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for solo harp
, CONSIDERING.
[you]
j o.l 9————————————————————————————————— 9—
9
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This score belongs to [
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brusenta.com
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i ——————— published do by dots m u s i c ————— music, art, & words © 2016 Aleksandr G. Brusentsev
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score design by Aleksandr G. Brusentsev
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ISSUU edition, 2017
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9 , considering. was written for
Olivia Jageurs in support and admiration of her project, ‘15 second harp’. ————— The music was composed in February 2016. Minor revisions took place in March 2016. ————— The first performance was given by
Olivia Jageurs via social media (Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter) through the 15 second harp project, www.15secondharp.com, on 3 March 2016.
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4
for Olivia Jageurs
iv
Program Note —— ——————————————
4———————————————————[ the listener ] In Short Written for Olivia Jageurs’ project, ‘15 second harp’, , considering., for solo harp, is a very brief musical contemplation.
Background // how this came to be It’s not often that I can pinpoint when or where or even why I wrote a work. Usually, my approach involves a seemingly-endless cycle of planning, starting, scrapping, redoing, and revising that can take years. Needless to say, by the time I finish a composition, the ‘historical’ details of its creation are quite obscured. I value that process. In fact, I think it’s what makes my music what it is. Other times, what makes music is just a bit of luck: on the evening of 26 February 2016, I simply went to my piano and wrote this. That’s it. Better still, I got to do so for a friend’s inventive and beautifullybeneficial undertaking.
Music // what you might hear Like much of my work, , considering. focuses on the experience of simultaneously engaging with multiple independent threads (of thought, music, life, etc.). Here, a 12-tone melody unfolds forwards and then backward over two different accompaniments. Each of these strands exists in its own time and harmonic world, including one that lies outside of standard Western tuning. It may seem a bit mad, but I think it works – not just musically, but as an homage to the (15 second harp) project that inspired it: both piece and platform bring together diverse musical ideas in hopes of informing and inspiring.
n
v
§ § §
}
lilting chordal pattern
Three primary ideas compose this piece. Much like characters in a story, each idea must always maintain a distinct identity – no matter the context. insistent quarter-tuned fifths
{
This melody is the protagonist
Harmonically static, these fifths
Entering last, this quintuplet
of the music. It is presented in
provide a shifting triplet pulse
pattern works in conjunction
three phrases and consists of
which serves as the predomi-
with the fifths (2) to create a
two versions of one row: first its
nant
compound groove that supports
initial form and then its retro-
sound insistent and closed.
capricious 12-tone melody
Working Parts —— ———————————————————————————————
4————[ the performer ]
1 2 3 rhythm.
They
should
the melody (1). The optimal
grade. Ideally, the timbre should
sound for these chords is heavy,
be sharp and crystalline.
resonant, and open.
*
————————————————————————————————— Note: The balance in this piece should be achieved with timbre instead of dynamics (i.e. the melody should not be louder). Thinking spatially, the intended ‘mix’ is a small thing (1) in a big, encompassing space (2 & 3).
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Handling Instructions ————————————————————————————————————————————————
vi
Before Notation Quirks
. . .
To play the microtones in this piece, the F2 and C3 strings must be tuned ¼-tone sharp. The lowest string must be tuned to C C#. Two non-standard accidentals have been used to reflect the effects of the microtonal tuning:
k : ¼-tone sharp
l : ¾-tone sharp
Because of the polytempic nature of this piece, no time signature has been provided. Phrase marks, dynamics, and marked articulations should be used as a guide to phrasing and rhythmic stress. Note: To aid reading, dotted bar lines have been used to separate groups of four beats in the given tempo. Accidentals carry within these ‘bars’ as they would in standard ones.
Dynamics
. .
Solid slur lines ( Dashed slur lines (
) are used exclusively for pedal glissandi. ) function as phrase marks.
Hairpins connecting to new dynamics should reach the designated level. Dynamics not preceded by a hairpin should be regarded as ‘subito’ dynamics, with no implied gradation: iq iq iq should be seen as iq iq iq p
f
p
f subito
Note: Despite their appearance, marked dynamics apply equally to both staves.
Techniques
.
Pedal glissandi should span the full value of the note from which the ‘gliss.’ line extends, fully exploring the ‘in-between’ colors when the duration allows. To this end, some notes have a ‘z’ stem to reinforce that the relevant pedal should spend a substantial amount of time between the notches, allowing a pedal buzz to sound. The exact balance of note to noise is left to the performer. Note 1: The majority of pedal glissandi in this piece are written without a slur, indicating that the second note should be articulated at the same moment the pedal reaches its resting point on the new note (even if that point is not a notch). Note 2: The final glissando does occur under a slur, indicating that the second note should not be articulated.
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Duration: ca. 0'15''
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LED 04.12.2016
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for Olivia Jageurs
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Aleksandr G. Brusentsev
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© 2016 Aleksandr G. Brusentsev
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