futures unmade in the boundlessness of the instant

futures unmade in the boundlessness of the instant for solo soprano saxophone

colin tucker 2011/rev. 2016

Notes on Performance A. About the piece This work inhabits a narrow space on the threshold between sound and silence. The effort and strain involved in executing the notated actions carries as much significance as the sounding (or non-sounding) result of those actions. In an adequate performance, the work’s intensity will not only be heard; it will be seen and “felt” as well.

B. Siting A moderately dry, less “live” (i.e. reflective/resonant) acoustic is desired. Reverberant acoustics should be avoided.

Choose a space where it is possible to minimize ambient sound.

D. Dynamics The overall sound should be extremely quiet: the audience should have to strain in order to hear anything at all, but the sound should not be completely inaudible.

In this piece, dynamics function slightly differently than in other music. First, in general, dynamic levels should be as quiet as possible (provided that this does not put the music below the threshold of audibility), but not so quiet that distinctions between dynamic levels become imperceptible.

Second, in crescendos beginning from niente, during at least the first half of the crescendo, nothing should be audible to the audience, and the onset of the sound should be very gradual, and likewise, as diminuendos approach niente, nothing should be audible during at least the first half of the diminuendo, and the disappearance of the sound should be very gradual.

C. Staging The success of this piece in live performance depends upon the audience’s ability to apprehend unusually subtle sonic and visual phenomena. Normative concert protocol may not be adequate to ensure that these nuances register to the audience, so the following accommodations must be made. These specifications are spelled out not in order to micromanage the performance situation, but rather because—based on past experiences—they may make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful presentation of the piece.

1. Visual The performer should be on a stage or otherwise spatially demarcated from the audience. They should be as visible as possible to the audience—minimize obstructions. The stage or performance area should be clear of instruments/equipment not used in this piece.

2. Sonic Minimize ambient sound in the performance space. Consider two types of ambient sounds: continuous (i.e. HVAC), and non-continuous (i.e. footsteps). It is absolutely imperative that non-continuous ambient sounds are minimized. Continuous ambient sounds should be minimized as well, but are permissible if they are at a low level and cannot easily be eliminated (i.e. electrical hum from lights).

3. Performer The performer should wear neutral, non-distracting clothes.

In general, minimize movement except that specifically required to execute notated actions.

During silences, remain absolutely immobile and tense. Eyes should be frozen looking into the stand; do not blink during silences.

audible sound Thus, one might interpret the crescendo from niente as a gradual onset of air movement, perhaps generating air sounds 1/2 of the way through the crescendo, and pitched sound 3/4 of the way through it. The crescendo might involve four stages: first, silence where the player is visibly engaged (internally anticipating initiating the sound) without visible evidence of exhalation; second, sound inaudible to the audience, with visible evidence of exhalation; third, extremely perforated, intermittent sounds which perhaps occasionally rise above the threshold of audibility, with visible evidence of exhalation;, and fourth, more clearly pitched sound barely above the threshold of audibility. The exact moment when a sound begins and ends should not be clearly perceptible as such. Crescendi should not be forced or forceful but rather should be approached as if gently “pulling” sound out of silence.

When the following is notated… …avoid reaching audibility too soon, and/or reaching inaudibility too late, as in: In general, dynamics are a central aspect of this piece, and should be isolated and emphasized in the learning process. It is recommended that, prior to learning actual passages of the piece, the performer first isolates the dynamic swell beginning and ending at niente. The gesture might be practiced over a wide variety of durations, then with different dynamic levels at its peak (i.e. ppppp vs. pppppp), then with contrasting combinations of durations and peak dynamics, and so on.

Dynamics are sometimes abbreviated: ppp=3p, pppp=4p, etc.

The extremity of the notated dynamics will result in a timbrally unstable sound. While timbral impurities should not be “smoothed over,” pitch should not be completely imperceptible.

E. Articulation

G. Fermatas

Accent (>): crisp, quickly attenuating emphasis on the note’s beginning; never more than 1-2 dynamic levels above the notated dynamic; articulate primarily with air speed rather than tonguing

There is a distinction between “mobile” and “static” fermatas.

Staccato (k): as short as possible; gentle articulation of note’s beginning; as with accents, articulate staccato with air speed rather than tonguing Tenuto (-): hold full value at constant dynamic level, no extra emphasis on note’s beginning

F. Pitch Accidentals indicate tempered eighth-tones. Note that these symbols incorporate existing symbols for quarter-tones:

W : “Mobile”—some parameters change during fermata U : “Static”—no parameters change during fermata (excepting tempo) NB: Static fermatas over sub-metric dotted barlines always apply to silence.

During fermatas, time passes in two ways: Measured fermatas, whose duration is given in multiples of eighth notes, are counted precisely.

Unmeasured fermatas are not counted but their durations should fall within the following bounds: “very short”: duration is >1-2 times the duration to which fermata is applied “short”: duration is 1.5-3 times the duration to which fermata is applied

H. Miscellaneous No vibrato.

Accidentals carry throughout each bar.

Note the following enharmonic equivalences:

Avoid page turns.

Duration is 10-12 minutes.

I. Acknowledgements Thanks are due to Joshua Hyde and David Wegehaupt for their help with practical matters.

J. Composer Contact Information Colin Tucker ColinLTucker@gmail.com colintucker.wordpress.com