Vine (Women's poems from Afghanistan) for soprano, violin and electronics

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Vine (women’s poems from Afghanistan) For mezzo-soprano or soprano with violin and electronics (fixed media)

2022

Juhi Bansal


Program note

Vine is part of a larger project of music I’m writing setting texts by Afghan women. We don’t often think of poetry as rebellion, but the women of Afghanistan have built a tradition out of artistic defiance, of speaking in rhyme words they are forbidden in prose. In the Pashtun culture from the mountainous regions near Pakistan, girls and women share, compose and speak landays – an oral tradition of short poems by and for women, passed down for generations from woman to woman and tribe to tribe. The anonymous nature of these poems allows them to speak the unspeakable – to talk frankly of sensual love and desire, of yearning to make choices, of girls wanting to be more than an adjunct to their fathers, brothers and husbands. In a society where young girls are bartered to old men, where to choose where to love is to risk death, where girls are forbidden from education, the landays tell women’s stories in their own words, unfiltered and unchecked by the men’s voices that surround them.

Duration – 5 minutes

Copyright ©2022 Juhi Bansal Music All rights reserved

juhibansalcomposer@gmail.com www.juhibansal.com


Notes on performance This piece draws on elements of both Afghan and Hindustani music traditions to create a sound world that is about storytelling, expressiveness through ornamentation, and ruminating on a single, simple idea as if making music were an act of worship. This piece sits within a limited sonic palette, but every part of that palette should be explored expressively (dynamics, instrumental and vocal timbre, ways of articulating words and gestures).

Electronics The fixed electronic track is a multi-layered drone that includes pre-recorded violin elements. The track should be started once the musicians are ready to play, and manually faded out as indicated in the final measure of the score. The volume should be set so that the track is clearly heard but never covering either singer or violin.

Notation Both players: Multiple notations are used to capture the typical ornamentation of this style • All grace notes are slashed • 16th note grace notes are to be played before the beat; • 8th note grace notes are to be played on the beat. • All glissandi should be long and drawn out, the slide itself should be at least as emphasized as the beginning and ending notes • Bracketed notes should be imperceptibly slid into and out of (the arrival to the note should not be articulated in any way) • Small notes are relatively lighter in weight, large notes are at a normal emphasis Violin • All gestures with dynamics to or from niente should emerge and fade seamlessly into the electronics • Aleatoric boxes are used for semi-improvisatory gestures. The indicated notes should be played in the indicated order, very rapidly but freely, to create a flurry similar to a fingered tremolo for the duration marked.


Singer • Although it’s not at all a requirement that the singer be experienced in Hindustani vocal technique, since the vocal writing draws heavily on some of those elements, it would be helpful to listen to some recordings of Hindustani classical vocalists to get the sound in your ear. Recordings by Kaushiki Chakraborty (there are many on Youtube) would be a good place to start.

Some key elements of this style: • Mostly straight tone (vibrato may be used sparingly for expressive effect) • Extremely flexible, light, and fluid, particularly in the use of ornaments, grace note, and glissandi. (Not every note will have equal weight or emphasis) • Overall, a very rounded, bending approach to notes that frequently uses scooping and sliding intentionally between pitches.

An aural guide to the ornamentation will be sent with this score as well, please give preference to that in learning the music and refer to the written notation only second.

Texts

I bend towards you Like a vine twists along the earth.

I walk twisting paths to see you, Like a peddler I cry at every door.


Vine Juhi Bansal

(Women's poems from Afghanistan)

Soprano Solo

Espressivo, pushing and pulling the tempo with complete freedom (Initially beginning at q = 70 - 80 )

 

 

Wait until a few seconds after you hear the high shimmer enter in electronic track)

Violin

 

(Follow soprano throughout, never covering the voice)

e spe

p in du

  

to

slo w

olo trem

 



sul G n

do wn tre m

 

olo

  

e spe

du

p

re ot int

lo mo

 

sul G n

mp

 

 mp

n



 

6 * Timbre: straight tone, light, warm and flowing (See notes on performance for specific details) (mp - mf throughout)

S. Solo

 

I

Vln.

d spee

olo trem

mp n

you

 

bend

    

int d up spee

3

   

   

    simile.    

to up in

            

10

3

I

3

ward

Vln.

  

n

12

S. Solo



3

to-

molo o tre

 

n

n

15 Naturally gaining momentum         

 

I

espressivo  

  

bend

    3

(3/19/23 version)

lo remo into t

     

up speed

spe

olo trem into p u ed

      n


2

19            

   

18

S. Solo

to -

Vln.

S. Solo

  

wards

vine

Vln.

S. Solo

Vln.

31

S. Solo

 

       

3

  

  

3

     

   

olo o trem up int

 

 

 

 

I

walk

twist - ing

paths

 

mp

n

  3          

3

3



 

mp

Pushing still further ahead

earth

     speed

  

just to

see

lo tremo

 

      speed

to up in

 

n

 

      mp 5

the

n

3

     

you

Vln.

25

  

a - long

3

   

3



     

3

27     

 

mp

twists

     

26

molo to tre up in

n

like a

     

22 3     

you

speed

 

Like a

  3

  

 

pedd - ler

I

cry

         3

3

3

pp poco a poco cresc.


34

S. Solo

Vln.







 

35 

at

eve

p in speed u



    

-

ry

slo w

olo to trem

3

do wn t

re

3

  



door

mo

   

lo

 mp

 

3

41 39

S. Solo

   

Slow



Vln.

 

   

I

3

I

    

up speed

rem into t

olo

 

3

   

 

S. Solo

 

3

  



bend

Vln.

 

  

    

 

   

to - ward

 

 

mp

 

 

tremolo

slow

      

pp

o

you to speed up in

molto espressivo

to tr

n

Gradually pushing ahead

l emo

    

n

47 45

s

in d up pee

mp

d ow n tr

emo lo


50

4 S. Solo

51     

 

 

 

I

Vln.

S. Solo

    

    

 

61

S. Solo

    



walk

to

o trem up int speed

S. Solo



 

olo

slow d



   

up

66 Floating, q = 100 pp  

slow

own tr emolo

pp

p

   

     

p



pp

 

olo into trem speed up

d ow n t re mol o

mp

   

you lo remo into t



own tr emolo

you

mp

  

you

Vln.

see



speed

slow d

       

see

Vln.

o to tremol

you

mp

pp

       

to - ward

pp

55   

in speed up

3

I

Vln.

 

bend

p

 

 

 

     

slow

dow n

trem

   

mf

olo

f

    

 to

70

 you



 

 


73

S. Solo

Vln.

78

S. Solo



 

74 

to

you



5

  



Cadenza (out of time)

 x

  Slow, accel                                       x  Cadenza, completely free and expressive

Vln.

( ppp )

poco a poco cresc.

rit. 79

S. Solo

Cadenza (out of time)

 rit.

Vln.

S. Solo

Vln.

              

80 Cadenza (out of time)  

                 

molto vibrato, molto rit.

      

      

    f

 

   




85 6

In time, espressivo

S. Solo

 (mp - mf throughout)    

I

Vln.

89

S. Solo

94

S. Solo

 

 

 

 

 

      

 

 

Vln.

  

you

 

 

  





93 

I

  

 

to -

wards

 

lo remo into t p u d spee

     

 



 

        3

 

you

   

mp

n

    

 

lo to tremo

n

 

n

S. Solo

 

p in speed u

3

lo remo into t p u d spee

99

mp

 to -

bend

Vln.



mp



wards

Vln.

 

olo o trem up int speed

 



bend

n

  

  fade out electronic drone gradually over 6-10 seconds

 


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