Dempsey and Firpo, by Carl Schimmel (for string quartet)

Page 1

Dempsey and Firpo for string quartet CARL SCHIMMEL


Dempsey and Firpo for string quartet

CARL SCHIMMEL PROGRAM NOTES George Bellows is probably most famous for his series of boxing paintings, of which Dempsey and Firpo is one of his last. It depicts the 1923 fight between Jack Dempsey (the “Manassa Mauler”) and the Argentinian Luis Firpo (the “Wild Bull of the Pampas”), a battle which has often been called the most brutal and exciting boxing championship match ever. Within four minutes, there were 11 knockdowns; Bellows’ work captures the most thrilling moment of the match, when Firpo sent the champion Dempsey through the ropes and onto the press table at the end of the first round. Bellows’ style toward the end of his career embraced the principles of “Dynamic Symmetry,” an aesthetic stance which favored precisely arranged geometrical forms according to naturally occurring ratios. Dempsey and Firpo features a “root five rectangle,” which can be drawn in a series of steps using only a compass and straightedge. I used this process in selecting a group of chords and rhythms from which the movement is constructed. The five main sections of the piece are also in a corresponding ratio; the two “B” sections depict the fight itself (which was over in less than two rounds) while the “A” material portrays the excitement of the crowd. Dempsey and Firpo is approximately five and a half minutes in duration.

PERFORMANCE NOTES Dynamics and other performance indications should be followed carefully, but notice that there is not an abundance of such markings; this is to allow for the musician to bring his or her own musicality to the performance. If a phrase is simply marked piano, this does not indicate that the phrase should be played at a constant volume but rather with musical dynamic shading at an approximate piano dynamic level.


Dempsey and Firpo

Allegro ( ca. 96) (

)

(

(

)

)

1

Violin I

1

Violin II

1

Viola

1

Violoncello ( )

( )

A 7

(shape phrases) 5

7

5

5

5

subito 6

7

6

6

7

5

5

5

6

6

6

5

crescendo 6

subito

5

6

crescendo

5

5

6

6

6

crescendo 6

crescendo 5

3

3

feroce

5


3 3 10

3

3

3 5

10

5

5

5

6

6

6

5

5

5

6

6

6

5

6

6

crescendo

5

6

6

6

diminuendo

5 10

5

3

crescendo

diminuendo

crescendo 10

5

3

crescendo 3

5

3

3

3

3 3

13

B subito

6

6

crescendo poco a poco

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

13

subito

5 5

crescendo poco a poco

5 5

5 5

5

5 5

5

5 5

13

crescendo 13

crescendo


16

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

16

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

16

16

5

5

6

6

5

5

6

5

5

3

3

3

6

3

C 20

(shape phrases) 20

5

20

6

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

diminuendo 6

diminuendo 20

feroce

5

diminuendo 6

diminuendo


3 3 23

3

3

3 23

5

5

23

6

6

5

5

5

5

6

6

6

crescendo

5

5

5

6

6

6

6

subito

6

crescendo

3

5

5

3

3

D

! 6 5

26

5

5

5

5

!

26

6

6

6

6

!

3

26

5

!

3

6

subito

23

26

5

subito

subito

3

5

5

5

5

6

6

6

3

6


E 30

"

#

"

30

"

$

#

"

$ 5

30

"

#

"

30

3

"

$

$

$

#

"

F

3 3

36

3 36

36

36

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

5


G 40

pizz.

"

3

40

pizz.

pizz.

%

arco

"

3 40

%

arco

$

%

arco

"

3 3

$

$

%

40

"

3

*Vn. II gliss C to E 45

45

5

$ 5

45

5

5

5

5

5

5

sul pont. 5

6

6

6

6

6

sul pont.

$

6

6

sul pont. 5

ord.

sul pont.

ord.

sul pont.

3

6

crescendo

sul pont.

subito

ord.

crescendo

subito 45

5

*

subito 6

5

crescendo


49

6

6 49

ord.

5

(ord.)

ord.

6

ord.

49

(ord.)

6

6

6

5

5

5

5 49

6

6

6

6

5

5

5

6

5

5

6

(ord.)

5

5

5

6

3

5

5

5

3

3

6

H 53

Presto ( ca. 132)

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58

58

pizz.

pizz.

)

pizz.

arco

, subito 63

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pizz.

arco

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+ ++ +

+arco+ + +

pizz.

sul pont.

pizz.

sul pont.

* +

*

+

"

ord.

+ +

+

sul pont.

* +

-

" sul pont.

* +

ord.

!

ord.

*

"

+

pizz.

pizz.

ord.

+

arco

* ** *

pizz.

arco

,

(pizz.)

arco

sul pont.

, subito

63

arco

)

arco

63

63

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arco

58

I

* +

"

+

ord.

!

+ +

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+ ++ +

arco

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68

68

68

J

! *

!

gliss. E to C#

* +

!

gliss. G to D#

>

.

.

.

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sul tasto

( 68

73

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arco

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73

73

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subito

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"

K

* 73

+

+ + + + + + +

pizz.

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+

+

+

**** ++++

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subito

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++++ ! !

subito

subito


77

!

%

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subito 77

77

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pizz.

+ ++ + + ++++ + %

pizz.

* ** * * **** *

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arco

pizz.

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*

arco

pizz.

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arco

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*

+ ++ + +

+

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%

* * ********

+

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subito

! ! ! !

L sul pont. 81

81

81

81

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*

3

ord. gliss.

subito

+(

3

ord.

sul pont.

gliss.

5 gliss.

subito

5

(

(

(

(

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5

+

%

5

ord.

sul pont.

* +

+ +

ord.

sul pont.

6

gliss.

+

%

6

5

+

+

( (

(

( (

(

+ +

% %


M Tempo I 85

+

%

.

. crescendo

85

85

85

% % %

.

*

/)

poco ritardando

/) crescendo

poco ritardando

(sul C, G)

* subito

/)

crescendo poco a poco

poco ritardando

/)

*

crescendo poco a poco

poco ritardando

3

(

)

(

)

(

)

/!)

91

*

3

/!)

91

*

3 91

5

5

5

6

6

6

subito 91

( )

( ) subito

/!) /!)


N 96

96

96

96

/!) /!)

3

3

/)

*

6

3

5

3

* 5

/!)

5

5

5

5:3

/)

"

/)

/) 6

! /)

6

/) 6

6

101

/)

6

3

/) 5

101

/)

* +

3

101

/)

6

5

" 101

6

3 3

/) /) /)

* sf

"

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

6

6

molto

"

5

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

5 6


3

105

5

5

5 6

6

5

5

5

5

+

3

3

3

105

3

3

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

*

6

6

*

a tempo

+

poco poco rit. a tempo

5

105

a tempo

+ +

3

poco poco rit.

5

5

+ +

poco poco rit. 6

6

5

5

3

5

105

5

+

gliss.

3

*

*

poco poco rit.

sf

a tempo

O 110

pizz.

arco

.

/) senza crescendo

110

pizz.

arco

.

110

subito arco

pizz.

0

0

0

0

0

5

/) senza crescendo

110

subito

0

0

/)

senza crescendo

0 senza crescendo

subito (arco)

/)

subito

6

5

Tempo II

. . .


P 115

6

subito

crescendo poco a poco

115

5

subito 115

115

pizz.

crescendo poco a poco

arco

pizz. arco 3

sf

** "

**

**

**

**

* *

* "*

**

**

**

**

* *

120

+ +

120

+ + + ++ +

120

* ***

* *

* * crescendo poco a poco

* ***

* *

crescendo poco a poco

* *

+ +

* *

+ ++ +

* *

+ +

* * * * **

120

* *

* ** *

* *

* *

* *

* ** * * *

* * * * * *


Q 125

125

125

+ + + + + +

+

++

+

++

+

++ (

125

+

* **** *

++ ++ ++ +

/!) /!) /!)

+

+ + + + + +

+

! 6

ord.

!

131

5

5

5

!

* *

* ***

!

* ** * ***

/!)

+

sul pont.

crescendo poco a poco

+ +

sul pont.

crescendo poco a poco sul pont.

(

! /)

"*

A Tempo (Tempo II)

+ + + + + + + + +

+

crescendo poco a poco 131

+

5

ord. 131

/!)

+

! + + + /)

6

/!)

+

+

+ + +

ord. 131

+

R As Fast as Possible

3

(quasi una ritardando)

3

(quasi una ritardando)

3

(quasi una ritardando)

.


S Tempo I

3

( 135

)

!

135

)

!

135

135

.

)

!

)

!

)

!

5

5

5

5

5

5

6

6

6

6

! ! !

()

T 141

!

/!)

!

/!)

!

/!)

!

/!)

!

6 141

!

5

5

6

6

6 141

!

141

!


3 146

146

3

+2 3

+2 3

+2 +3

3

1 +2 3

+2 3

+2 +3

3

1 +2

+2

+2 +3

2

2

+2

* 1

*

! ! 3

146

! 3 3

146

! 3

1


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