Meru by Isaac Raymond Smith

Isaac Raymond Smith

Meru For Tenor & Percussion (2020)

Based on text by William Butler Yeats

Meru Instrumentation: Tenor + Percussion (see "Notation Guide" for percussion instruments used) Duration: 5:00-5:30 Text: Civilisation is hooped together, brought Under a rule, under the semblance of peace By manifold illusion; but man's life is thought, And he, despite his terror, cannot cease Ravening through century after century, Ravening, raging, and uprooting that he may come Into the desolation of reality: Egypt and Greece, good-bye, and good-bye, Rome! Hermits upon Mount Meru or Everest, Caverned in night under the drifted snow, Or where that snow and winter's dreadful blast Beat down upon their naked bodies, know That day brings round the night, that before dawn His glory and his monuments are gone. - William Butler Yeats

Program Notes: 2020 has been a difficult year. What started off as a hopeful turn of a new decade turned to despair and hopelessness as the worst pandemic in a century stripped away any sense of normalcy. In what is also an election year, it seemed that the one positive to come from this disease might be that our country would find some unity and put aside petty political differences. Sadly, it seems that was too much to hope for; this pandemic has been one more thing for our politicians and leaders to argue about, tearing us apart even further. With horrible natural disasters, continued foreign tensions, and violent reminders of the racism that still haunts our country adding to the ongoing pandemic, 2020 has been a grueling test for everyone. Amid these circumstances, when I began searching for a text to write a piece, I felt I needed to write something that reflected the difficulty of this year. I felt that this poem by William Butler Yeats offered a good reminder of humanity's foolish sense of immortality and invincibility. Offering a historical and spiritual viewpoint, Yeats conveys that no human has ever lived on this Earth forever, and no human ever will. All the monuments and buildings that we erect will one day be gone. Wars and bickering have always been a part of human existence, and leaders in power have always tried to wrench it away from each other. Diseases and pandemics have come before, and they will come again. No matter how intelligent or technologically advanced that humans get, we cannot change these simple realities of living on Earth. I attempted to convey these same observations through my writing of this piece. The vocal lines are not traditional for the most part, instead offering haunting narration of our predicament. The percussionist contributes harsh attacks and intense rhythmic language to color the voice, and the two of them work together to convey the same idea in music that Yeats shows in his writing. It is my hope that the listener might hear this, and remember these realities. It will not offer much relief in enduring the present difficulties, but it might help in knowing that this too shall pass. - Isaac Raymond Smith October 19, 2020

Notation Guide Percussion



Metals Vibraphone



 Drums/Membranes 29 "  

Timpani





(Non-pitch speci c)

Woods and Other  









(Rims)



Temple Blocks



Toms





4 Metal Bowls, tuned relatively



Tam-Tam/Smaller Gong/Rivet Cymbal/Suspended Cymbal







Mark Tree



 







Congas (Lo/Hi); Bongos (Lo/Hi)

Scrape in a circular motion

Maracas (Lo/Hi)



Triangle



Spoken*

Voice





Tongue Click



Flutter Tongue



Smoothly transition from 1st vowel to 2nd

[ee]



Unpitched, intense speaking*



Sprechstimme (sing/speak)

Play claves



*- All speaking in either the tenor or percussion part should be done in a clear, articulated style so that the text is easily understood. Further suggestions regarding the manner in which the text should be spoken are seen throughout the score.

Meru William Butler Yeats

Isaac Raymond Smith

   

Tenor

 

2-3 secs

(ss)

civ

    

 " "

Riv. Cym. (Butt of stick)

Percussion

 T.



  

  

 T.

   

 

 



2-3 secs



(Pick up swizzle sticks)

1 sec

molto vib.

n.v.

hooped

(d)

  -

 



       

gliss.

   

glis s.

[ee] -

Bowls

  

tion



(tongue click)

        



Vib.

    

3 secs

 

To vib.

 = 50–56

4-5 secs

to - geth

    

       



 

 

4 secs

li - za

To Bowls (Pick up medium yarn mallets)

release

2-3 secs

 

2 secs

  

        

Toms To toms/tam-t. Tam-T.

Whisper erratic consonants/vowels as rapidly as possible and with intensity

" "

<1 sec

7-8 secs

Rapidly

    

Toms



Bgo./Cga.

Sus. Cym.





1-2 secs

 

Toms





 



 

            Bgo./Cga.



  

2-3 secs

    



    

 T.

To vib. (Pick up medium yarn)

 

 

(sing)

. gliss

(eh)

(mm)



Vib.





(use butt of mallet)

  



rule

        

un - der the







Toms



sub.  

se - (eh)

       



blance

 

(No exact pitch, very high in range)

s gli

peace





Vib.

        





3-4 secs

s. glis

Using all/any instruments, play rapid, To toms improvised urry of notes-start fast and (Pick up soft yarn) loud, grow soft and slow

Trgl.

 

Short notes, but do not dampen

   



3 secs



2 secs

Toms



4 secs

  

gliss.

      



 

Brought un - der

2 secs

- (eh)



2-3 secs



 T.



 

(Sing/speak)

Trgl.

Vib.

4 secs

Smith-Meru

(dampen immediately)



5 secs



peace





 

roll





Smith-Meru

  

10 secs

Alternate vowel sounds while holding "ss"

(ss) ih



     sub.

 P.



 

Sus. Cym.

roll



ss ih



oo (continue pattern)



ih -

 " "

(Butt of stick)

Slow              





Speak plainly yet directly, with subtle intensity





1 sec

2-3 secs

But man’s life is thought

    

  

Life

     Gng. Tam-T.

Mk. Tree



     Vib.



4-5 secs

Tam-T.

Bowls

2 secs

4 secs

  

(Pick up medium yarn + trgl. beater)



- ih (continue pattern)

2 secs

Rapid urry of improvised notes Fast

(release)



- oo -

Riv. Cym.

     



(Pick up sticks)

4 secs

1-2 secs

2 secs

     





Echo vocalist alternating vowel sounds while holding "ss" and rolling on cymbal

Riv. Cym. Toms





 

   

 = 100–108

thought

              Bowls

Gngs./Cyms.

Smith-Meru



                  

  P.      T.  

Sus. cym.

      Riv. Cym.

 

de -

and

(To stick end of swizzle sticks)

   

        - spite

his

Timp.

Sus. Cym.

rims of timp

 

fear

     

                                  P.                 Stage Whisper             T.       Riv. cym.

ra - ve - ning



    Vib.   

   P.    roll, ad lib gliss      T. 

 

      

(Butt of stick)

release

Spoken: ra - ve - ning

 

                     

     



  





all timp. pitches non-speci c from here to end

               (still with stick)     

Toms

Timp.

sus. cym. on dome from here on out

(non-speci c pitch)

      

                

Trgl.

des

 

pite

     

his fear can - not

       

   



      

(Vocal gliss- approx pitch)

gliss .

cease

glis s.

  

 



 

 

 

 

Detached yet adamant, narrating a bleak reality

and

he,

despite

his

                        sub. 

 T.

" "

Spoken: ra - ve - ning

- root - ing

       

(Tng. click)

(No exact pitch; hard accent)

    

(ss) - sa



ra - ging up     Timp. Improvise constant 16ths using any instrument                             ss. gli             ip to yarn  sub.  (on swizzle sticks)  

 T.

  

    

Smith-Meru

 

 

ravening through



century



  

fear,

cannot

 

cease

sa  ka                              sub. Bgo./Cga.

after

 

century

he ka  ta   ka  not  see  sa                                             

  

F  =  ( = 133–144)



   

Sus. Cym. Toms

  

sa ka

 

       

Smith-Meru

    



ss ih



    

 T.

   

 T.

(cont.)

    

ve - ning



  



       

       

sa!

        

ra - ging

(maraca shake)



  up

                trr

    

Riv. Cym.

     roo

      

ting

rapid gliss up



 

Vib.

( utter tongue)

Vib.                   to medium yarn 

                      Vib.

   

                  

Spoken:

      Mca. Toms

(ss)

Riv. Cym.



ra - ging

                     Tam-T.

                -

    

     

   

ad lib glisses and dynamics

Gng.

 

That

 

 

may

           Toms

2-3 secs H    sub.    Spoken plainly                    

Smith-Meru

come

in - to the

              (add sus. cym.)

 T.

    

desolation

(Choke cym.)

 

al - i

           

(pick up hard yarn)

Deaden immediately



Vib.

Vib.                          

 T.

         



 

   



de - so



 

        

Sus. Cym.

[oo]

 

            

 

 

Vib.                                           T. Bl.

 

(Follow contour, no exact pitch)





T. Bl.



   







T. Bl.

Smith-Meru

      

   



  

=e



             



( = 111–120)

Vib.                    P.                                    T.         

   

tion

Vib.

de - so

T. Bl.

see





tion

tion   - la                   P.                   T.  Spoken:

de - so

     

Riv. Cym.

      release

    T.       Riv. Cym.

Vib.

(still using hand)

   



Vib. Bowls         

   

Ad lib glisses

(ss)

  ci



(approx. pitches)                     

                               sub.    - tion

Timp.

good

bye

    

     



vi - li



        T. Bl.        

    

 

   T. Bl.

   

za -

    

Lo Bgo.

(w/ hands)

     

good

     

              

     J

Smith-Meru

Subito  = 180



Set tempo     P.                 T.

-bye!

and

goodbye, Rome!

   

(play this on vib. amongst chaos)

 



          T. Bl. Toms

And

    

Egypt

 



good - bye

and

  

Greece





Goodbye!

   

T. Bl.

goodbye,



T. Bl.

[mm]

       

 Spoken softly and out of time        =  ( = 90)

Mk. Tree



Toms                                               

Rome [oh]



 

 Shouting over the time      

 

Vib.

     T.  P.

 



Rome!



(Pick up soft yarn)

   T. Bl.

 





             Toms           Claves



Smith-Meru

            Rims of Timp.        

  



      L

- ru



     Bowls

   

     

Beat 3 Distanced from the previous chaos

Hermits upon Mount Meru

 T.

     



 

Beat 5

     Ev - er - est

Me -

         Vib.

Timp.

        

 Hermits upon Mount Meru                             Beat 2 Distanced from the previous chaos

   



4 beats





  

 

       Trgl.

. gliss



 or  or Ev - er - est       T. Bl.                                   

 

    

Smith-Meru

     

Beat 1+

     

(sing)

Caverned in night under the drifted snow

Me -

Beat 1

Beat 5

                           Caverned in night under the drifted snow

 T.

         

  ru

[oo]

                         Vib.

Bgo. Gng.

Bgo./Cga. w/ soft yarn

                                 

continue ad lib between these 2 syllables- go between rapid and sustained in nonrepetitive and random ways

(oo - wee - oo - wee - oo - wee...) [wee]

Toms              Bgo. Tam-T.

T. Bl.

 T.

            

T. Bl.

  

 

  

         

 



  







  

 

  



 

 

     



 



 

Smith-Meru

    Trgl. 

       





 





Know that day brings





upon

   

Riv. Cym.

 M  Spoken freely, as if explaining something       T. 

      round the night  2 beats

  

5 secs

Mount

          (release)

Meru

Spoken freely, slightly quieter than tenor and with a sense of hopelessness

   



spoken freely, with fading intensity



Hermits



Bowls





Hermits upon Mount Meru or Everest, covered in night under the

Timp.



roll, gliss ad lib



 T.

 (Clave hits)   











10 secs











Everest

drifted

snow.



        Rims of Timp.



 

dim. poco a poco

Smith-Meru

       

   Covered 

 T.





night



under



the



drifted

snow

  

   



Or where that snow and winter's dreadful blast beat down upon their naked bodies

Timp.

release

   



5 secs

Staying under the tenor, with an intensity bordering on rage

Riv. Cym.



Declamatory yet hopeless

3-4 secs



roll, gliss ad lib



With heavy rage, avoid shouting









10 secs









Or where that snow and winter’s dreadful blast beat down upon their naked bodies

   

 T.



roll

   



Know

   That 



 



Slowly turning to sorrow

that



day



Spoken quietly, with somber intensity

 T.

    That  O

before



dawn,



His



Spoken quietly, with somber intensity

before

dawn,

 Know that day brings 'round the night roll             

His





glory



glory

Slowly turning to sorrow





and

his

5 secs

brings



5 secs

and



‘round



his





monuments





the



monuments are

are



night

 gone 



gone