Beck HUMAN KINDNESS IS OVERFLOWING by Jeremy Howard Beck

JEREMY HOWARD BECK

HUMAN KINDNESS IS OVERFLOWING FOR

SEXTET

Score (3 November 2017)

Written for the 2010 Bang on a Can Summer Festival at MASS MoCA World Premiere: July 26, 2010 — MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA Evan Ziporyn, clarinet Owen Weaver, percussion Karl Larson, piano Daniel Reyes Llinas, electric guitar Nora Krahl, cello Lisa Dowling, contrabass conducted by Todd Reynolds Copyright © 2010, 2017 Why You Call Me Boo Music (Jeremy Howard Beck). International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved.

Instrumentation clarinet in Bb electric Guitar percussion (vibraphone, glockenspiel, triangle) piano cello contrabass

Performance Notes In larger venues, all instruments should be ampli<ed. It is recommended that the level be set somewhat high, making the particular colors and emotional quality of pianissimo/piano/mezzo-piano playing comfortably audible and warmly resonant in the space. In smaller and more intimate venues, ampli<cation is unnecessary (except, of course, for the electric guitar, who should always blend with the acoustic instruments).

Duration approximately 7 minutes

iii

Program Note On a warm Saturday night in early May, just as I was beginning work on what would eventually become this piece, my friend went out to a club alone. His drink was spiked, and he was robbed, raped, and left in an elevator—nearly blind without his glasses, which had either fallen oA or been taken from him—more than three miles from where he started. My friend was foreign, here on an extended vacation, and so responsibility for his aAairs— involving the police, the hospital, and the day-to-day need to care for him and not leave him alone—fell to me and to his one other friend in New York, A—. A— and I took shifts keeping him company, handling as much of the paperwork as we could so that he wouldn't have to, and just making sure he ate. Whenever I wasn't completing a <nal project or in an exam, I was with him. For one week, every decision I made was made around what was best for him. It is the closest I have come to feeling what, I imagine, a parent feels for a child. Countless people were so kind to him: breaking through red tape to get him a free hotel room near his country's consulate; Eying his older brother from overseas, and Eying both of them home, <rst class; giving him box upon box of free contact lenses so he wouldn't have to pay for new glasses; even giving him the option of back-oFce duty at work until he felt up to dealing with clients again. If there was to be any comfort then, the incredible kindness of those strangers—and of A––, who was a saint—was it. And then he was taken home, and I had to stay here and write this piece. What followed his departure was the worst depression I have ever experienced. I'd wanted to write a fast, loud, exuberant piece for the Bang on a Can Summer Festival, and I had written just such a piece, You Are Alive, during a similar depressive episode a few months earlier. But I knew I just didn't have another piece like that in me. I was exhausted. And so I wrote this piece about that. I wanted to build a refuge where I could both mourn the horrors I had seen and praise the great kindnesses I had witnessed, without having to choose between the two. An allusion to Mahler toward the end of the piece is my expression of gratitude to the composer who, more than any other, has always guided me through diFcult times. I was also listening, on loop, to a great Randy Newman song whose refrain, human kindness is over owing and I think it's going to rain today tinged with ambivalence and even a little sarcasm, somehow said it all

for "Alex," and for A— written for the 2010 Bang on a Can Summer Festival at MASS MoCA

Full Score (transposed)

HUMAN KINDNESS IS OVERFLOWING Jeremy Howard Beck (2010, rev. 2017)

Inﬁniment lent* q = 36 (e = 72) Clarinet in Bb

4 &4

∑

6 4

∑

4 4

∑

Vibraphone

Percussion

Piano

4 soft yarn, motor ON (slow) & 4 ww # ˙˙˙˙ ™™™™ n œœœœ b w w ww ww mp 4 &4 w w # ˙˙˙˙˙ ™™™™ n œœœœœ b w w w w ww ww mp sostenuto ?4 ∑ ∑ ∑ 4

{

6 4w ™ nw ww ™™™ 6 4w nw w ™™™™ ww solo 6 Œ ˙ #˙ 4

4 4 # ww ww 4 4# w w w ww œ 4 œ #˙ 4

b# ˙˙˙˙ ™™™™

n œœœœ

b# ˙˙˙˙˙ ™™™™

n œœœœœ #œ

œ #˙

cantabile Reverb

Electric Guitar

swell all attacks through mm. 8

„ 4‰ w &4 w

#˙˙ ™™

mp pizz. Violoncello

°? 4 œ 4 Œ Ó

6 4 nww ™™

nœœ b ww arco sul tasto

#œ

nœ bœ ™ Œ Œ

‰ Ó

4 #w 4 w pizz.

pizz. arco (s.t.)

6 nœ ˙ 4

p non vib.

˙™

b# ˙˙ ™™ arco (s.t.)

4 #œ Œ Œ œ 4

mp p sim.

#nœœ #œ

˙™

œ sim. Contrabass

II ?4 ~ ¢ 4

O™ 2

‚ 3

6 ~™ 4 4

O™

4 ~ 4 5

*N.B. e tempo indication (and the mood it implies) is Messiaen's, from the Quatuor pour la ﬁn du temps, V. Louange à l'Éternité de Jésus. Copyright © 2010, 2017 Why You Call Me Boo Music (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved.

‚

Jeremy Howard Beck 2

9 A tempo 4 solo 4 #˙ œ

poco rit.

6 4 Ó

∑ &

Cl.

Œ ˙™ o

6 4 œ

œ #˙

#œ œ #˙

mp cantabile to rubber mallets (2, inner position) and glock. mallets (2, outer position)

6 4 nb w ™ w ww ™™™ 6 & #b w 4 w w nb w w w ™™™™ ww ww (lower note predominates) ? <#>œ & ˙ œ 46 œ ˙ œ œ ˙ >˙ bw 6 bw w w ™™™ & #w 4n w

4 4

& #b w w ww

Vib.

Pno.

˙˙

{ E. Gtr.

∑

4 4nw w w ww p 4w 4w

nœœ

∑

˙™

˙˙˙˙˙ ™™™ ™

# œœœœœ

˙˙˙˙˙

# ˙˙˙˙˙

˙˙ ™™™ ˙

#œœ 0œ

˙˙ ˙

#˙˙ ˙

˙O ™™

œO

˙O

˙ ˙

6 4 6 4 6 4

poco ord. (no swells)

4 nw w 4w

6 4

p IV (pizz.) pizz.

œ arco ord.*

°? <#>œ >œ Ó

6 œ 4

Vc.

4œ 4 ~ w

Ó ‚

6 4

p poco vib.

≤ ˙™

6 ~™ 4

? ~ Cb.

4 4

6 4

∑

¢ 7

p 8

16 Cl.

6 & 4 <#>œ #˙

#˙

4 #œ 4 œ ˙

#œ

œ #˙

œ 46 ˙

œ #˙

#œ

4 4

œ œ ˙™

pp solo, rubber mallets Vib.

6 &4

∑

4 4

∑

#˙ #˙

œ 4 œ 4

œ ˙™ œ ˙™

4 4

˙ 6 4Œ ˙

∑

mp cantabile

6 &4 ˙

œ œ ˙™

4w 4

6 & 4 #˙˙˙ <n> ˙˙

œœœœœ # œœœœœ ˙˙˙˙˙ ™™™

4 4nw w w ww

# ˙˙˙˙˙ ™™™™

6 & 4 <n>#˙˙˙

œœ œœ ˙˙ ™™ œ # œ ˙™

4w 4nw

˙™ # ˙™

˙™

6˙ 4˙

œ œ

pp Pno.

{ E. Gtr.

n œœœœœ b w w w ww

6 4 ˙˙˙ n ˙˙

œœœœœ # œœœœ ˙˙˙˙ ™™™ #œ ˙™

4 4

œ w nœ b w

6 4˙ n˙

œ #œ ˙ ™ œ # œ ˙™

4 4

j O ‰ Ó œ o œ # œ ˙™

Œ 44

Vc.

Cb.

°? 6 4 O ˙ ? 6 #˙ ¢ 4 12

O O O™ œ œ ˙™ œ # œ ˙™

4 4 ~ w 4nw 4 13

O™ ˙™ # ˙™ 14

O œ

O ˙

nœ bw 15

O ˙

6 4O ˙ 6 n˙ 4 16

pp *N.B. If this interval is too large a reach (or uncomfortable), play the open A string instead, sul tasto and with as harmonic-like a character as possible.

4 4

HUMAN KINDNESS IS OVERFLOWING 3

Più mosso (q = 42)

poco rit.

4 &4

Cl.

˙ 4 œ #˙ & 4 œ #˙

Vib.

6 4

j œ œ™

˙™ œ #˙ œ #˙

œ œ

œ #œ #œ

˙ ˙ œ ˙ œ 6 œ ˙ œ 4

4 4 ˙ œ œ ˙ œ ˙

œ ˙™ #˙ #˙

w œ 4 œ ˙ œ 4 œ ˙ œ ™– ™ 4 œ— 4

poco

œ œ™ œ œ™ J j œœœœœ n œœœœœ ™™™™ œœ œœ ™™ œœ nœœ ™™ J

˙ 4 &4 ˙ Pno.

4 & 4 # ˙˙˙ n ˙˙ ˙˙ 4 # & 4 n ˙˙

{ E. Gtr.

Vc.

°? 4 4 ?4 ¢ 4 17

œ œ

˙™ ## ˙˙˙˙ ™™™ ˙˙ ™™ # # ˙˙ ™™

∑ œo J ‰ Œ o

˙o Cb.

˙™ ˙™

˙ ˙

n œœœœœ ### ˙˙˙˙˙ œœ # ˙0˙ n # œœ #˙

˙˙˙˙˙ ˙ #˙˙˙

∑

6 4

6 4 ## ˙˙˙ ## ˙˙ 6 ##˙˙˙˙ 4

#˙ ™ 18

6 4

#˙ #˙ 19

œ œ

œ ˙ œ ˙

4 4

∑

4 w 4 w

œ #œ ˙ ™

6 4 œ

˙˙ ™™™ ˙

>œ ˙ œ ˙ J

4 bnnw w ww 4 w Œ ‰bnn œœœœœJ ˙˙˙˙˙ > w # w 4 w 4 w w

˙˙˙˙ ™™™ ˙™

∑

poco accel.

˙™

œœœœœ #œœœœœ œœ #œœ œœ <#> œ

Cl.

œ ˙™ œ ˙™

œ œ

6 4

∑ œ

˙ ˙

œ œ

œ ˙™ ˙

25 Più mosso (new tempo) q = 48 under cello ˙™ 4 Œ #˙ ™ #œ 4 o p p cantabile Glockenspiel

œ ˙ & œ ˙

Vib.

˙™ ˙™

œ ™– œ ™—

œ œ

>˙ ™ ˙™

#œ œ ˙ #œ 46 œ ˙

>œ ˙ œ ˙ J

˙ 6 ˙ 4

œ œ >œ ˙ ™ œ ˙™

lay down Vib. mallets, take Triangle beater

4 w 4 w p œ ™– ™ 4 œ— 4

˙™ ˙™ ˙™ ˙™

>œ ˙ œ ˙ J

w w b w ww œ œ n œœœ Œ ‰b œœœœœ ˙˙˙˙˙ J > #w w #w w

{

#w w & w w

E. Gtr.

6 ˙˙ 4 n# ˙˙˙ 6 4

#˙˙˙ n˙

œœœœœ ™ n# œœœœœ ˙˙˙˙˙ ™™™ > œœœ >œœœ ˙˙˙ ™™™ œ œ ˙™

œ œ

n ˙˙˙˙˙ ™™™™

Pno.

˙™ & n˙˙˙˙ ™™

œ œ

w w bn w w w 4 Œ ‰bnœœœœœ ˙˙˙˙˙ 4 J > 4 #w w 4 w w

nœœœœœ

∑ o

mp solo

°? ∑

∑

Vc.

6 4 Ó

6 n˙ 4

œ œ>œ ˙˙ ™

˙™

4 œ ˙ 4

? ˙˙ ™™

œœ #w

Cb.

#œ

œ œ ˙ ˙™

nœ

mf cantabile

4 ww 4

¢ 22

25 23

Jeremy Howard Beck 4

6 4 #˙

& w

Cl.

& w w œ ™– œ ™— œ œ & J w w w b ww œ & Œ ‰b œœœœJ

Glock.

Pno.

{

6 4 ˙ ˙ ˙ 6 ˙ 4 n# ˙˙˙˙˙ 6 4

˙ ˙ ˙˙˙˙˙

°? œ ˙

œ œ ˙™ œ œ ˙™ œ œ œ ˙™ œ ˙™ œœœœœ n# œœœœœ ˙˙˙˙˙™™™™

6 4

∑ &

E. Gtr.

™ 4 œœ ™ œj ˙ 4 œ ˙ “” ™ n# œœœœœ ™™™ œ ˙ 4 bnœœœœ ˙˙˙˙ 4 J

w w

nn ˙˙˙˙ ™™™™

œœœœœ

w w ww w

6 4

6 4 ˙™ ˙™

œ œ

∑

4 œ 4 œ #˙

o œ œ

4 w w 4 4

6 4

∑

˙™ ˙™ ˙™

∑

nœ 46 œ b ˙

Vc.

4 4 w

œ œ ˙™

6 4

w w

∑

6 4

∑

6 Œ Ó œ

œ n˙ œ

œ o

6 ˙ 4

? w

Cb.

œ œ ˙™

4 4 w

¢ 27

˙™

6 4

pp 31

Tempo primo (q = 36)

molto rit.

Cl.

6 &4

33 4 4

∑

-œ ™ œ ˙ J ∑

∑

˙™

œ œ

6 4

4 4

Glock.

œ ˙ 6 &4 œ ˙

˙™ ˙™

4w 4w

œ ˙– œ ˙—

œ œ

˙ ˙

-˙ ˙

™ 6 ˙˙™ 4

œ™ œ™

œj œ œ œ

˙™ ˙™

w 4w 4

œ ˙ œ ˙

œ œ

˙ ˙

-˙ ˙

˙™ ™ 6 ˙ 4

œ™ œ™

œ œ œ œ J

4 4

<“> ˙ œœœœœ ˙ 6 &4 pp Pno.

?6 4 ˙™ ˙™

{

O ˙ E. Gtr.

œ Œ Œ œ O™ ˙™

6 &4 Œ

4 4

∑

~ 4w 4

·o œ

O O œ ˙

6 4

∑

<n> w -™ O™ ˙™

-O ˙

˙o

4 4 O™ œ™

6 4

œo –solo J -œ

4 4

pp mp

Vc.

œI ° 6 Œ &4 O

O™

4 4~

‚ O™

-O

6 4 O™

4 4 O™

pp Cb.

?6 ¢ 4 ˙™ 32

œ Œ Œ o

4 4 33

∑

∑ 34

∑ 35

6 4 <n>w ™ 36 pp

4 4

HUMAN KINDNESS IS OVERFLOWING

37 Previous tempo (q = 48) ˙™ 4 Œ &4 ˙

Cl.

˙ ˙

6 4˙

41 4 #˙ 4

#˙ ˙

pp under guitar, a shadow Triangle 3

Glock. 3

4 /4˙ œœ ˙

Tri.

˙ ˙

/˙

˙ ˙

Œ&˙ ˙

œ 46 œ ˙

œ œ

4 /4 ˙

œœ ˙

4Œ 4

> œ œ œ>œ ™™ J

pp *RH: accent applies to top note only

4 &4

∑

> >œ ™ Œ œ œJ œ ™

>™ 6 œœœ ™™ 4

> œœ>œœ œœœœ ˙˙˙˙˙ ™™™™ J

ww w w

6 ˙ 4˙

œœ ˙˙ ™™ œœ ˙˙ ™™

w œ ˙ w

6 nœ 4 œ#œ œ Œ Œ

pp Pno.

?4 4

{ E. Gtr.

Vc.

w w w w

˙˙ ˙˙

˙˙

4 0 & 4 œw ˙ œ œ œj œ ™ œ bœ w cantabile, warm, ﬂuid ° 4 ? Ó &4 O w o

Œ œ n œœ

6 4 ˙™

4 4

˙˙˙ ™™™ ˙™

# œœœ œ

4 œœ <#>œ 4 œ˙ œ ˙ œœ ‰ ˙™™ J 4 ˙™ 4

˙˙ ˙˙ ˙™

#œœ œ œ

pp under guitar, a shadow Cb.

?4 ¢ 4w

6 4 w

4 4

∑

o 40

45 Meno mosso (q = 42) ˙™ ˙ 4 Œ 4 poco # ˙™

poco rit.

& #˙

Cl.

6 4 ˙

#˙ #˙

#˙

œ p under take soft yarn mallets (4) 3

œ œ œ & Œ‰J

Glock.

4 Œ œœ>œœ œœœœ ™™™™™™ ˙˙˙˙ 4

6 ˙

Vibraphone

œœ ˙

∑ &4

œœ>œœ œœœœ ™™™™™™ ˙˙˙˙ # œœ>œœ œœœœ ™™™™™™

>œ œœ œ>œœ > ™ œ œ œœ ™™ œœ œœ œœ J &

œœœœœ >œ œ œ>œ ™™ J

# œ>œœ ™™™ 6 4

w ? #w w w

n˙˙ ™™ n˙˙ ™™

#œ ##œœœ

6 #˙˙˙ ™™™ 4 ˙™

œ˙ ™œ ˙ ˙™

##œœœ

6 #œ œ 4 œ˙˙ ™™ ˙™

> # œœ>œœ œœœœ ˙˙˙˙˙ ™™™™ J

4 Œ nnœœ>œœœ œœœœœ ™™™™™™ ˙˙˙˙˙ 4

#œ˙ œ ˙˙

œ ˙œ n˙˙#œ 4 œœ b ˙˙ 4

∏∏∏∏∏

& <#>˙ ˙˙ °? ˙

œœ ##˙˙ 4 #w œœ ˙˙ 4 w w w

∏∏∏∏∏

{ Vc.

w w ww w

Pno.

E. Gtr.

w w w w

n#w w nw w

œ œ ™™ ˙ œ œ ™™ >œ œ ™™ ˙ >œ œ ™™ p

6 4 #˙ ™

œ ˙™

#˙ ™

4 w 4

˙™

œ ˙ œ

p under bass solo

? ∑

∑

Cb.

6 4 Ó

™ Œ ˙

4 œ ˙ 4

¢ 42

mp cantabile, warm

Jeremy Howard Beck 6

poco rit.

6 4

Cl.

˙™

6 ## œœ>œœ œœœœ ™™™™™™ ˙˙˙˙ 4

w ww & <#>w

Vib.

œ ˙

#˙ ˙ ˙˙˙˙ ™™™

49 Tempo primo (q = 36) 4 w Ó 4 o mp 4 bnnœœ>œœ œœœœ ™™™™™™ ˙˙˙˙ ™™™ Ó 4

6 4 ˙

> w nœœœœ œœœœ ™™™™™™ œœœœ w ww

6 4

>œ œ ™™ ˙ ™ œ œ ™™ ˙ ™ >

6 4

∑ &

4 4

∑

> 6 j 4 œ œ œœ ™™ p > ‰ #œ ™ ? 46

w w w w

6 4

w w

6 4

mp Pno.

6 4

? ∑

{ ww

∑

6 4 œ œ ™™ ˙ >

E. Gtr.

4 b œœ>œœœ œœœœœ ™™™™™™ ˙˙˙˙˙™™™™

∑

4 #>œœœ œœœ ™™™™™™ 4 œ œ ™™

˙™

˙˙ ™™ ˙˙™™

#>œœœ œœœ ™™™™™™ œ œ ™™

œœœ œ

I+II

°? ˙ Vc.

6 4 w™

4 4

w w

w w mp

? Cb.

˙ #˙

œ ˙ #œ 6 œ 4

œ œ #œ J

œ™

#œ

4 4

œœ ˙

œ œ #œ ˙

#œ

6 4

¢ 47

Cl.

Vib.

6 &4

4 4

#˙

4 4 # œœ œœ ™™ ˙˙ ™ œ œ ™™ ˙ ™ >œ œ ™™ ˙ ™

n œœœœ œœœœ ™™™™™™ ˙˙˙˙ >

6 4

Ó o

˙ ˙ #˙ ˙ pp > ™™ 6 ˙˙˙˙ ™™™ & 4 # œœœœ œœœœ ™™™™ ˙˙˙˙

∑

6 4 ww ™ n ww ™™

œœœ œœœ ™™™™ b œœœ œœœ ™™™™ ˙˙˙ ™™ >œ œ ™™ >œ œ ™™ ˙ ™

o *LH: accent applies to bottom note only

Pno.

6 &4 œ ™ œ™ >œ ™ ? 6 ## œ>œ ™™ 4

{ E. Gtr.

Vc.

6 &4

#>œœœ œœœ ™™™™™™ œ œ ™™

4 4 #w w w ww 4 #nww 4 w

j œœœœ œœœœ ˙˙˙˙˙ ™™™™ > > > œ œ œœ œœ ˙˙>˙˙ ™™™ J ˙˙˙ ˙˙˙ ™™™ ˙ ˙™

°? 6 ˙˙™™ 4

4 4

n ˙˙˙˙˙ ™™™™ # ˙˙ ™™

œ ™ œJ pp œ ˙

œœœœœ œ

6 4w ™ nw w ™™™ ww 6 4 ∑

w bw w ww ∑

œ œ œ™ J

6 4

∑

6 4

∑

o ˙

œ œœ œ œ 4 4

Ó o

∑

˙ #˙

œ II

O™

~ Cb.

?6 ¢ 4 52

‚

4 4 53

6 ~™ 4 56

pp June 2010, New York City rev. November 2017, Grand Junction, CO