The Night Mare

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Christopher Cerrone !

The Night Mare for 7 players and electronics !

(2011) ! ! !

Outburst-Inburst Musics Brooklyn, NY

! !

! !

INSTRUMENTATION

!

Alto Flute in G (doubling Flute in C) Clarinet in Bb (doubling Bass Clarinet in Bb) Violin Viola Cello Percussion Piano

!

Sound Engineer Stereo Speakers

!

Score in C !

Duration: 10 minutes !

PERCUSSION REQUIREMENTS !

2 Pieces of wood (e.g., 2 pieces of a 2x4), approximately a minor third apart Bass Drum (large and deep) 2 Crotales (suspended, C#5 and F5, sounding two octaves higher) Vibraphone

!

!

PREFACE “Dreams are the genus; nightmares the species.”

—JL Borges, "Nightmares"

!

!

“I met the night mare.”

— William Shakespeare (attributed by JL Borges)

!

Nightmares have long inspired artists to embrace the surreal, the disorderly, the senseless—that nebulous yet recognizable concept known as "the unconscious." When I came across "Nightmares," a short lecture by the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, I was intrigued by his sharply contrasting view of nightmares.

Borges accepts that nightmares are a chaotic flash of surreal images remembered from our waking hours, but what was important—artistically—to him was the act of remembering a nightmare—the story that our waking mind only later concocts, with a beginning, middle, and ending.

!

In my own "The Night Mare," the opening sounds are half-remembered sonic fragments of my daily ritual: breathing, noisy clicks, the drone of an idling train. As the piece progresses, these elements are organized into more recognizable and familiar musical elements: first harmonies, then a haunting, recurring melody that forms in the piano and is coated in a hazy texture by the ensemble. The electronics (which are all derived from a field recording of a train) emphasize the blurred lines between the heard and half-heard (what is a train, and what is a flute?) until the work blooms into fully realized musical textures in which all of these elements finally cohere—if only for a moment.

!

At that moment of coherence, there is a short and sudden shift. Much the way sounds of waking life enter the end of our dreams, this new element jolts the piece into another climax: a sudden and abrupt awakening.

!

The Night Mare is dedicated to my friend and teacher Ingram Marshall, whose straightforward and effective use of electronics inspired me to explore that field in the first place.

!

PREMIERE

!

October 3, 2011 at Symphony Space, New York, NY The Red Light Ensemble Ted Hearne, conductor

!

Version correct as of : 02/14/14

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

!

!

!

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

—A MAC or PC laptop computer equipped with the free program Max Runtime —An audio interface that can output 3 channels —Midi foot pedal for percussionist to trigger electronics (see patch guide for more info) —Earpiece for conductor to follow click track —Stereo speakers —Optional: condenser microphones for amplification and light reverb

!

ELECTRONICS !

The live music is performed alongside sampled electronics triggered throughout the piece by the percussionist. For coordination, the conductor follows a click track from the beginning of the piece to letter F. After that, the conductor beats time freely. The circled numbers in the score correspond to the cues in the patch. The numbers are also in the percussion part.

The sound engineer should consult the reference recording for a general idea of balance. The electronics should be very blended with the live instruments, and not overwhelm them. If the percussionist does not feel comfortable triggering electronics, this role can be played by a sound engineer pressing “spacebar” on the laptop with each cue.

!

AMPLIFICATION

!

!!

All instruments may be amplified using to help blend the live instruments with electronics. If the hall is dry, the instruments should be processed with a 2 second reverb. If the work is performed in a small and resonant space, it does not need amplification.

LIGHTING AND STAGING

!

Dark lighting may be very helpful in creating the right mood for the piece. In addition, the performers should not “give away” what is going to happen next—the string players should never put down their instruments throughout the beginning of the piece, rather remain in waiting anticipation.

QUESTIONS Can be directed to chris@christophercerrone.com

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

SUGGESTED STAGE SETUP USB/Midi Foot pedal

Vc

Perc

Laptop Audio Interface

Mic 3 for perc (opt)

Va Vn Mic 1 for strings (opt)

Left Speaker

On stage

Pno

Cl Fl

Mic 4 for pno (opt)

Mic 2 for winds (opt)

Cond

Right Speaker

earpiece for click Ch 3/4

Off stage

in Mixer

out

Engineer

It is suggested but not required that instruments be amplified. More or fewer mics can be used.