Mid-Century Marfa (2013- (revised 2014) by Anthony T. Marasco
for toy piano, Totem harp, Plastorgan, computer audio, and electric fans
Mid-Century Marfa won the grand prize for the 2013 UnCaged Piano Call for Scores. It was premiered in New York City by Phyllis Chen. Instructions on how to construct and amplify the Totem harp and Plastorgan required for this piece can be acquired by contacting the composer thorough his website, www.atmarasco.com
Inspired by one of the American Southwest’s most culturally significant and mysterious locations, Mid-Century Marfa—a piece for toy piano, Totem harp, Plastorgan, computer audio, and electric fans—paints a sonic portrait of the small town of Marfa, Texas and comments on the significant role it has played in popular culture, experimental artistic circles, and rural legacy. A town often depicted in both vintage photographs and Instagram facsimiles, Marfa and its people consistently defy convention and somehow exist straddled between the Past and the Future, but nowhere near the Present. Exploring the musical conventions and sonic extremities of cowboy lullabies, windswept plains, mid-century Texas country music, and contemporary experimental harmonies, Mid-Century Marfa provides a sonic exploration of the unique locales and historical events imbedded in the town’s history. The complex harmonics from the sampled and processed Aeolian harp’s drones and the whistled howls of the Plastorgan’s bottles create a timbral and textural cloud that represents both Marfa’s desert roots and its experimental-art-based future. Interjections and fan-enabled strums from the Totem harp stick out like distant lights glowing on a dark horizon. The toy piano’s passages wade through this sonic fog, first emulating he sounds one would hear from a by-gone radio station emerging from nowhere, turning into a chaotic/glitching version of a Classical Film Score sent through a defective digital transfer, and eventually settling into a country lullaby before fading into the ether from which it came.
Performing Mid-Century Marfa ∇ Mid-Century Marfa alternates between moments of unmetered, aleotoric actions and strict, traditionally metered performance material. During the aforementioned aleotroic sections, liberty may be taken to minimally extend or shorten the time values expressed in the score in order to better facilitate performance. ∇ A total of three electric fans are needed for this performance: Plastorgan Bottle Group 1 should be powered by a large, stationary box fan, while Plastorgan Bottle Group 2 should be powered by a medium-sized oscillating table fan. The Totem harp’s individual sections of strings (A, B, and C) are to be excited by a small, handheld, battery-powered fan with soft, flexible blades when notated in the score. ∇ Amplification and monitoring of the Totem harp and Plastorgan bottles is necessary. An audio engineer should be on hand for the performance, or, failing that, a mixer should be placed on stage near the performer. Small lapel microphones with windshields can be placed carefully inside the slits of the Plastorgan bottles, while a condenser microphone of any diaphragm size (using a windshield) can be used to amplify the Totem harp. ∇ To match the amplified sound profiles of the Totem harp and the Plastorgan, the toy piano should also be amplified through any means possible. ∇ Passages placed inside of boxes are to be performed repetitively across the span of time designated. Performers should take short breaks between each performance. ∇ When performing feathered beam passages, you do not have to perform the exact number of notes that given, but you must fit the figure into the allotted number of beats, shown in the bracket above it. ∇ Tuning for the Totem harp is as follows [from lowest string to highest string]: Side A– I: F# 4, II: C#4; Side B – I: D#3, II: B 4; Side C –I: G# 3, II: E 3, III: B 3
i
The Homemade Instruments In addition to the toy piano, Mid-Century Marfa is scored for two unconventional, homemade instruments. The Plastorgan creates sound through the use of wind generated by electric fans. The Totem or “gutter” harp is performed in a similar fashion to most stringed instruments at certain points of the piece (plucking, pick scraping, etc.) These unconventional instruments can either be made by hand (with build instructions available from the composers website) or purchased from the composer. The Plastorgan The Plastorgan is a collection of plastic bottles of various sizes, shapes, and densities arranged into two groups. Vertical slits are carved into the sides of the bottles’ bodies, and each bottle is attached to a wooden dowel and placed on a wooden base. As wind rushes across the slit in each bottle, a deep, guttural howl is produced. Each bottle’s slit is carved to a different length/width to produce a variety of pitches in the high, middle, and low registers.
The Plastorgan: Bottle Group 1 (on the left) and Bottle Group 2 (on the right)
ii
Bottle Group 1 close-up
Bottle Group 2 close-up
The Totem Harp The Totem harp is a string instrument with three sets of string strung vertically across its body. For this piece, the Totem harp can be built with a wooden body or by using a rain gutter down spout as the body of the harp. Three sides of the harp’s body contain strings: sides A and B contain two strings each, while side C contains three strings.
iii
For Phyllis Chen
Mid-Century Marfa
Score in C
Anthony T. Marasco
Commissioned by Phyllis Chen for the 2013 UnCaged Toy Piano Festival
[b.1986]
Bottle Group 1
Plastorgan
Partially cover the slits of any botles found in Bottle Group 1 at your own leisure
Turn fan on to MEDIUM speed
*
Plastorgan solo, ca. 8 seconds
ca. 15 seconds
ª
Keyboard
Toy Piano Body
[
Under Top Side
&
r b œ œ . œ œ œ b œ œ . 1 bœ œ œ ‰œ œ 3 44 Ó Œ œ œJ b œ œ œj ‰ J ‰ J œ b œ # ˙˙ œœ Jœ J 3 3 f 4 ¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿ ¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿Œ ! ! 4 J J J J J J J 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 n. f The slightest touch of honky-tonk swing
A
q = 45 [ŒÂ
Using your knuckles, improvise percussive patterns on the notated areas of the piano body. Add short pauses between your patterns.
÷ ¿R ¿r ¿ ¿ f
ca. 10 seconds
= Πlj]
j œœ " ‰ œœ .. " ˙˙˙ b˙ J
(let ring)
¿ ¿ ¿ R J f Increase fan to HIGH speed
Bt. Grp. 1
Plastorgan
*
©2013 Anthony T. Marasco
ca. 7 seconds
Mid-Century Marfa
2
Toy Piano Body
[
Under Top Side
= Πlj]
j œ bœ œ œœ œ ! Ó ‰ b œœ b œœ œ b œ ‰ & œ ‰ œœœ œ œ 3 Œ f J 3 j j ÷ ¿ ¿ ¿ ‰ Œ ¿ ¿ ¿ ‰ ‰ ¿ ¿ ¿ ‰ ¿J ¿ ¿ ¿ Œ Ó J J 3 3 3 3 f n.
6 Keyboard
q = 45 [ŒÂ
3
3
œ b œœ ..
œ Œ ‰œ œœ œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ œœ ‰ bœ œ œ œœ œ ‰ Ó œ J ‰ JF 5:4 ¿ ¿ ¿ ! RÔ J f P 5:4
(let ring)
3
3 4
Improvise perc. patterns on the designated area. Add short pauses between your patterns.
43
ca. 10 seconds
Partially cover the slits of any botles found in Bottle Group 1 at your own leisure
Bt. Grp. 1
Plastorgan ca. 7 seconds
ª
Toy Piano Body
œœ œœ œœ œ œœ J
3
3 j j ÷ 43 Œ ¿ ¿ Œ ¿ ¿ f 3
œœ œœ œœ bœ œ
slightly swung
Œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ. œ œ
& 43 Œ
11 Keyboard
Heavily drag triplets q = 60
3
j j F Œ ¿ ¿ ‰
3
3
n.
h.
œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ U‰ . r b œ œ j ‰ " b œ b œ b œ œ J‰ œ œ ‰. R œœ ˙˙ b œ b Œ œ œ bœ ƒ 3 ! ƒ ! ! eratic outburst
rit.
U
!
(ca. 2 seconds)
!
œ # # œœ œœ œ # œ œ . "œœœœ J ‰ 44 Ó ‰ œ # œ œ œ ®" ƒ ¿ "‰ Œ Œ 44 " ¿ ¿ " Œ Ó R
C
Fluries of activity q = 90
Bt. Grp. 1
Plastorgan
Pluck the designated string forcefully using your finger
Totem Harp
A: I
B: II
Mid-Century Marfa
&Œ
19 Keyboard
Toy Piano Body
q.
œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œJ ‰ œ œœ 5:4 F p ‰ ¿¿¿ ¿ Ó Œ ‰ ¿j ¿ ¿ " Œ F P drastic ral.
œœ œœ œœ œœ # œœ œœ ‰ Œ "
F ÷ Œ Œ
a tempo
!
Πq.
‰ ¿¿¿¿¿¿ ¿
# œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ # œ # œ œœœ œœ œœœ
F Œ
œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœ œœœ J ‰ Œ " " ¿r ‰ f
Ó
Œ
Ó
Bt. Grp. 1
Plastorgan
Totem Harp
A: III
B: I
ª A glitchy version of a Classical film score q = 100 (-110 at accel. moments)
3 3 3 3 3 Œ Œ œ œ "œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ # œœœ # œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ 3 œ Œœ œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰# œ œ œ ‰# œ ‰œ ‰œ œ œ‰ ‰ # œ ‰ # œ ‰ œ Ó œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ # œ œ œ Ó & # œœœœœœ 45 J J 3 3 3 3 3 3 subito F p ƒ
24 Keyboard
Toy Piano
Bt. Grp. 1
3 j 3 > ‰ # # œœ œœ Ó ‰ ‰# # œœ # # œœ ‰ Ó Œ 42 œœ œ >> œœ œ > J ƒ ƒ F 3
3
Plastorgan
Totem Harp
~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~ ~~~~
Using a large coin, scrape the designated strings simultaneously with mild-force, alternating directions
C: I & II
W
C: I & II
~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ W
3
Mid-Century Marfa
4
3 3 3 j œ œœ œ œ œœ œœ # œœœ œœœ œœœ # œ œ œ 3 # œ # œ œ # œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ # œ œ # œ œ # œ j # œ # œ œ # œ œ œ œ 2 #œ 3 4 Œ " 45 ‰ # œ ‰ œJ ‰ R " 42 # œ # œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ # œ œ œ # œ " & 4 ‰ # # œœ # œ ‰ ‰ œ 4 8 > > œ # # œœ 3 3 F f ƒ ƒ P Œ Body[ 42 ¿
Keyboard
Toy Piano
(q = 100)
3
30
accel.
Under Top Side
Bt. Grp. 1
Plastorgan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Using a large coin, scrape the designated strings simultaneously with mild-force, moving from top to bottom
Totem Harp
C: II& III
W
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ª
j " #œ #œ #œ œ ‰ & # œ ‰ # # œœ ‰ # œ J 3 a tempo
37 Keyboard
Toy Piano Body
÷
!
h.
accel. r Œ ‰ " # œ # œ # œ ‰ # œ œœ œœ œœ # # œœ # œœ # œœ # œœ # œœ # œœ œ œ œœ œœ œœ # # œœ # œ #œ #œ ‰ ‰ J ‰ #œ # œ ‰ # # œœ #œ ‰ # œœ ‰ ‰ 3 3 J f 3 3 ! ! ‰ ¿j ‰ ¿j ! Decrease fan speed to MEDIUM
Bt. Grp. 1
Plastorgan
*
œ # œœ œœ œœ # # œœ 3
!
œœ œœ œœ 3 4 3
43
Mid-Century Marfa
& 43
43 Keyboard
Toy Piano Body
÷ 43
3 3 3 j 3 œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ Œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 42 # œ œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ œ # œ # # œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ # # œœ œœ œœ ‰ œ œ # œ # # œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ # # œœ œœ œœ œœœ. œœ œœ œ œ# œœ #œ #œ œ. œ ‰ Œ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Ï ‰ ‰ ¿ ‰ ¿ ‰¿ 42 Œ J J J
D
(q = 110)
A digital recording glitching into silence q = 120
Bt. Grp. 1
Plastorgan
Play Cue 1
Computer Audio
1
ª
œœœ ‰ ‰ œ œ œ# œ œ # œ # œ œ # œ " œ œ n œ ‰œ œ & œœ # œ .. ‰ . œ # œœ .. " ‰ # œJ R J f
50 Keyboard
Toy Piano
Bt. Grp. 1
Plastorgan
Computer Totem Audio Harp
3
3
3
3
3
œ # œ # œ œ # œ " œ œ n œ ‰œ # œœ .. #œ " ‰ J J 3
3
3
r œœ # œ # œ œ œ# œ ‰œ " œ # # # œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ # # # œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œœ # œ œ ‰ 3 3 3 3 J 3 3 3 3 subito Ï 5:4
5
Mid-Century Marfa
6
r œœ # œ # œ œ œ# œ ‰œ " œ œ # œ "œ œ œ œ " œ œ # œœ # œ œ ‰ ‰ œ ‰ # œœ J J R
œ # œ # œ œ # œ " œ œ n œ ‰œ & # œœ .. #œ " ‰ J J f ÷ ! 3
3
5:4
3
56 Keyboard
Toy Piano Body
!
!
œ #œ ‰ " œ œ " # œœ """‰ " R ‰ " ¿R ‰ " ¿r
" " " q = 70 "" " œ œ #œ œ œ œ #œ " œ œ œ ‰ " œ #œ " œ œ œ " œ œ #œ œ œ " œ #œ " œ œ œ " # œœ ‰ # œœ ‰ Œ Œ J J ¿ ‰ " ¿ " ¿ " " ¿ ‰ " ¿ " ¿ " ¿r ‰ Œ " ¿r ‰ Œ " ¿R ‰ " ¿ " ¿ R R
Bt. Grp. 1
Plastorgan
Totem Computer Harp Audio
ª
Keyboard
Toy Piano Body
*Gradually moving to the point of unpitched sound
& " œ #œ " œ ¬ ‰
65
÷ ¿R ‰
# ## " # # # ‰ # ## " # # # ‰
(i.e. key movement noise)
" ¿" ¿"
!
!
n.*
!
h
‰ ¿¿¿¿¿¿
‰ # ## " # # ## ‰ # # " # # ## ‰ ‰ Continue unpitched sound (i.e. key movement noise)
Œ ¿¿
Œ
‰ " ¿J " ‰
r ¿ "Œ
‰
Œ
‰ # ## Œ h
¿ ¿ ¿¿¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ Increase fan to HIGH speed
Bt. Grp. 1
Plastorgan
Totem Computer Harp Audio
*
# ## ‰ ‰
# ## ‰ ‰
Œ
" ¿R ¿R " ‰
Mid-Century Marfa
7
Partially cover the slits of any botles found in Bottle Group 1 at your own leisure
Bt. Grp. 1
ca. 8 seconds
Plastorgan Turn fan on to HIGH speed
Bt. Grp .2
*
Totem Computer Harp Audio
Plastorgan/Aeolian harp solo, ca. 15 seconds
ª
E 75 Keyboard
Toy Piano
Dust Bowl Lullaby q = 60 (soloistic rubato)
& 43
# # ˙˙ F
Œ
˙ #˙
Œ
U
!
(ca. 2 seconds)
44 Œ " œ œ Œ 43 Œ " œ œ ˙ œ Ó œ Œ #˙ # # ˙˙ F
U
!
(ca. 2 seconds)
jŒ Œ # œ . # œ œ œ œ #œ œ#œ œ. 3 44 54 Œ # œ # œ œ œ œj ‰ 44 ‰Œ 4 # œœ œœ Ó ˙œ œ . œ . " Ó œ œ " Ó Œ # œ œ œ #˙ #˙ J J f
Bt. Grp. 1
Plastorgan Fan: Start OSCILATION
Bt. Grp .2
Computer Totem Audio Harp
*
Mid-Century Marfa
8
j‰ ‰ #œ #œœ œ Œ ‰ œ " œ œ œ Œ ‰ ‰ Œ j‰ 2 # œ œ j # œ # œ œ # œ œ œ # œ œ œ # œ œ # œ 2 œ œ # œ œœ œœ œœ ‰ " 5 œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ 3 œœ # œ 3 j " 4 œ # œ # œ œ œ œ Œ œ œœ 4 # œœ Œ " œ 4 œ. #œ œ œ &4 œ # œ 4 4 4 # œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ Ó œ Œ ‰ ‰ Œ Œ ‰ œ #œ œ Œ Ó Œ ‰ œœ œ # œ F J J 3 3 ƒ 3 3 F f 3 3
5:4
3
3
3
84 Keyboard
Toy Piano
Bt. Grp. 1
Plastorgan Bt. Grp .2
Totem Computer Harp Audio ª
& #œ. F
91 Keyboard
Toy Piano
j œ œ œ.
œ #œ
Ÿ~~~~~~~~ œ w œ œ " 3 5 # œ ‰ 4 Ó. J J ‰ 4 Œ Œ 3 S very slow
fast
Bt. Grp. 1
Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~ j œ œ . j " œ ® œ w "3 Œ Œ 5 Ó. ‰ # #œœœœ 42 œœ ‰ 4 4 Œ Œ J # œœ S J F very slow
Plastorgan Bt. Grp .2
*
Totem Harp [Computer Audio Continues]
Using a small elec. fan with exposed blades, excite the designated strings by holding the moving blades against them
A: I-III
w. + Q
*
B: I-III
w. + Q
fast
drastic ral.
j j " #œ . ® # œ ‰# œœ 42 # œœœ ‰ œ œ " 43 œ Œ Œ œ J FJ
Mid-Century Marfa
œœ œœ œœ œœ # œœœ gg # œœœ gg # œœœ # # œœœ œœœ œœœ ral. 100 œ # # œ œ œ g gg 3 # œœ œœ œ gg œ ggg # œ œœ œ Toy Piano & 4 # œ J ‰ # œœ # # œœ œ œœ œ 3 #œ 3 ƒ F
q = 50 (soloistic rubato) accel.
a tempo
a tempo
accel.
Keyboard
œ j "‰ # œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ # œ ®" 44 ‰ # œœ ## œœœ œœœ ‰ œœ # œœ # œœ œœ # J 3 3 3 F f 3 3
accel.
a tempo
3
3
ral.
U 3 24 # œœ Œ 4 P (ca. 1 second)
Bt. Grp. 1
Plastorgan Bt. Grp .2
Totem Harp
*
*
C: I-III
H + E.
C: I-III
H + E.
*
C: I-III
H. + E
*
C: I-III
w +H
ª 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 j j . . œ œ œ œ j j . . # œ # œ j j g g œ œ œ œ 107 . . " " Œ Œ Œ œ Œ Œ Œ œ 3 3 g g 3 # # œœ # œ 42 œ "43 Œ œ # œ œ œ # # œœ # œ 42 œ "43 # œœ # œœ œ " # œœ # œœ œ " " " ‰" ‰ ‰" ‰ Œ Œ Œ Œ Toy Piano & 4 Œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ ‰ # œœ ‰ # œœ ‰œœ ‰ # œœ ‰ # œœ ‰œœ # # œœœœœ # œœœœ # 3 3 ƒ ƒ F F f 3 3 3 f 3 3 3 ƒ F
q = 45
3
Keyboard
Bt. Grp. 1
Plastorgan Bt. Grp .2
Totem Harp
*
B: I-III
w +E
* A: I-III
w +E
9
ca. 15 seconds
10 Keyboard
Toy Piano
Body
Mid-Century Marfa
Improvise patterns of unpitched key movement noise. Add short pauses between your patterns.
[
Under Top Side
Bt. Grp. 1
& œœ # # œœœ p
÷ ¿R ¿ ¿ Ô J F
" # # ## ‰ # # Œ n.
Improvise perc. patterns on the designated area. Add short pauses between your patterns.
ca. 10 seconds Turn fan OFF
Decrease fan speed to MEDIUM
*
*
Plastorgan
Bt. Grp .2
*
Totem Computer Harp Audio
Allow bottles to sound twice, then turn fan OFF
[Computer Audio ends]
Section lasts ca. 40 seconds ATM 11/22/14