Labyrinth Meditations by David Mettens

DAVID CLAY METTENS

Labyrinth Meditations for Oboe and Electronics

Technical Requirements - Laptop (near the oboist) running Logic or Pro Tools to play the quadrophonic "tape" part - Audio interface with at least four outputs - Microphone for the oboist - Mixer - Four speakers, two in front of the audience, preferably on stage with the oboist, and two directly behind the audience 1

Oboe

Audience

Performance Notes

The oboist triggers playback of the electronics on stage and then coordinates using the transport clock in Logic or Pro Tools. The timing of important coordination points appears at the beginning of each "measure," above the electronics cue staff. The amount of rhythmic detail within a particular section of the cue staff is a general guide to how precise the interaction between the oboe and tape should be. Certain passages have very little rhythmic information, and can be performed quite freely (e.g. 0:00 - 4:20, 9:13 - end); others require the oboist to synchronize with each beat of the cue staff (e.g. 4:33 - 5:37, 6:50 - 8:50). All accidentals (including quarter-tone accidentals) carry through each "bar." Cautionary accidentals appear frequently.

J K L quarter tone lower than b n # j k l quarter tone higher than b n # t. Ÿ~~~~~~~ An alternate fingering trill (also known as a timbre trill or microtonal trill) . . . . . Using a combination of microtonal fingerings and the embouchure, gradually change from the œ & # œR starting to ending pitch while articulating the given rhythm. Program Notes

In August 2013, I learned that I had incorrectly been using the words “labyrinth” and “maze” interchangeably. I discovered this after walking through a grass and stone replica of the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth in a riverside park in Cincinnati. An accompanying plaque explained that a maze can have many or no solutions, but a labyrinth has a single path – you can reach the end by simply continuing to walk forward, knowing that eventually you will arrive at your destination. As such, a labyrinth can be seen as a metaphor for spiritual journeys and many are featured in pavement designs on the floors of Gothic cathedrals. I also saw this particular labyrinth design as an analogy in time and physical space to the elements of time and harmonic movement or motivic manipulation in traditional musical forms. Upon entering the Chartres labyrinth, the path quickly approaches the final destination at the center, however it begins to circle outwards, in ever-widening loops. Near the end of the journey, the path leads to the most distant edges of the design before quickly taking you to center. The perception of this distance – both the time elapsed since entering the labyrinth and the apparent remoteness of the destination – is the dramatic basis for my piece.

Duration - ca. 10 minutes

Labyrinth Meditations for Erin Lensing

Score

0:00

0:06

>;: i :: ii : & :::… iI "Bell"

Electronics

&Œ

Oboe

œ- œ .. ˙

strident

0:20

Elec.

Ob.

œ>œ iI œœ iI

œ.

David Clay Mettens

œ b œ œ b œ œ n œ # œA œ œ

œœiI œœiI > ;:… iI f >

œ- . n œ ˙

œ #œ œ œ w J‰Œ F 3

œ J ‰ Œ

bœ nœ nœ œ J ‰ 3 p3

calmer, lyrical

0:27

œ ˙. J

j #œ œ œ

0:30

˙.i

P p

>œ i œI

˙.

Oboe

Ó V.S.

overlap with the oboe in the electronics, but leave enough time for the page turn

Left blank for page turn.

0:36

Elec.

Ob.

0:42

0:48

>˙ iœ

œ ˙.

b˙

œ. œ. bœ ˙ ≈ & J π 0:54

Elec.

0:40

Ob.

1:32

Elec.

Ob.

1:00

>œ i œI

‰

1:06

~~~~~~~~ >œœ iI ~~~~~~~~

œ b œ¯ œ¯ n œ¯ . . œ bœ . ‰ œ œ # œ # œ œ. œ . . . f

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

œ ˙

‰

1:14

Elec.

0:52

>œ i œI

bœ œ bœ œ nœ n˙ p3

#œ #˙

sub.

1:22

#œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

Oboe

#˙.

#œ nœ

>œ

˙.

>œ

w p

>œ

>œ œ

œ #w

œ # œ.

œ #œ molto

1:42

>œ œ

œ. . œ. # œ. œ. b œ. œ. # œ. b œ ‰ ‰. Œ ‰ ≈ ‰ ≈ ‰ ‰ ≈

>œ >œ œ œ

bœ

œ œ. . . # œ. Œ Ó 2"

œ. .

Labyrinth Meditations - pg. 2

. . . . . . #œ 4"

π

1:52

Elec. Ob.

>œ i œi bœi bœI

2:00 >œ i œi bœ i bœ I

∑

2:12

Elec.

Ob.

& F C

‰

`12354

j œ w

˙.

Elec.

Ob.

`2345

∑

b ˙˙

j œ b œœ œ ‰ F beating

ord.

#œ œ œ

˙˙

beating

b ww f

w. P 2:47

# w (fast, irregular staccato blips) w w æ

w w w

#U ww & w > ƒ

˙.

2:30

2:42

2:50

∑

2:24

j œ œ ‰ ˙. F p

& Kw ∏

Ob.

π

2:18

2:35

Elec.

2:06 >œ i œi bœ i bœ I

sim.

bœ nœ bœ b œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ

n œ.

œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. f

2:54

b œ œ # œ. œ œ œ # œ & œ œ bœ œ F f

‰

3:00

œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ.

Labyrinth Meditations - pg. 3

œ.

π

∑

V.S.

3:04

Elec.

3:08

. b œ œ. œ œ. # œ. > œ œ r # œ # œ œ Ÿ~~~ b œ œ n œ œ œ œ (œ ) ‰ b ˙ n ˙ œr œ ‰ # ˙ ˙ œr œ n œ œ œ ‰ ‰ ≈ ≈ œ œ & J œ J J R 3 3 f F P F 3

Ob.

3:18

Elec.

Ob.

# ww w æ

n ww

œœ

b b œœœœ

œ. œ. ® œ. ‰ œ. ® œ. œ. œ. ® œ. œ. ≈ œ. œ. ≈ œ. œ. œ. ® œ. ® œ. ‰ œ. œ. ≈ ® œ. œ. œ. ≈ œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. ‰ œ. œ. ≈ ‰ ‰ 3 œ¯ œ¯ & œ. œ. π n

skittering, frenetic

3:28

Elec.

Ob.

3:32

˙˙˙˙

b œ. . . . . ˙

˙ >

œ ‰ J

˙i >

œ. œ. œ. œ. ≈ œ. œ. ®œ. œ. œ. ‰

π

w æ

(fast, irregular staccato blips)

œ. ≈ œ. œ. ®œ. œ. ≈ ®œ. ≈ œ. œ. ≈ ‰ œ. ‰

Labyrinth Meditations - pg. 4

3:38

Elec.

Ob.

3:44

> ‰ œi J

sparser

w æ

˙ æ

œ œ ‰ n œ. œ. œ. ®œ. ≈ œ. œ. ®œ. œ. ≈ œ. ≈ œ. œ. ≈ ≈ œ. ‰ œ b œ w J F π F

œ bœ

3:56

Elec.

Ob.

> ‰ œi J

sparser

w æp

œ ‰ n œ. œ. ≈ ≈ œ. ≈ œ. ‰ ‰ œ. œ. Œ œ. ‰ Œ ≈ œ. ‰ J 3 π

4:00

œ œ ‰.

≈ œ ‰ R

π

&Œ

œ œ. œ œ.

+/- B b key slow

œ bœ

π3

alt.

Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ w

alt. Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ w œ ‰ J fast

∏

∑

Left blank for page turn.

Labyrinth Meditations - pg. 5

4:12

Elec.

Ob.

4:20

Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > w œ

œ. œ œ œ œ œ. œ

alt.

( )

4:33

Elec. Ob.

# ˙˙˙˙

œ ‰ # œœœ œ J

poco a poco cresc.

œ #œ œ œ nœ

& #œ F

Ob.

# œ# œ œ 3

œ ‰ # # #n œœœœœ J

‰

j œœœ œœ

˙ # # ˙˙˙

‰.

#˙

œ >œ œ . œ œ K œœ .. œ. J f C

j ‰ N œœœ # œœ

> #œ ˙ ‰ œ

j ‰ # # œœœ... Œ # œœ.. 5

‰ #œ #œ œ F

5:06

# nn ˙˙˙˙

˙˙ ˙˙

˙ ˙˙

œ # # œœœ Œ R

4:54

5:02

`12354

œ # œ . œ œ. # œ. œ. . œ J ‰

poco a poco cresc.

j ‰ # n # b œœœœ Œ œ

nœ

∑

œ #œ œ. nœ

+/- E b/B b keys Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ˙ œ ‰ Ó J p F

4:51

5:00

‰ # # œœœ # œœ

alt.

œ œ bœ