RNY 1031- Davide Lang - Crowd Out by Ricordi

david lang

crowd out

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for 1000 or more voices

score

rk Yo ew N or di ic R by ht ig yr op C ÂŠ 2013 by Universal Music Corp. (ASCAP) International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. RNY 1031 Warning : Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited by Federal law, and subject to criminal prosecution.

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crowd out - for 1000 or more voices words and music by david lang

note, with instructions

crowd out is a series of actions taken by individuals inside a crowd.

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We can get a sense of community and strength from being part of a crowd, and often the environment of the crowd helps to shape how we feel about the purpose that brought us all together within it. Religious crowds, sports crowds, military crowds, funerary crowds, political crowds. As the Nobel Prize-winning author Elias Cannetti noted in his landmark study Crowds and Power the crowd takes on a life of its own, depending on its purpose, often regardless of the individual natures of the people within it.

My interest is strictly on the individual – what is it that we gain by joining with others, what is it that we lose? How does the innate, overwhelming nature of the crowd ‘crowd out’ the things we are each most committed to, as individuals? In particular, I am interested in the kind of crowd created on the internet, how millions of individuals are now free to share endless information about themselves with others around the globe, never more connected in time and text, and yet paradoxically never more emotionally separated.

The texts for crowd out were themselves crowd-sourced – all the texts were internet auto-completions of the sentence “When I am in a crowd I….” Every sentence begins with the word "I" and it is a personal statement from someone, somewhere about how that person feels, as an individual, inside a crowd. I didn’t use all the answers. I took out those that referred to specific people, that insulted a person or group, that said anything - good or bad – about a particular religion or nationality or gender, that endorsed or disparaged a particular commercial product or activity, that were pornographic. My interest was to make a text that would seem in some way universal, a list of feelings we might all be capable of having as individuals within any kind of crowd, wherever and with whomever we might find it. The individual is the basic unit of organization of my piece. In crowd out individuals experience three different kinds of crowds – a crowd of about 25 to 50 people, with whom that individual is most closely connected; a larger crowd of about 250 people; and the largest crowd, of 1000 or more, made up of all the participants.

crowd out notes, page 2

For the purposes of this piece the crowds of 25 to 50 people will be called ‘groups’ and the crowds of 250 will be called ‘strands.’ There should be 4 strands of about 250 people each, and each strand will be made up of somewhere between 5 to 10 groups. It isn’t necessary that all the groups be the same size, or that each strand has the same number of groups. Crowds are often disorderly and my piece should be no different.

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I refer in the score to the strands as Blue, Green, Orange and Yellow. Because the music of crowd out is the result of a series of individual actions it started reminding me of the action paintings of Jackson Pollock, so I somewhat arbitrarily named the strands after the colors used in Pollock’s landmark painting Blue Poles. (Blue Poles also uses black and white, but I don’t). In the score the order of entry is always alphabetical – B,G,O,Y – but this is a shorthand for me and if for dramatic or spatial or musical reasons the order wants to be changed at a given moment please feel free to do so.

crowd out cannot help but be a theatrical experience – 1000 or more people take up a lot of space, and their placement and their movements are both an aesthetic opportunity and a logistical nightmare. I recommend strongly that an experienced theatrical director be involved in every performance.

Performers and audience should be indistinguishable from each other. I don’t want the audience (should there be one) to feel separated from the performers, in location, dress, ethnicity, ability, etc; rather, the performers and audience should be mixed together, in all ways, so that non-performers might feel that they share the communal space with the performers. It may even be possible and even desirable to encourage audience members to join in at certain moments. crowd out is designed so that most of its participants need have no musical training or ability; in fact, I would prefer that the piece be made mostly of ordinary community members. Performers do not have to be able to read music, they should speak and shout in everyday, non theatrical voices, and they should sing in everyday, non operatic voices. Each group of 25 to 50 people has a group leader, who will need to be a little more musically experienced, and who will need to rehearse a little more. Each group within each strand is numbered, for example BLUE 2, or GREEN 4, and the leader of the first group of each strand is a kind of de facto strand leader –

crowd out notes, page 3

BLUE 1, GREEN 1, ORANGE 1, YELLOW 1. There is one central conductor who cues the changes from section to section. The principal way that information flows is from the conductor to the strand leaders to the group leaders to the individuals. Almost all of the musical direction given to individuals during the performance will come from their group leaders.

The group leaders communicate with their groups with megaphones. The megaphones must be the cone-type, unpowered megaphones – the type that is used by coxswains in rowing, and not the electric, nasal, artificially amplified ones. Places where the megaphones are to be used are clearly marked.

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Group leaders may yell instructions or reminders or cues to their groups, in order to coordinate them as the piece goes on. Since most of the performers are not expected to be trained musicians it could be reassuring to have a group leader yell “EVERYONE LOOK AT ME FOR THE CUE” or “ON TO PART 4. READY? GO!” One wouldn’t want to do that in an orchestra piece but in crowd out it might be very helpful.

Because BLUE 1, GREEN 1, ORANGE 1 and YELLOW 1 initiate each new section within each strand it may be useful to imagine that these groups are placed closer to the conductor. Each performance, depending on its space, its sightlines, the nature of its theatricality, may need to develop its own system for cuing. The colors of the strands may prove useful for communicating across long distances. It may also be useful to consult the symbols designed for conducting improvisation already developed by such musicians as Butch Morris or Walter Thompson, among others.

It should be noted that the score is written specifically for “1000 or more” people. How many more is a good question. I can easily imagine this piece scaled up to include tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of people. If so, please feel free to add more colors and internal cues at will. And if so, the smaller groups should still be only 25 to 50 people – any more than that and I would worry that the localized, individual-in-a-community-of-individuals feeling among each group would be harmed. It is exciting to think that, after performing the piece with 1000 people, each member of the performance might feel comfortable enough to become a group leader himself or herself. What began then with 1000 people would quickly become 25,000 to 50,000 in performance. That would be amazing.

crowd out â&#x20AC;&#x201C; libretto

I draw deep breaths I feel more confident and calm I lost it all I do not waste my words

I hate for all eyes to be on me

I start to panic

I feel so alone I could cry

I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want people to know

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I can fully submerge myself

I start to sweat

I push, I shove, I glare, I mutter

I am alone

I am always alone

I am most alone

I feel so alone

I feel like rushing into tears

I feel anxiety I feel awful and I wish to be alone I feel energy I feel I want to be alone

I feel like rushing into tears I feel like rushing into tears I feel more confident and calm I feel no one understands I feel so alone I could cry I feel so disrupted

I am nourished by the pure spring

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I am nowhere to be seen

I feel surreal

I am obsessed with being at the center of attention

I am silent, and I keep to myself

I am obsessed with being at the center of attention

I like people

I lost it all

I feel left out I start to panic I start to sweat I think of you I lose control

crowd out words and music by david lang

Part 1

– I draw deep breaths – OCEANIC, UNSTABLE, BECOMING MORE INTENSE. It should feel as if the performance is emerging from the general buzz of the audience. This opening may take a very long time. each person independently, speak in a whisper at first and gradually move to normal voice, at a normal pace, repeating sentences in order, with varying lengths of silence between each sentence.

I draw deep breaths. I feel more confident and calm. I lost it all. I do not waste my words. I hate for all eyes to be on me. I start to panic. I feel so alone I could cry. I start to sweat. I can fully submerge myself. I don’t want people to know. I push, I shove, I glare, I mutter.

CONDUCTOR CUE – get louder and softer, on cue

CONDUCTOR CUE – accent the “I” in each sentence, while speaking the rest of each sentences in a normal voice, at a normal pace, repeating as above.

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CONDUCTOR CUE – keep accenting the “I” in each sentence, while making the rest of the sentences completely silent, mouthing noiselessly the unspoken words, still at a normal pace, as above.

– I am always alone – STRONG, ANIMAL

Part 2

CONDUCTOR CUE – get louder and softer, on cue, on the erratic, accented “I”

CONDUCTOR CUE – yell each word, together, as conducted.

I…am…always…alone. I…am…alone. I…am…most…alone. I…feel…so…alone.

– I feel like rushing into tears – BECOMING MORE FULL AND SATURATED

Part 3

GROUP LEADER CUE – group leader yells each word separately, and group repeats.

GROUP LEADER CUE – sing these 4 phrases, repeating as cued. 1. 2. 3. 4.

I feel. I feel like. I feel. I feel like rushing into tears. I feel like rushing into tears. I feel like rushing into tears.

Part 4

– I feel anxiety (part 1) – LOSING ENERGY BUT NOT BECOMING CALM

GROUP LEADER CUE – group leader yells the following sentences and group claps the rhythms back. I feel anxiety. I feel awful and I wish to be alone. I feel energy. I feel I want to be alone. I feel like rushing into tears. I feel like rushing into tears. I feel more confident and calm. I feel no one understands. I feel so alone I could cry. I feel so disrupted. I feel surreal.

Part 5

– I am nourished (part 1) – OCEANIC, UNSTABLE

GROUP LEADER CUE – speak in normal voice, at a normal pace, independently, repeating over and over, as at the beginning I am nourished by the pure spring. I am nowhere to be seen. I am obsessed with being at the center of attention. I am silent, and I keep to myself. I am obsessed with being at the center of attention. I am obsessed with being at the center of attention. CONDUCTOR CUE – get louder and softer, on cue

Part 6

– I am nourished (part 2) – ETERNAL AND HEARTBREAKING

GROUP LEADER CUE – sing together this song, and repeat as cued

I am nourished by the pure spring. I am nowhere to be seen. I am obsessed with being at the center of attention. I am silent, and I keep to myself. I am obsessed with being a the center of attention. I am obsessed with being at the center of attention.

Part 7

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– I feel anxiety (part 2) – MORE PLAINTIVE THAN AGGRESSIVE, BECOMING MORE EMOTIONAL AS THE WORDS DISAPPEAR GROUP LEADER CUE – call and response. yell each sentence back.

I feel anxiety. I feel awful and I wish to be alone. I feel energy. I feel I want to be alone. I feel like rushing into tears. I feel like rushing into tears. I feel more confident and calm. I feel no one understands. I feel so alone I could cry. I feel so disrupted. I feel surreal.

– I like people – LIKE A MANTRA

Part 8

GROUP LEADER CUE – answer each sentence yelled by the group leader with a wordless yell: HA! This should be the loudest, most violent section of the entire piece.

CONDUCTOR CUE – speak the following sentences together, when cued, in a normal voice, not yelled. This should be simple, fragile, plainspoken. Conductor cues each sentence individually. Repeat sentences in order until the end. I like people. I lost it all. I feel left out. I start to panic. I start to sweat. I think of you. I lose control. CONDUCTOR CUE – sentences get farther and farther apart

part 1 – I draw deep breaths – OCEANIC, UNSTABLE, BECOMING MORE INTENSE. It should feel as if the performance is emerging from the general buzz of the audience. This opening may take a very long time.

1. ALL 4 STRANDS: each person independently, speak in a whisper at first and gradually move to normal voice, at a normal pace, repeating sentences in order, with varying lengths of silence between each sentence.

I feel more confident and calm

I do not waste my words

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I lost it all

I draw deep breaths

I start to panic

I hate for all eyes to be on me

I feel so alone I could cry

I start to sweat

I can fully submerge myself

I don’t want people to know

I push, I shove, I glare, I mutter

2. EACH STRAND SEPARATELY: after several minutes conductor signals separate strands for crescendi and decrescendi; first BLUE, then BLUE and GREEN, then BLUE, GREEN and ORANGE. After several minutes: 3. ALL 4 STRANDS: conductor signals all strands for crescendi and decrescendo, in unison 4. ALL 4 STRANDS: conductor signals to accent the “I” in each sentence, while speaking the rest of each sentences in normal voice, at a normal pace, repeating as above

5. ALL 4 STRANDS: conductor signals to keep accenting the “I” in each sentence, while making the rest of the sentences completely silent, mouthing noiselessly the unspoken words, still at a normal pace, as above 6. ALL 4 STRANDS: conductor signals all strands for massive crescendi and decrescendi on the erratic, accented “I”

part 2 – I am always alone – STRONG, ANIMAL

1. ALL 4 STRANDS: yell each word, together, as conducted, approximately 5 seconds apart, repeating over and over. keep rhythm stable

I…..feel…..so…..alone

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I…..am…..most…..alone

I…..am…..alone

I…..am…..always…..alone

2. BLUE STRAND, CALL AND RESPONSE: after one time through the unison yell above, blue group leaders take up their megaphones and yell each word, independently, varying the speed and pauses unpredictably; BLUE group members yell each word back, repeating after their group leaders; repeating over and over

ALL OTHER STRANDS: continue following conductor, as above

3. BLUE AND GREEN STRANDS, CALL AND RESPONSE: after one more time through the unison yell above, GREEN group leaders join, as above; BLUE and GREEN group members yell each word back, repeating after their group leaders ORANGE AND YELLOW STRANDS: continue following conductor, as above 4. BLUE, GREEN AND ORANGE STRANDS, CALL AND RESPONSE: after one more time through the unison yell above, ORANGE group leaders join, as above; BLUE, GREEN and ORANGE group members yell each word back, repeating after their group leaders YELLOW STRAND: continue following conductor, as above 5. ALL STRANDS, CALL AND RESPONSE: after one more time through the unison yell above, YELLOW group leaders join, as above; ALL group members yell each word back, repeating after their group leaders

part 3: I feel like rushing into tears - BECOMING MORE FULL AND SATURATED 1. BLUE STRAND: sing phrase 1, trying to sing together within each group; all other strands continue call and response from previous section 2. GREEN STRAND: sing phrase 1, trying to sing together within each group; BLUE STRAND move on to phrase 2; all other strands continue call and response from previous section 1.

q = 60

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3. ORANGE STRAND: sing phrase 1, trying to sing together within each group; GREEN STRAND move on to phrase 2; BLUE STRAND move on to phrase 3; YELLOW STRAND continue call and response from previous section

q = 70

feel

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4. YELLOW STRAND: sing phrase 1, trying to sing together within each group; ORANGE STRAND move on to phrase 2; GREEN STRAND move on to phrase 3; BLUE STRAND move on to phrase 4

q = 80

ht like

feel

shing

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5. ALL STRANDS: move up in stages until everyone is singing phrase 4 When all strands are singing phrase 4 start adjusting to sing in unison with other strands and groups, but not necessarily achieving unison.

£ « « « «« «« «« «ú« #ú«« «« « « ú ======================== & “ { __w l ú« l ú« l w l #ú« ú« l w l  l 4.

q = 90 I

feel

shing

in - to

tears

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part 4 – I feel anxiety (part 1) – LOSING ENERGY BUT NOT BECOMING CALM

ALL STRANDS, ALL GROUPS, CALL AND RESPONSE: each group leader, with a megaphone, yells out each sentence, and the members of each group clap their hands in the rhythm of what each group leader yelled. The rests between each sentence should be of varied lengths, and unpredictable. After the first time through the text the order of the sentences may be changed, at will, and, after the first time through, the rests between each sentence should gradually start getting longer and longer. Even though the phrases are getting farther apart the yelling and the clapping should continue with the same pacing and intensity as at the start of this section.

I feel anxiety

I feel awful and I wish to be alone

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I feel energy

I feel I want to be alone

I feel like rushing into tears

I feel more confident and calm

I feel no one understands

I feel so alone I could cry

I feel so disrupted I feel surreal

part 5 – I am nourished (part 1) – OCEANIC, UNSTABLE 1. ALL STRANDS, ALL GROUPS: speak in normal voice, at a normal pace, independently, as at the beginning, repeating sentences in order, with varying lengths of silence between each sentence.

I am nourished by the pure spring I am nowhere to be seen I am obsessed with being at the center of attention

I am silent, and I keep to myself

I am obsessed with being at the center of attention

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2. EACH STRAND SEPARATELY: after several minutes conductor signals separate strands for crescendi and decrescendi, one strand at a time, as at the beginning – first BLUE, then BLUE and GREEN, then BLUE, GREEN and ORANGE

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3. ALL STRANDS, ALL GROUPS: after several minutes conductor signals all groups for crescendi and decrescendi, as at the beginning

part 6: I am nourished (part 2) - ETERNAL AND HEARTBREAKING 1. one BLUE group leader begins singing this melody, not too loud or strong, and then his or her group joins in, at this octave or the octave below. All other BLUE groups join in, in unison. All other strands are still speaking as directed at the end of part 5. 2. after BLUE groups sing tune once through they are joined by the GREEN strand. All other strands are still speaking as directed at the end of part 5. 3. after BLUE and GREEN strands sing tune once through they are joined by the ORANGE strand. YELLOW strand is still speaking as directed at the end of part 5. 4. after BLUE, GREEN and ORANGE strands sing tune once through they are joined by YELLOW strand. ALL strands sing tuen once through.

q = 90 I

nou - rished

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seen

ob -

sessed with

be - ing at the

cen - ter of

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ten - tion

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self

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part 7 – I feel anxiety (part 2) – MORE PLAINTIVE THAN AGGRESSIVE, BECOMING MORE EMOTIONAL AS THE WORDS DISAPPEAR 1. BLUE STRAND, CALL AND RESPONSE: each blue group leader, with megaphone, yells out each sentence, with varying and unpredictable amounts of space between each sentence, and each group yells the sentence back, loud. After the first time through the order of the sentences may be changed at will. GREEN, ORANGE and YELLOW STRANDS continue singing, as directed at end of part 6

I feel I want to be alone

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I feel like rushing into tears

I feel energy

I feel awful and I wish to be alone

I feel anxiety

I feel like rushing into tears

I feel more confident and calm

I feel no one understands

I feel so alone I could cry

I feel so disrupted

I feel surreal

2. GREEN, ORANGE and YELLOW STRANDS gradually enter, as above, as cued by the conductor 3. ALL STRANDS ALL GROUPS, continue call and response, but gradually answer the sentence yelled by each group leader with a wordless yell: HA! This should be the loudest, most violent section of the entire piece.

part 8 – I like people – LIKE A MANTRA

1. BLUE STRAND: conductor cues the following sentences, which are spoken together, in a normal voice, not yelled. This should be simple, fragile, plainspoken, and rhythmically spaced approximately 8 seconds apart. Keep this order of sentences throughout. ALL OTHER STRANDS continue the wordless yelling as directed at the end of part 7:

I like people

I lost it all

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I feel left out

I lose control

I think of you

I start to sweat

I start to panic

2. AFTER 1 TIME THROUGH, THE GREEN STRAND JOINS THE BLUE STRAND. ALL OTHER STRANDS continue the wordless yelling as directed at the end of part 7 3. AFTER 1 MORE TIME THROUGH, THE ORANGE STRAND JOINS THE BLUE AND GREEN STRANDS. THE YELLOW STRAND continues the wordless yelling as directed at the end of part 7 4. AFTER 1 MORE TIME THROUGH, ALL STRANDS join together 5. AFTER 1 MORE TIME THROUGH, ALL STRANDS, conductor starts to add space between the sentences, getting further and further apart 6. REPEAT as desired, until END

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