wu dai tong tang 五代同堂 for piano julian grant (2009)
wu dai tong tang
五代同堂 [five generations – one house] five aspects of an original piece first written for yang-qin (butterfly harp) for piano julian g rant (2009)
wu dai tong tang
五代同堂 julian grant (2009)
dedicated to Peter Lighte duration 11 minutes During the time I lived in Beijing, from 2007, I was bought, for my birthday, a Yangqin – a butterfly harp, by my partner and daughters, because I admired it in a shop window. The sight of such a handsome instrument residing at home unplayed was a reproach, and even though my battles with the Chinese language gave me a run for my money, I was able to learn to play the Yangqin after a fashion, and even duet with my teacher, and later, a guzheng player. For my partner’s significant birthday, I managed to compose and play a piece on the Yangqin, which I later transcribed for piano – a very ornamented version of which is the fourth piece in this collection. I then surrounded it with simple satellite pieces that use the same restricted pitches and textures . The pieces were composed haphazardly and in no particular order. Because I ended up with five, I allude in the title to the strange inedible fruit, that resembles a lemon with five‐fingers ‐ or an inflated rubber glove ‐ that appears at Chinese New Year to celebrate continuity: five generations one house – here, five aspects of the same thing. Programme note © Julian Grant 2009
wu dai tong tang 五代同堂 for Peter Lighte
［five generations - one house］ five aspects of an original piece first written for yang-qin 1.
Relaxed q = 76 pp
3
pp
mf
pp
p
16
Copyright
mf
julian grant 2009 all rights reserved
p
pp
mf
mf
f
9
julian grant
8
17
pp
19 pp
21
mf
f
22
p
p
9
26
mf
27
33
p
mf
37
pp
pp
p
al niente al fine
mf
pp
f
FINE 22nd April 2009 BEIJING
10 julian grant
2.
q = 96
p legato
6
pp
11
20
pp
pp
p
p
15
p
Copyright
julian grant 2009 all rights reserved
pp
11
25
28
p spiky
31
molto legato
p
37
3
3
3
pp
mf
3
p spiky
p molto legato
3
sffz
sffz
34
p legato
3
pp
12
3
3.
q = 112
p
spiky, detached
sub p
mf
p echo
piu f
mf
5
7
julian grant
p echo
Julian Grant 2009. All rights reserved.
13
9
p
11
mf
12
16
mf
pp
p
f
glissando
f
f
f
14
18
mf
mf
20
mf
p
p
pp
pp
22
p
mf
p
mf
p
mf
15
23
mf
29
32
f
27
ff
sub p
pp
16
julian grant
4.
like an improvisation q = 76
p
9
11
sim.
5
3
3
3
3
3
5
5
p
p
ppp echo 5
3
5
julian grant 2009 all rights reserved
p
Copyright
pp crystalline
p
3
ppp echo
p
17
12
14
ten.
3
p
with leisurely movement
p calm
16
molto legato
5
3
5
(2nd time pp)
sim.
18
3
3
20
mf
marcato il melodia
sempre p
R.H. sonorous
2.
27
5
pp
25
23
1.
18
29
19
1.
tenuto. a tempo
2.
9
3
p
3
a tempo
35
a piacere
5
32
31
3
3
5
20
37
40
sim.
46
3
5
3
3
5
p pp
pp murmurando
49
FINE: Beijing. 24 April 2009
21 julian grant
6
11
p legato
4
3
p legato
p
q. = 120
fast, but halting, uncertain
mp sonore
4
17
5.
q = 108
Copyright
julian grant 2009 all rights reserved
22
21
4
sempre p non legato
25
4
28 4 4
4
34
mf
p legato
p legato
p non legato
4
31
mf
piu f
pp
23
4 4 4
37
4 4 4
40
pp non legato
q = 108
50
p legato
45
4 4
4
as before q. = 120
mf sonore
p legato
3
p
24
56
4
p non legato
4
mf legato
4
4
p non legato
mf
q = 108
p legato
65
68
62
59
4
73
77
5
5
Broader q = 92
pp
pp
p
loco
p
4
5
p sonore
88
83
25
4
26 93
97
3
legato
fast, more certain
q. = 120
4
100
104
accelerando
4
p legato
108
111
pp
27
mf
114
sempre p legato
pp
117
p
p legato
120
a niente
FINE: Beijing/ Shelter Island NY 10 August 2009
28
Julian Grant is active as a composer, writer, educator, music journalist and broadcaster. Works include sixteen operas of various lengths and sizes which have been performed by English National Opera, The Royal Opera Covent Garden, Almeida Opera, Mecklenburgh Opera and Tête à Tête Productions. He is the recipient of the National Opera Association of America’s New Opera Prize, as well as a prestigious Olivier Award nomination. From 2002-7 he served as Director of Music at St. Paul’s Girls’ School, London, a post previously occupied by the composers Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan-Williams. He has taught at Hong Kong University, hosted a radio show for RTHK, and engaged in extensive education work for London’s major opera houses. He writes extensively on opera, Russian music, and contemporary classical music for a variety of music journals including Opera Magazine. Recent premieres include Double Trouble, for Melvyn Tan at the Wigmore Hall, and two operas for Tête à Tête : Anger and Odysseus Unwound. The latter involved traditional knitters, spinners and weavers from the Shetland Islands in a re-telling of the ancient myth, and was featured on BBC2's The Culture Show. Grant currently divides his time between London and Beijing, where he is attempting to learn the Yang Qin (butterfly harp). Further information can be found at www.juliangrant.net