tips of the fingers direct the uncontrollable surface

tips of the fingers direct the uncontrollable surface for solo piano

colin tucker (bmi) 2011

Performance Notes

A. Notation Open, circular noteheads indicate release of the specified key. Ties on the lowest note of each chord indicate that all notes in the chord are sustained until a release of a specific key is indicated.

B. Performance Practice Silences and extended durations must be as immobile, tense, and “loaded” as possible. These should be approached not as pauses, but as active interruptions of sonic/rhythmic continuity.

The damper pedal should only be used to connect the last remaining sustained tone(s) of one chord with the attack of the next chord—this is indicated in context.

C. Staging/Siting Optimally, the work should be played in a small, dry space, in order that the releases are as clear as possible.

If possible, the piano should be positioned so that the keyboard is visible to most of the audience.

Duration is circa 3 minutes.

Thanks are due to Sebastian Berweck, who commissioned the piece, to Eric Huebner, who premiered it, and to Barrett Watten, who allowed me to use a line from his prose poem Plasma as the piece’s title.

colin tucker

tips of the fingers direct the uncontrollable surface

Œ=52

& b œœ b˜ . bœœœœ ... b ˜ ˜ ˜ . b œœœœ b ˜˜ .... œœ ˜ ˜ .. # # ˜˜ # # ‹ œœœ .. M ˜ .. # # ˜˜ .. # # Mœœœ # ˜ .. ? # # #œœœ # ˜ . p P

˜ M˜

.. ˜ .  b œœœœ b ˜˜˜ .... ‹ # M œœœ # ˜ ..

U ∑ Œ b# œœœœb ˜ .. ˜˜ .... ˜∑ M M˜˜ M # M œœœ M M ˜˜ .... ˜

4-6"

Œ=72

. & œœœ #œ # ˜ . ˜. nœœœ #œ b œœœ b ˜ b˜ . ˜.bbnb œœœœ bb ˜˜ .. b b b ˜ .b b œ b ˜ . ? bœ p

# ˜˜ .. ˜ . nb œœœœ#œ ˜.# ˜ . ˜ . b ˜ b nbœœœœœ ˜ . b ˜ . ˜ F

b ˜ .. b ˜ .. b ˜ ..

n bœœœœ #œ b bœœœœ b b˜˜˜ ... nœ

b ˜˜ .. # ˜ .  ˜. ˜.

2

. œ b . . . œ ˜ . & œœ .. # œ n˜˜ . # ˜ . b˜˜ .. b b b œœœœœ .... . ˜ ˜. ? . π

& b ∫#œœœœœ ........ b œœœœ ...... ? # œ .... p

∑ # .. # ˜ ˜ ˜ b ∫ œœœœœ ...... ˜˜ #b ˜˜˜ #n œœœœœ ........ ..

F

nnœœœœ #œ b b œœœœœ

p

œœœ ∫ ∫ ˜ b ˜ ˜ œœ ˜ ˜˜˜ #˜ #œœœœ #˜ #œ

b ∫˜˜ #˜. b ∫ #œœœœœ ˜˜ ˜ # ˜˜ .. ## œœœœœ f

Œ=60

b b œœœœ &

& œœœ # œ P

˜ . b ˜ . b˜ . b # œœœœ... # ˜˜ ..˜ . . ˜.# ˜˜ ..

n# œœœ... #œ. # ˜ . ˜ . π

∑ b˜

12-16"

U Œ

n˜ # ˜

˜ b ˜˜˜ ˜

† †

nœœœœ....#œ. n˜ .. ˜ ˜ . b ∫n#œœœœœ ˜˜ .... b n œœœœ... ˜ ˜ .. ˜ b œœœœ ˜˜ .... œ .. œ

b˜˜

F

˜ b ∫ œœœ ˜˜ b n œœœ b ˜ # œœ # ˜ # œœ # ˜˜˜˜˜ # œœœœœ ˜ ˜˜ .... ˜ # ˜ # œœœœœ # # # # p

.

∫ ˜. ˜.

∑ ˜b ˜˜ #bœœœ b ˜ #˜ U ˜ # œœ # ˜˜ œ ##˜˜˜˜˜ # ‹œœœœœ ##M ˜˜˜ ˜˜ #

o

&

allow the sound to decay completely. at the precise moment when you can no longer hear the sound, proceed onward.

3

Œ=88

œœœ ... ˜ # † † #œ.

F

∑ ˜ #˜

Œ.

#˜

∑ # œ œ ∫b œœ... # ˜ .. †

† # ‹œœœœ... # M˜˜˜˜ ...... f

∫ b ˜˜ ..

∑ ∑15-21" œœ ˜˜˜ U b ∫ œœœœ ... œ # œ #˜ Œ

 . b ∫˜˜

œ.

# n n œœœ #˜˜˜ # # n œœœœ ... #˜˜˜ π f

#˜

# ‹ œœ .. # ˜ P

∑ # b n œœœœ ˜ .  . # ˜ .. # œœ ˜ ..

.

 M˜

# œœ∑œ # ˜˜.. œ ˜.

# ‹ œœœœ ˜˜ .. # M ˜˜ .... # M œœœ # M ˜˜.... # M# œœœœ # M#˜˜˜˜ ... p F ƒ

12-16" U œ U ·

∑ ˜

o

allow the continue to release sound depress key key to decay completely silently