019) -for Anna & EricSuspended, gently ethereal q = 126 - 138 / h = 63 - 69 NV/flaut.
tracing overhead
“” œ
w
˙™
œ
4 & 4 Ó™
Violin
w
˙
˙
w
w
ppp shadowing violin
“” ˙™
4 Piano { & 4
∑
˙
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w
w
˙™
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˙
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œ
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w™
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Ó 7
7
7
7
7
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7
7
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7
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= :“; ˙™ &
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25
Vln.
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w
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play lower octave "D" extremely lightly
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7
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32
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Vln.
∑
&
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Ó
w
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w
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play lower octave "Bb" extremely lightly
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Vln.
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& p
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sub. ppp
play lower octave "C" extremely lightly
:“; #˙ ™
<#>w Pno.
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œ #˙ ™
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black-key gliss.
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Vln.
p
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ppp
=
Vln.
C :“; 64 <b> ˙ ™ &
1/2 circular bow/at tip ≤o ≤o -≥o o -osim. o -o
h h h h h h ho h-o ho h-o ho h-o ho ho ho h-o
H
Œ
∑
∑
Π6
6
6
∑
6
whispering flutters
C :“; nœ w Pno.
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w
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& Ó
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h-o ho h-o ho
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sub. pp
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=
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74
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h≤o
≥ h≤o h-o ho h-o ho h-o
ord. h-o œo -œo
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∑
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6
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&
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ord.
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&
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3
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6
6
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f
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3 3 7
7
3 7
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f
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84
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∑
&
Ó 6
6
pp
:“; #˙ #˙ Pno. { &
n˙ #˙
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n˙ ™
black key gliss.
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7 7
mp pp
ø
7
E “” -œ œ -œ œ -œ œ ˙
87
w
w
w
w
&
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pp
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7
7
7
7
7
(loco) 1/2 circular bow/at tip/harmonic fingering ≥o ≤o ≥o sim. o o o o o o o o
= :“; w
h- h h- h h- h h- h h-
w
92
h
h-
‰
&
Vln.
Œ
ppp 6
6
:“; black key gliss.
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∑
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7
ppp
p
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white-key gliss.
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7 7 7
p
ppp
sub. p
ø
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ord.
h-o ho
ho
h- h h- h >h- h >-œ œ >-œ
hhh h
h
ho
h
h-o ho
h-o ho h-o ho h-o ho h-o ho h-o
95
Ó
&
Vln.
6
6
6
f
6
6
ppp
:“; #œ #œ # œ # œ # œ #œ#œ & ‰ #œ #œ #œ #œ #œ
#œ w
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7
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p
p ppp Pno.
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:“;
{
& œ
7
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7
ppp
f
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sub. p
ø =
1/2 circular bow/at tip/ harmonic fingering ≥o ≤ ≥o ≤ sim. o
ord.
h- ho h- ho h- ho h-o ho h-o h h- h h- h h-
h h- h h- h h- h >h- h >-œ œ >-œ œ >-œ 98
Vln.
‰
& 6
6
Œ
Œ
3
pp 3
6
6
f
:“; <#> ˙
-˙ ˙
-˙
>œ œ
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Ó
& 7
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7 7
f
ff
:“;
Pno.
7
{
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&
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7
f
øsub. mp
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-œ
œ-œ -œ -œ -œ ˙˙>˙˙ ˙ 7
pp
ff
ø
8
transition bt. ord. & 1/2 circ. bow sim.
F ord. >h- h >-œ œ >-œ œ >-œ œ >-œ œ >-œ
h >h- h
œ -œ œ h- h h- H
h≤ h-≥
101
h h- h h- h h- h h- h h- œ -œ
&
Vln.
6
6
6
ff
F “>” nœ
n>œ nœ ‰
nœ
&
> nœ nœ
6
6
pp
#œ nœJ
> œ #œ nœ #œ nœ #œ ^ nœ #œ > œ #œ #œ #œ n ˙ ‰ nœ ‰ œ n˙ 3
#˙ #˙
œ #œ
n˙ #˙ 7
3 3
7 3 7
sffz
Pno.
(loco)
{
˙™
˙™
˙™
œ
˙™
w
˙™
& Π7
7
7
= > > > > > > > œ -œ œ -œ œ -œ œ -œ œ -œ œ -œ œ h- h >h-
h≤ h-≥ h h- h
H
>-œ J
h- h h- h h- h h h- h h- h h- h >-œ >-œ J
104
&
Vln.
6
6
6
6
6
6
pp f
ff
:“; <#> œ <#> œ &
n˙ ™
-˙ # #˙
#˙ ™
œ ##˙˙
n˙
#˙ ™
nœ nœ
#˙ ™
n˙ ™ 7 7 7
Pno.
mp
{
w
˙
w Ó
&
Œ
œ
œ
˙
Œ
˙ œ
7
7 7
p
= œ -œ œ -œ œ -œ œ h107 J &
Vln.
6
h≤ h-≥ h hh- h h- h h- h h- h h J ‰ ‰‰
h6
6
h h- h h- h h- h h- h h- h >-œ œ >-œ >-œ -œ œ -œ œ h- h h- h J J
6
6
6
6
6
poco f pp
:“;
(loco) r n œ
œ & nnœœ
nœ ‰ ‰ œ Œ œ #œ #œ
Œ
œ Œ # œ #n˙#˙˙ ™™™™ #˙ œ
#˙ ™ #n#˙˙˙ ™™
r nœ
n##˙˙˙ ™™™
n#nœœœœ ˙˙˙˙
˙˙ ™™ ˙™
n˙˙˙
7 7 7
7
Pno.
sub. mf sub. pp
{
?
∑
& w
∑
∑
ø = 111
Vln.
> > h h- h h- h -œ œ -œ -œ -œ œ -œ h h- h h- h J J Ó
h-≥ h≤ h-
h- h ≈‰ Œ Œ
&
3
6
6
h≤ h-≥ h h- h h- h h- h h- h >H- h- h h- h J J ‰‰ Œ
6
6
6
6
3
3
pp
mf
pp
mf
grace-notes extremely light, gradually becoming white-note clusters r n œœ
(mf) r n 6666
r œœœ 7
7
& w w w
bw w ™™™ w
b˙˙˙ ™™™
bnnœœœ
˙˙ ˙
˙˙ ™™ ˙™
b˙˙ ˙
˙˙ ™™ ˙™
œœ n˙ ™™ œ bn ˙˙ ™
w w w
7 7
pp
Pno.
(pp)
{
?
7
∑
∑ ø
∑
Ó
Ó b˙™ ø
w
pp
9
o harm. gliss. -h≥o h≤o h-o ho h-o ho h-o ho >h- Ho sighing ho h-o ho ‰ Œ
G 116
& Ó
Vln.
Œ
3
6
o ≥ h-o h≤o h-o ho h-o ho >Ho h
Ó
Ó
6
6
ho h-o ho ‰ Œ
6 3
mf
pp
mp
(mf)
(mf)
r n 66666
6r n 66666
G
ppp
7 7
& ˙˙˙ b˙ ˙-
˙˙ ™™
™™ w w w™
œœ
™™ w w w™
˙˙ ™™
bœœ ˙˙ -
˙˙
w w
7
7
Pno.
piu f sub. pp
{
7 b-˙
?
7
˙™
7
7
œ
Œ
<b> ˙
bw w ™™
Ó™
Ó
w w ™™
b ˙˙
ø
w w
°
=
≥ h-o h≤o h-o ho h-o ho
121
∑
&
Vln.
>H-o h
Ó 6
o H ≥ h-o h≤o
ho ho ‰ Œ
∑
Ó
6
pp
mp
>h-o ho ‰ Ó J
h
pp 6
ppp
3
p
(mf) r 666 6666 7
& w w
7
œœ w ™ -
w w
w w
˙˙ ™™
w w
˙- ™
œ
Pno.
ppp
piu f
7
{
b-˙ ™
7
? œœ b w- ™
<b> w w
bw w
w w
˙˙ ™™
w w
bœ
° =
o H ≥ h-o h≤o
127
>h-o ho ‰ J
h
&
Vln.
6
o H ≥ h-o h≤o
h
Ó
3
pp
>h-o ho ‰ Ó J
6
p
Ho o o h- h Œ ™
3 2
3
pp
&
Ho ™
4Ó 4
Œ
7 4
5
p
pp
∑
∑
3 2
∑
4 4
∑
7 4
∑
∑
3 2
∑
4 4
∑
7 4
w Pno.
{
? <b> w
=
H Slightly held in place q = 116 - 120/ h = 58 - 60 repeat as needed until desired moment is achieved & then move on imperceptibly
MST - "white noise"/II/full circular bowing
Ho towards stillness
132
Vln.
h-o ho Œ ™ Œ Ó
7 &4
5 -¿ ¿ Œ ™ Œ Ó 4
5
5
-¿ ¿ ™ Œ Œ Ó 5
-¿ ¿ ™ Œ Œ Ó
™™ -¿ ¿ Œ ™ Œ Ó
5
™™ 44
5
ppp
7 &4
∑
H 5 4
∑
∑
∑
™™
∑
™™ 44
∑
5 4
∑
∑
∑
™™
∑
™™ 44
Pno.
{
? 47