Simon Løffler: F.O.W.L. (2023)

Simon Løffler

F.O.W.L. (2023) for cl, sax, pno, perc, vln, vlc, db Dur. 17′

Commissioned by the Oslo Sinfonietta

SCORE

Simon Løffler

F.O.W.L. (2023)

for cl, sax, pno, perc, vln, vlc, db

Dur. c. 17′

PERFORMANCE NOTES

This piece is written for a combination of conventional and unconventional instruments. Each of the four movements has a different instrumental set-up. A performance note is provided for each movement below.

Alto saxophone and double bass play their normal instrument throughout. The remaining six musicians have varying degrees of changing instruments.

Transposing instruments are notated in their relevant transpositions. These include clarinet (B≤), alto saxophone (E≤), tuning fork piano (sounds roughly a major third lower than written), and double bass.

Due to the big difference in volume between conventional and unconventional instruments, an amplification strategy is necessary to ensure a proper balance of the ensemble.

FIRST MOVEMENT

Instrumentation

Clarinettist: Siren whistle

Alto Saxophone (E≤)

Pianist: Drill with bell

Percussionist 1: Snare drum manipulated by whammy pedal.

Percussionist 2: Metal chair pitched in C≥, struck hand pipe 1 & 2, duct tape shoes.

Violin (G-string tuned a fifth down to c).

Cellist: Struck hand pipe 1 & 2, duct tape shoes

Double bass

Clarinettist.

See video example 1: https://vimeo.com/editions/fowl1

The clarinettist plays a modified Acme siren whistle. The tension of the rotating wheel is loosened to allow for precise pitch control, and the metal shield is removed. The instrument must be amplified.

The whistle is held with one hand, while the index finger of the other hand is held next to the rotation wheel:

Killing the sound of the whistle instantaneously with the index finger. When no damping sign occurs, the rotating wheel continues to rotate without sound. The lowest register of the siren whistle has an undefinable pitch quality, and has therefore not been notated precisely.

Inhaling air through the whistle, producing a downwards glissando. It is important to stop the inhalation just before the rotating wheel stops and start turning the other way, which will produce a new upwards glissando.

The lowest stable note is roughly a C≥ a major seventh below middle c. The portamento leading up to the note should be played on the beat fast as possible.

A fast breathing in and out of the whistle.

Alto Saxophone (E≤)

The alto saxophone is notated in transposition and sounds a major sixth lower than written.

Short upwards pitch bends.

Overblown major chords. The sound should be immediate and precise.

Highest note that can be played softly. Undefined pitch.

Downwards smooth glissando from an undefined highest pitch that can be controlled dynamically. The sound should blend with the other instruments in the relevant context.

Soft minor third multiphonics.

Drill

See video example 2: https://vimeo.com/editions/fowl2

The drill is amplified with a coil microphone, such as an electric guitar pick-up or similar.

The battery driven drill has a hole saw attached to it, which acts as a bell. The pitch should be e2 (an octave and major third above middle c). On the picture below, the size of hole saw employed is 73 mm. In the musician’s other hand a rugged wooden stick (reibenstock) is held, which is used to make the bell ring continuously while the drill is turning.

Gradually depressing the “on” button of the drill is notated with a crescendo curve.

A wavy line above noteheads indicates to place the rugged stick on the bell while its turning, to make it ring continuously. An accent at the end indicates to scrape the bell downwards quickly on the beat.

Staccato notes indicate notes as short as possible, regardless of the duration of the individual note value.

Percussion 1

Percussionist 1 plays a snare drum processed through a whammy pedal. The setting of the whammy should be ‘Dive Bomb’. A piece of thick foam is placed on the skin to dampen the snare.

As overtone changes alter the sound of the whammy, the space between the center and the edge of the drum is employed.

The whammy is notated on a 2-line staff above the snare. The lower line indicates to depress the whammy bar all the way down, the higher all the way up.

The snare is notated on a 5-line staff, the top space of which indicates the center of the drum, the bottom space indicates the lower edge.

Percussion 2

See video example 3 for a demonstration of chair: https://vimeo.com/editions/fowl3

See video examples 4 + 5 for demonstrations of struck hand pipe 1 + 2 https://vimeo.com/editions/fowl4, https://vimeo.com/editions/fowl5

See video example 6 for a demonstrations of duct tape shoes https://vimeo.com/editions/fowl6

Chair

The chair should be a heavy metal one with rubber feet, and the stage floor need to be wood. If it is not, a wooden plate should be placed underneath the chair.

When dragged along the floor on all four legs, the chair will make various scraping sounds. When dragged backwards on its two front legs, the chair should produce a discernable pitch. The chair used to compose the piece produces a C≥, which is written into the score when instruments are in unison (bar 1, section A, first bar of B, section C, and first bar of D). If a chair is used that has a different pitch, the C-sharp should be changed in the other instruments accordingly. The size of the movement of the chair is relatively small; roughly 10 – 15 centimeters.

An arrow above the notehead indicate the direction of the chair. A 4-point square symbol indicates to drag the chair on all four legs. A 2-point symbol indicate to drag on its two front legs.

Glissandi are played by scraping the drumstick on the skin.

Hand pipe 1, hung around the neck, is notated with crossed noteheads in the center of the staff.

Hand pipe 2, placed on the thigh, is notated with square noteheads above the staff.

Duct Tape Shoes

Duct tape is spun around both shoes with the sticky side turning down. Lifting the shoes quickly off the floor produces a loud “swish” sound.

Lifting the shoe quickly is notated with square noteheads below the staff. A letter above the notehead indicate which foot to lift: L for left, R for right.

Violin

The fourth string is tuned down one fifth to c throughout the piece. When playing on the fourth string the notation is action based: pitch is transposed a fifth up.

Triangular noteheads indicate an undefined highest pitch.

Fast glissandi without a specified end point should be over as wide a range as possible within the duration.

Cello

In the 1st movement, the cellist plays hand pipe 1 + 2 and duct tape shoes like percussionist 2. Please refer to the description of these above.

Double Bass

See video example 7 for a demonstration of “Tight Roll”, abbreviated T.R. in the score: https://vimeo.com/editions/fowl7

See video example 8 for a demonstration of vertical jeté: https://vimeo.com/editions/fowl8

See video example 9 for a demonstration of the two different techniques employed in section C, namely “tight roll” and vertical bouncing up and down on the open string: https://vimeo.com/editions/fowl9

Vertical jeté: The bow bounces downwards on the string, producing a rising “grainy” pitch quality.

Tight Roll, abbreviated T.R. Letting the bow bounce rapidly on the string with a great deal of pressure and a minimal of horizontal movement. The string is dampened.

Soft vertical bouncing of the bow up and down the string.

As in the case of the violin, triangular noteheads indicate an undefined highest pitch. Fast glissandi should be over as wide a range as possible within the duration.

SECOND MOVEMENT

Instrumentation

Clarinettist: Siren whistle

Alto Saxophone (E≤)

Percussionist 1: Gran cassa manipulated by whammy pedal.

Percussionist 2: Siren whistle

Violin (G-string tuned a fifth down to c).

Cello

Double bass

Clarinettist + Percussionist 2

Clarinettist and 2nd percussionist plays an Acme siren whistle. Please refer to the description above and video example 1: https://vimeo.com/editions/fowl1

Percussion 1

Percussionist 1 plays gran cassa processed through a whammy pedal. The setting of the whammy is 2 octaves up. The gran cassa should be around 36″

Cello

The cellist plays cello. The playing techniques are the same as violin in the first movement. Please refer to the description of the playing techniques above.

THIRD MOVEMENT

Instrumentation

Clarinet (B≤).

Alto Saxophone (E≤)

Piano: Tuning fork piano

Percussionist 1: Bowed flexatone

Percussionist 2: Bowed flexatone

Violin (G-string tuned a fifth down to c)

Cello

Double bass

Clarinet (B≤).

Clarinettist plays clarinet (B≤).

Tuning Fork Piano

See video examples 10 & 11. The instrument must be amplified. https://vimeo.com/editions/fowl10, https://vimeo.com/editions/fowl11

The keys of the tuning fork piano range from e to e. The tuning forks, however, range slightly higher than c to c. The tuning is not well-tempered, but unevenly distributed to deviate slightly from the other instruments. It is notated in transposition, according to actions of the pianist.

Since the tuning forks do not stop sounding when the keys are released, the pianist must dampen them with one hand. Until letter M, she dampens the preceding tuning fork at the same time as a new one is struck, and when there is a notated pause. The damping action is not explicitly notated until letter M.

From letter M, the tuning fork piano is treated more pianistically, with either one or two percussionists positioning themselves next the instrument and damping the tuning forks as notated. Whether one or two dampers are needed must be resolved in rehearsal. Sufficient time is provided for the percussionists to reposition on stage.

From letter M, the damping of the tuning forks is notated with crossed white noteheads. The damping action can be done in various ways. Please refer to the video example: https://vimeo.com/editions/fowl11

Percussionists 1 & 2

Both percussionists play bowed flexatones. Bowing the instrument downbow (bow moves towards the right from the point of view of the musician) should only produce a whisper of indefinite pitch. This sound is always used in combination with a tightening of the flexatone to produce the highest pitch quality possible. It is notated thus:

Bowing the instrument with an upbow should produce a clear pitch, always reached from a glissando downwards played upbow. It is notated with normal noteheads:

The two musicians only play a single pitch each (a and c), except for bars 189 and 190.

FOURTH MOVEMENT

Instrumentation

Clarinettist, Pianist, Violinist & Cellist: Swung whistles

Alto Saxophone (E≤)

Percussionist 1: Overtone solenoid

Percussionist 2: Overtone solenoid

Double bass

Clarinettist, Pianist, Violinist & Cellist

Clarinettist, pianist, violinist & cellist stand up after the 3rd movement and place themselves on a straight line behind the remaining musicians, at a distance that allows them to play swung whistles.

Swung Whistles

See video example 12: https://vimeo.com/editions/fowl12

Each of the four musicians hold one wooded stick, at the end of which are placed two small hollow plastic tubes on each side (small bottles and vitamin pill containers). The plastic tubes have a rectangular 5 mm × 5 cm hole cut into their side, causing them to resonate with a clear pitch quality when moved through the air.

The downwards and upwards movement of the swung whistles is notated with arrows:

Percussionists 1 & 2

See video example 13: https://vimeo.com/editions/fowl13

Both percussionists play a DYI overtone solenoid, which produces a fast clicking sound when turned on. The resonance is dampened with the hand as it closes around the solenoid, producing a gradually lower pitch quality. The solenoids should be placed right next to the microphone.

The damping of the solenoid is notated as a downwards glissando:

The

32 notes are not meant to be precisely distinct, but rather to form one sound together with the duct tape shoe sound of percussionist 2.

‰ j œ b ‰ J œ .

‰ J œ b . ‰ J œ .

‰ J œ n . ‰ J œ

j

j œ n ‰ j œ k . ‰

sound by dampening the drum when moving whammy pedal.

œ m ‰ j œ K ‰ j œ ‰ J œ ‰

œ œ

j œ b . ‰ j œ ‰ j œ n ‰ j œ k ‰

J œ k . ‰ J œ m . ‰

j œ k ‰ j œ m ‰

j œ ‰ J œ ‰

œ œ

J œ b ‰ j œ n . ‰

j œ m . ‰ j œ l . ‰ j œ ‰ J œ ‰ œ œ J œ n ‰ J œ b ‰

j œ n ‰ j œ k ‰ J œ l . ‰ J œ n ‰

j œ l ‰ J œ n . ‰

j œ m ‰ j œ

Both percusionists stand on either side of the tuning fork piano, dampening the tuning forks as notated. The pianist sits down and plays normally.

Note: Upon the end of this movement, clarinetist, pianist, violinist and cellist stand up and place themselves on a single line behind the remaining musicians, preparing to play swung whistles in the next movement.

quarter tones are not intended to be exactly in tune, but rather to form a downwards gliding line between saxophone and double bass.