水中月
MOON IN THE WATER for viola
YIFAN GUO
Moon in the Water was written and premiered by Kunbo Xu in Ernst C. Stiefel Hall at Mannes School of Music on February 24, 2019; the violin version was premiered by Bihan Li at the Bard College on May 17, 2019.
The perception of most people is that there is a simple binary distinction between fiction and reality - that something is either real or unreal. This piece you are about to hear is inspired by the idea that this distinction is not so clear. Reality and fiction are interdependent, and beauty can be found in that grey space in between the two. This concept has been found in Chinese classical literature for centuries, and I was particularly inspired by the Qing dynasty novel Dream of the Red Chamber, which explores this idea. Musically, I use normal pitch vs harmonic pitch, actual rhythm vs beating rhythm, sustained sound vs deadened sound, and other seemingly contrary elements to represent this idea. Besides fiction and reality, beauty plays the role of the ego in the Freudian model of the psyche - the organized, realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id and the super-ego. In this piece the beauty is the music itself, and it is delicate and organized.
Performance Notes General:
Bowing: M.S.P.
proportional notation (a note the length of which depends on the length of the extension bar)
S.P.
sul ponticello
P.O.
posizione ordinaria (ordinary position)
S.T.
sul tasto
change very gradually from one sound to another as fast as possible (when there’s no “slash” sign at the front of the beam, follow the tempo marking and play the rhythm as notated)
molto sul ponticello
M.S.T.
irregular rhythm
molto sul tasto
O.B.
on the bridge
higher 0 lower
1_ 1_ 3_ 1_ 5_ 3_ 8 4 8 2 8 4
micro intervals
clb.
col legno battuto
ord.
arco ordinary (cancellation of clb.)
as high as possible
place the wood side of the bow on string(s), pizz. with left hand, and then vertically shift the bow back and forth on the string(s).
short fermata normal fermata long fermata duration: 9’
Left hand: page 3: the 4-line staff shows the left-hand finger changing during the descending glissando 123
4 3 2 1
fingering
4
The timings are approximate and don't require exact accuracy. When playing long sustained tones the bow changes should always be made imperceptible.
harmonic series with fundamental: 1st
B B
œ œ
2nd
3rd
4th
o œ
œo
œo
O œ
œO
œO
5th
6th
œo
œo
J œo
b œO
J œO
&
œO
O œ
7th
8th
9th
œo
œo
# œO
Bb œO
µ œO
n œO
Moon in the Water for viola Yifan Guo Volubile, delicato, libero q = 50
1≥. . . . . . . . . P.O. .. B œ III
q.
B
O
(mp)
U ȮO I ≈ II
S.P.
I II
II
o
o
mf
œ
œ
p
ppp
œ
S.P.
P.O.
OII
j œ
IV
I II
U
o sf
pp
P.O.
P.O.
p
P.O. >j b *** b œO
U
>j O œ
bb Ȯ
mp
II
poco
pp
Oœ œOj Oœ ™™ J >
>j O œ
Oœ
>j O œ
Ȯ
>j O œ
3
Oœ ppp
II S.P. III nœ nœo n œo œo œo œo œo œo œo œo n O# œ O œ bœ nœn œ K O n œ œb œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # œ Bnœ œ œ nœ nœ œ œ O œœœœœ nœ œ mp pp I
I II
S.P.
I
pp
I ŸO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ III n -œ œ nS.P. œ #œ œ IV œ œ B -œ œ œ œ nœ nœ#œ & #œ
&
j n-O
III ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ œ # œ œ œ Ÿ n œ n œ n œ œ œœŸ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ O #œ œ œ #œ œ # œ œ œ œ O # œ O B # œ # œ œ œ œ#œ œ œ œ œ & œ œ œ œ œ œ mp pp
#>-œ # œ # œ nOnœ#œ œ Onœ#œ œœœ S.P.
P.O.
Ȯ≤
√
œ+ J
mp
ppp
poco
pp
M.S.P.
pp
* slightly rotate the finger to obtain the rate of pulsation (beating) ** use more bow and then leave the string after finishing the note *** these grace notes should be variated
III
III
P.O.
II
I
mf
I II
O Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ √ #œ O œ O Oœ #Oœ Oœ O #O B # œ #œ œ œ o mp P.O.
OI œ O œ
O
U
œ
mpsf
Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ bO bœ b œO b œ œ œ œ œ œ B &bœ œ œ œ
p
P.O.
P.O.
1 + RÔ œJ
h
III
ppp
pp
**
OI
molto
O O# O O O O O O O O O ææ œ œO B œ II
S.P. q
S.P.
pppp
(pp)
ppp
pp
nkœ
œ
(p)
#œ œ œ œ III # Ȯ œ œ B O œ pppp
O.B.
* beating:
œ
sf
P.O.
(very slow motion)
IV
S.V.
III
√
M.S.P.
œ
œ #œ #œ ≈ nœ #œ nn>œœ- bœ
M.S.T.
IV III
mp
© Yifan Guo 201 9
#>œ-
#>-˙ ™
q
** ≤ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ nœ #œ n œ œ nœ œ œ œ#O II
(mp)
pp
(P.O.)
œ
pp
q
#O≤ mp o I
mp
O.B.
o
U
2 II nœ Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ U + S.P. U ˜O # œ œ œn O O III IV ≈ n œ œO O œœ ˜œ nO B nœ OnO O œ œ Onœ nO bœ o o " sf " poco pppp pppp III IV
œœ
sf
S.P.
P.O.
P.O.
S.T.
III >O n œ. œ. . IV # œ . # O O O œ œ OO O O œ O#O O O . nœ. œ œ œ. . œ B œ O O nœ œœ III I II IV
I III II
mf
. . . . . . . . . IV III II III IV III II III ¿¿ œœœœœœœœ ≈
o
mp
P.O.
III II IV
> # œ n œ II n œ #œ# œ #œ II nœ œ #œ#œ n œ # œ nœ n œ nO œn œ œ # O #O œ n œ nO OnO O O O O œ nœ & nœ. . . œ. bœ b œ . œ. n œ b œ. . S.P.
P.O.
S.P.
p
P.O.
S.P.
#œ œ œ œ # Ÿœ~~~~~~~~ O , # œ n œ nO#O B nœ nœ#œnœ & nœ
I II
II III
nœ#œ #œ#œ#œnœ#O nœ O , bœ œnœbœ #O O nO O œ nœ œn œ œ O nO n œ #O #O nœ bœ œ n œ nœ œ œ n O nœ œ II
I
II I
I
mf pp sub.
P.O.
> œ n-œœ # œ n œ œ œ & >- #œ # œ #œ nœ œ œ œ
> >-œ n -œ #œ #œ œ œ #œ #œ nœ
pp mf sub.
mfp
mfp
mp
pp
mf sub.
bœ
mf
f/mp
S.P.
P.O. S.P.
nœ œ œ œ œ œ #œ#œ & bœ œ œbœbœ œ nœ nœ œ œ œ nœ œb œ œ B
p
n œ. . III II I II b œ. . I nœ . b œ œ nœ n œ Ÿ-~~~~~ n œ n œ. nœ. . nœ . #œ œ #œ. . #O . œ . nœ # œ O > # œ n œ n œ # œ # œ . . n œ nœ . œ. œ œ . . . & #œ. œ . #œ . # œ n œ nœ J nœ œ œœ œ œ . b œ . œ. . . n œ. mp P.O.
I
mf
P.O.
mf sub.
S.P.
poco stringendo S.P.
pp
mfpp
pp
sf
mp
S.P. P.O.
P.O.
pp
I
>- > II ŸI ~~~~~ n œ b œ Ÿ~~~~ #œ œ œ b >-œ b>-œ bbœœ n-œ nœ œ œ œ # œ nœ # œ n nœ nœ œ œ bœ bœ nœ œ œ nœ nœ -O œ nœ nœ #œ #œ œ OœB bœ nnœœ œ n œ n œ >nœ mf sub.
> > # œ œ œ n>-œ > n>-œ n>-œ n -œ n -œ #œ B nœ #œ nœ nœ œ nœ#œ #œ œ & nœ -œ œ nœ nœ œ nœ mfp
molto
mf
S.T.
b œ bœ
pppp
S.P. I
p
P.O.
&
≈
I
III
(mute the strings with left hand) clb. ord. P.O. M.S.T.
f
#>œ n œ œ nœ #œ f
p
P.O.
I Ÿ~~~~~ bœ- O b œ nœ œ œ
mf
p sub.
> bœ √ œ ææ nœœ sf f
nœn œ œ
nœ
3 * (see instruction) fingering
œœœ
4 32 1
11 1 & RÔ
œ
œœ œ œ œ œ
Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œœœ œ œœœœœ œœ œ œ œ
œœ
œœœ
very slow gliss.
œ
œ œ œ œœœ
œ
Ÿ~~~ œœ
œ
œ œ œœœ
P.O.
B
sff dim. poco a poco (release the tension little by little)
Sempre molto tranquillo, meditativo e flautando (q = 50) M.S.T. M.S.T.
≥ B œ B œ
œ
ppp
o o B œ œ III IV
œ
œo œo œo
o o O œo œ Ÿ-œ~~O œ
ϳ
œ œ
œj
œj
œ
B
& œ œ
pp
› &
P.O.
œ
’
ppp
" sf "
œj
......œ œ. . . . .
(pp)
pppp
œo
pp
œo
œo
M.S.T.
œ
II
o œo o œ œ
œo o œo œ
III
œ II
I
P.O.
œ
III œo œo
q..
S.P.
" sf "
M.S.T.
II œ œ O œ Oœ
œ œ0 œ
pppp
O III B OO
œ
M.S.P
I II
œO œ
B
M.S.P.
≥ ≤ œ œ
(very long)
III
M.S.P.
≤ œ
≥ œ
≤ œ
II
molto
œ j
o O
r O # O IV
ppp
œ
III
o
pp
beating:
≈
œ
(long) œj
œ
œ
œ
o
˙™
œ
p
&œ
II ( )
ppp
I
B
+ j œœ
II III
sf
U
B
4
› o & œ
o œ
o œ
o o œ œ M.S.T.
B
II
q
B O µO III
’
IV
O
ppp
≥ œ. . . . . . . œ. &
œ
U
III
œ
œ
K O µO ‰ nqO
B
ppp
≈
o
ppp
M.S.T.
œ
œ
M.S.P.
O O OO O O I II
III IV
œ OOO q.
pppp
II
B œ
(S.P.)
B œ
pppp
+ œ J
(6")
sf III
3
KO O J
P.O.
≈
œ
S.P.
œ
œ
+ œ œ J
ppp
M.S.T.
III
o œ
P.O.
II
Bœ
o œ
“o” . . . œ . . œ. .
P.O. III
ppp
IV
O
O O OM.S.P.
P.O.
OI
II
O
œo
III
III
U
&
sf
+II œ
œ
S.P.
III ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ÿ OO O O O œ O œ O J
poco
II
’
œ
IV
&
Oœ
U
œ J
ppp
sf
O
+ œ
(8")
sf
Oœ ppppp
U
+ œ
√
sf
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