PEDRO ALVAREZ CANTO for amplified trumpet (2018)
Instrumentation: -Trumpet (in Bb or C), amplification via a condenser mic on a stand in front of the instrument. The text used is my own translation of a fragment from Una Canción de Vida Bajo Los Astros, by Cuban poet Regino Pedroso (in ‘Obra Poética’, Editorial Arte y Literatura, La Habana, 1975). Total duration: ca. 13” Premiere: 25 October 2018 by Tristram Williams (ELISION Ensemble) in Mexico City. www.pedroalvarez.info
Explanation of notation: Point the trumpet’s bell toward the mic, at close distance. Valve changes
Breath in/out (air sound) while sliding the embouchure off the lips. Continuous air flow goes in and out of the embouchure repeatedly and irregularly.
ON MIC
OFF MIC
23 8
Breath in (air sound) Breath out (air sound). No tongue attack, only diaphragm. v.2018-11-16
Point the trumpet’s bell away from mic.
VVVVV
[i]
[e]
your great song of life under the stars
Colouring/articulation of air sound by text spoken into the mouthpiece along the indicated duration.
Flatterzunge on breathing out (rolling air sound).
Lip buzz, semi-focused, distorted sound emision. Keep dynamic similar to breathy noises.
–1–
Colouring of the air noise: [ i ] = as in “eel” [ e ] = as in “end” [ a ] = as in “are” (Dashed arrow for transitions, solid line for maintained vowel.)