e (2014, rev. 17) for 3 musicians playing flourescent lights and triangles
Dur. 11′
Commissioned by Speak Percussion
SCORE
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Supported by the Danish Music Publisher’s Association / Koda’s fund for Social and Cultural Purposes. Støttet af Musikforlæggerne / Koda’s kulturelle midler
Edition·S publications are supported by the Danish Arts Foundation / Edition·S udgivelser er støttet af Statens Kunstfond
e (2014, rev. 17)
for 3 musicians playing flourescent lights and triangles
Dur. 11′
Lights
15 fluorescent lights of the T5 type are organized into an upright standing triangular sculpture, clearly visible to the audience, as shown in the following picture.
3 different sizes of fluorescent lights are used: 9x21 Watt, 3x13 Watt and 3x8 Watt.
In the middle of the light formation is a 30 cm large triangle (see triangle section below).
The 3 musicians are seated behind the light sculpture at a table.
The musicians control 5 lights each, with switches that work the same way as piano keys, meaning that a spring makes the switch recoil back once the finger is removed.
The following schematic shows which light is controlled by which switch, lights 1.1–1.5 being controlled by player 1, lights 2.1–2.5 by player 2, and lights 3.1–3.5 by player 3:
The lights are notated as an ascending c-major scale from c to g:
Turning the lights on and off as often, and as fast, as is the case in this piece, will inevitably cause some of the lights to cease to function at some point. This will especially be evident with the big 21 Watt lights. Be sure to have spares.
In the middle of the light sculpture hangs a 30 cm triangle, preferably of bronze, with 3 beaters on each side (9 in total):
The 3 beaters on each side should be different to ensure a variety of spectrum, the brightest of which should be in the middle on each side.
Each musician controls 3 beaters on one side with a small 3-note piano. A bicycle wire runs from each key to each separate triangle beater, enabling the musicians to control all beaters very precisely.
The triangles are notated as an ascending c major scale from c to e, one octave below the lights:
The keys are connected to the respective beaters according to the scheme below. Seen from the point of view of the musicians, who are positioned behind the triangle, player 1 controls the beaters on the left side, player 2 controls the beaters on the top middle side, and player 3 controls the beaters on the right side:
Damping the triangle with the beaters, by not releasing them quickly so that they rest on the triangle, is notated with a slightly longer duration and an ‘ø’ below or above the note:
Foot switch
Player 2 controls a foot switch that turns the sound of the lights on and off. This can be done with a MIDI pedal, or other pedal systems that send an on/off message to the laptop from where the equalizing of the lights is done.
The notation indicates when a pedal is on or off with black and white note heads:
There are 15 audio inputs in total: 15 pickup microphones (as used in electric guitars), each of which is placed on a separate light. Usually the place right next to the on/off switch on the light fixture is the ideal place.
All 15 inputs go into a laptop, where every light is equalized quite sharply to have a distinct pitch character. The composer uses Max.
The general approach of the equalization is to find the most resonant spot in the overtone spectrum of each light at an increasingly higher point depending on which light it is. The following schematic shows the general low-to-high organization of the EQ’ing of the lights (please refer to the picture on page 1 to see where the lights are positioned):
1.2 (resonant point at the base frequency, around 70 Hz but will vary)
The list above can be divided into 4 distinct families of increasing brightness:
• Very low (from around 70 Hz): Lights 1.2 and 3.2. These two should be distinctly lower than the rest, as a deep bass kind of sound. 1.2 should sound deeper than 3.2.
• Mid-range (starting from around 261,6 Hz): Lights 1.1, 2.1 and 3.3
• Semi high (starting from around 1760 Hz): Lights 1.4, 2.4 and 3.4
• Very high (starting from around 3951 Hz): Lights 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5
There should be a clear gap between the 4 families. The frequencies given could vary. Use your ears.
In case a foot pedal with a sound output is used as a foot switch, the total number of inputs will be 16.
The Max patch is available for download from the Edition·S website: https://edition-s.dk/music/simon-loffler/e
In most instances a click track might be a good idea. This, too, is available from the Edition·S website: https://edition-s.dk/music/simon-loffler/e
To rent the entire set-up, or parts of it, please get in touch with the publisher Edition·S: info@edition-s.dk
Hold the note for its entire duration, so that it seems to be the triangle that turns the lamp off at the next beat.
Hold the note for its entire duration, so that it seems to be the triangle that turns the lamp off at the next beat.
Release
Release light keys in the same arpegio gesture as playing the
Release light keys in the same arpegio gesture as playing the triangle.
Release light keys in the same arpegio gesture as playing the triangle.
One should not hear any lights on the first beat. Press pedal down just a millisecond before the downbeat. This applies to all the ensuing similar instances.