Tristan Wilson gilding cages
for chamber ensemble
(2024)
©
2024 by Tristan Wilson (ASCAP)
Tristan Wilson (b. 2002)
gilding cages (2024)
Duration: c. 7 mins.
Premiered on April 21, 2024
Cleveland Institute of Music New Music Ensemble
Jake Taniguchi, conductor
Cleveland Institute of Music – Mixon Hall
Instrumentation
Violin (spatially separated from the rest of the ensemble See Performance Notes)
Alto Flute in G
Clarinet in A (doub. Bass Clarinet in B♭)
Violoncello
Percussion (1 player)
bass drum, brake drum, tom-toms (3), maracas, marimba (5.0 octave), crotales (upper octave only)
Piano
Performance Notes
The violinist should be spatially separated from the rest of the ensemble, either completely hidden offstage (preferable) or positioned elsewhere onstage or out in the concert venue. If this is simply impossible, the violinist can be seated with the other musicians and play with a practice mute, though this should very much be seen as a last resort.
Piano: the following pitches should be marked for inside piano effects: E1, A1, D♭2, and E2.
Piano: at mm. 158, a harmonic occurs, in this case the fifth partial (G#) of the written lowest E. To accomplish this, a finger should be placed on the specific node (located roughly an inch or two in front of the damper) and the key should be struck as normal.
Performance Notes (cont.)
In both the piano and clarinet parts, a plus sign (+) appears over certain notes. In the clarinet, this denotes a slap tongue. In the piano, this denotes a note firmly muted with one hand.
Percussion: the figure in mm. 105 should be played as fast as possible, irrespective of any tempo.
Composer’s Note
During the process of composing gilding cages, I was somewhat preoccupied with successive extramusical crises, which certainly influenced the ambit of the piece. More than that, however, in this work I wanted to explore the idea of rhythmic cells as the musical protagonist, rather than the more traditional model of having melodic or harmonic material control the musical direction. Thus, much of the action in this piece is either started or concluded by the percussionist.
The first section of gilding cages is a kind of representation of the exterior world: chaotic, unrelenting, and ultimately exhausting. It is at this point, when the music seems capable only of repeating itself, that a change takes place: suddenly, we catch a glimpse of an interior world one which is initially calming, and perhaps even beguiling. However, quickly we learn that this world is insincere in its perfection: it is the gilded cage that the piece’s title alludes to, and in it nothing can be accomplished. To choose one or the other is the question that this piece poses.
gilding cages is the last work of mine to be premiered while I am a student at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and is dedicated to all my friends and colleagues. It lasts approximately seven minutes in performance.
Brooding, sinister (
= 116)
Bass Dr um - sticks
2024 by T r istan Wilson (A SCAP)
core
T r istan Wilson 4 Violin (offstage) Alto Flute
Bass
Vc
S
in C gilding cages for chamber ensemble
A Fl
Clar inet (Clar inet in A) B Cl
Violoncello Perc Percussion P iano Pno
tacet until mm 71) poco s t molto sul pont m.s.p. pizz arco, poco sul tasto
(v iolin
(ord
©
)
7 10 A Fl A Fl B Cl B Cl Vc. Vc. Perc Perc Pno Pno pos. ord. (B D ) Brake Dr um - brass mallets una corda (ord ) 1 gliss 2
13 16 A Fl A Fl B. Cl. B Cl Vc. Vc. Perc Perc Pno Pno air only molto sul pont arco, poco s t poco sul tasto arco, poco sul pont pizz pizz. una corda tre corde tre corde una corda 3
(Br Dr um) tre corde
To Clar inet in A m s p
19 22 A . Fl. A Fl B. Cl. B Cl Vc Vc Perc Perc. Pno Pno
pizz arco, pos
una corda gliss 4
ord
25 28 A . Fl. A Fl Cl Cl. Vc Vc. Perc Perc Pno Pno , stony 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 molto sul
to poco sul pont poco sul pont tre corde marcato, sonorous 2 5
tasto
"dir ty" multiphonic
Tom-Toms (3) sticks
31 34 A Fl A Fl Cl Cl. Vc. Vc. Perc Perc Pno Pno 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 any
flz
6
(under cello, quasi overtone)
37 40 A . Fl. A Fl Cl Cl. Vc Vc. Perc. Perc Pno. Pno
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 flz poco sul pont m s p stony, murmuring 3 7
43 46 A Fl A Fl Cl. Cl. Vc Vc. Perc. Perc Pno.
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 (Toms.) 8
Pno.
To Bass Clar inet
52 49 A Fl A Fl Cl Cl. Vc Vc Perc Perc. Pno Pno. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
molto sul pont pizz.
4 9
Bass Dr um - sticks
55 58 A Fl A . Fl. B. Cl. B Cl Vc. Vc Perc Perc Pno Pno 3 3 3 5 3 pos ord poco sul tasto arco, m.s.p. (B D ) una corda tre corde gliss. 10
64 61 A Fl A . Fl. B. Cl. B Cl Vc. Vc Perc Perc Pno Pno 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 pizz molto sul tasto arco, poco sul pont Maracas tre corde una corda una corda 5 11
70 67 V ln A Fl A Fl B Cl Cl Vc. Vc Perc Perc. Pno. Pno 3 3 3 3 To Clar inet in A pos ord (Maracas) (ord ) tre corde gliss. 12
* the w r itten dynamics in the v iolin line are as from the audience's perspective ; the per for mer may have to play much louder to get the desired dynamic level Mar imba ver y sof t beaters
77 73 V ln V ln. A Fl A Fl Cl Cl. Vc Vc Perc Perc. Pno Pno , simply and very sweetly * , as if coming from another world 3 3 3 War m
resonant , always colla par te ( = , = 58)
6 13
and
81 85 V ln. V ln A . Fl. A . Fl. Cl. Cl. Vc. Vc Perc Perc. Pno Pno 3 3 5 5 3 3 3 con sord (Mar ) medium yar n mallets 7 14
89 93 V ln. V ln A Fl A . Fl. Cl Cl. Vc Vc Perc Perc Pno
, growing ecstatic ; very slight tenuti, like shif ting in and out of focus 3 5 5 3 3 3 5 3 5 una corda a tempo poco r it . 8 15
Pno
96 100 V ln V ln A . Fl. A Fl Cl Cl Vc Vc Perc. Perc Pno.
5 3 5 3 5 3 5 5 5 5 3 3 (Mar ) cresc 9 16
Pno.
104 107 V ln. A Fl A Fl Cl B Cl Vc Vc. Perc. Perc. Pno Pno , like an alarm 3 A s before, br utal ( = , = 116) To
l.v!
10 17
Bass Clar inet Crotales - brass mallets
Tom-Toms - sticks (continue to let crotales r ing)
114 110 A Fl A . Fl. B. Cl. B Cl Vc. Vc Perc Perc Pno
3 3 3 senza
pizz. arco, m.s.p. (Toms.) (ord.) tre corde 18
Pno
sord.
117 120 A Fl A Fl B Cl B Cl Vc Vc.
Perc
Perc.
Pno 3 3 flz. To Clar inet in A poco sul tasto m.s.p. m.s.p. pos ord Brake Dr um - brass mallets (on r im) (ord ) 19
Pno.
(Br Dr um)
marcato, sonorous
pos ord poco sul pont.
to poco sul pont
123 126 A . Fl. A . Fl. Cl Cl Vc Vc Perc Perc Pno Pno 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3:2 3 3 3 3
11 20
Tom-Toms (3) sticks
132 129 A Fl A Fl Cl Cl Vc. Vc. Perc Perc. Pno.
3 3 3 5 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 3 3 any "dir ty" multiphonic flz pos ord
21
Pno.
135 138 A . Fl. A . Fl. Cl Cl Vc Vc Perc. Perc Pno Pno. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 to poco sul pont poco sul pont. (Toms ) 12 22
141 144 A Fl A . Fl. Cl. Cl Vc. Vc Perc. Perc Pno. Pno 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 pos ord 23
150 147 A . Fl. A Fl Cl Cl. Vc Vc Perc Perc. Pno. Pno 5 5 5 5 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 (Toms ) Bass Dr um - sticks 13 24
154 157 A Fl A . Fl. Cl Cl Vc Vc. Perc Perc. Pno. Pno 3 3 3 3 3 25
160 163 A Fl A Fl Cl. Cl. Vc. Vc. Perc Perc Pno Pno (B.D.) () 26