But Now

Julie Herndon Julie Herndon

but now

mountain ascending

commissioned by Voci Women’s Vocal Ensemble alchemy: a power or process that changes or transforms something in a mysterious or impressive way (-Merriam-Webster)

schematic September 2107

&

œ

œ.

now__

&

œ

&

j œ #œ œ

˙

#œ œ œ

Œ

liv - ing_

œ

#˙

life but

& 43 œ & 43 œ

x*

#˙

x

x x

#œ œ œ

œ 3

œ œ œ œ œœœ

unvoiced --> voiced

œ œ œ

x

œ

œ œ

x

j œ #œ œ

x x x x

œ.

3

œ œ œ œ œ œ

˙ œ œ œ œ

*X = change one of the following parameters: 1) division vs. concentration of power 2) individual vs. collective 3) body, movement, position

for 2-part choir commissioned by Voci Women’s Vocal Ensemble duration: 5 minutes 2017

Text But life, but living, but now

Program Notes This piece explores the feeling of incremental movement. Each voice moves at its own pace in a slow canon, one climbing after another in a gradual procession. I began sketching this piece when I first saw Mt. Everest while hiking in Nepal. Each day as I slowly climbed, step by step toward the mountain, it seemed to stretch infinitesimally upward into the sky. I realized both of us were stretching and straining higher by tiny increments, like a canon moving at different glacial speeds.

Performance Notes Staging: Part 2 low voices

Part 1 high voices

Audience The piece begins stage right, with the right-most singer of each part as the leader. Each subsequent entrance is staggered approximately 5-8 beats after the voice before (entrance timings are approximate and should not align metrically): Leader: begin Voice 2: enter 5-8 beats after leader Voice 3: enter 5-8 beats after voice 2 Continue until each voice has joined the canon In addition to the English text, one IPA symbol is used: [ə] = balloon, cinema Notes for rehearsal numbers are below: 1 m. 18: pt. 1 leader enters on second iteration of “life.” After leader entrance, subsequent high voices enter in canon as described above (one at a time, approximately 5-8 beats after the voice preceding). This results in two simultaneous canons, one lower and one higher, which should not align rhythmically.

2 m. 34: pt. 2 leader re-enters after “bə.” Subsequent voices enter in canon as before.

3 m. 38: repeat melody 3-5 times, making slight timing adjustments until all voices are aligned in unison. Be sure to adjust only gradually over time so that the canon slowly shifts into unison (leader can maintain tempo while subsequent voices slightly accelerate or decelerate entrances in order to synchronize). The director or an appointed singer should cue a cut off once the unison has been achieved.

4 m. 43: in larger ensembles, two or more voices sing each entrance, beginning with the leaders from each section. Breathe as necessary to sustain; but re-state the given word after taking a breath, rather than coming back in on vowel.

5 m. 50: pt. 2 in unison, pt. 1continue as before. Stagger breathe ord. © Julie Herndon 2017

but now

Score

for 2-part choir commissioned by Voci Women's Vocal Ensemble q = 69 freely, tempo flexible

4 &4

Part 1

3 4

4 4

canon: next voice begins at any point in second measure

o P 4 ‰ ŒŒ ‰ Œ ‰ Œ 3 ‰ Œ &4 j 4 j j j œ œ œ œ œ œ(8) . . . . < b b b b b b gentle, like bubbles

Part 2

& 44

2

(8)

P

o

w

b˙

gliss.

b

& 43

2

3 & 4 ‰ j‰ œ(8) b

22

1

&w

p jŒ œ <b

&w (8)

w

gliss.

b

4 4

,F #œ.

-

o,

b˙.

Œ

w

P

F w

gliss.

b

,

w

œ˙ J

gliss.

F #w

,

life,

w

ing

ing,

life,

w

cue sop. leader

#w

,

3

-

ing

#˙ ˙ ˙ liv

,

#˙

gliss.

life,

#˙ ˙ ˙ liv

gliss.

life,

life,

,

#˙

3

-

ing

© 2017 Julie Herndon

4 4

3 4 j‰ Œ Œ 4 j ‰ Œ 4 œ œ. œn.b. œ . < b b b b

b

p #w

,F #œ. œ ˙ J liv -

P

n.b.

Ó

˙

f œ Œ ˙

Ó

˙

but

gliss.

˙.

43

but

œ Œ Ó

˙

but

˙

now,

43

œ-

Œ 43 œ.

Œ

b

1 pt. 1: begin canon

but

liv

2

Ó

44

15

1

P

3 4

4U 4 w-

make each glissando the length of a comfortable breath

8

Music and text by Julie Herndon

b

#˙

˙

liv

-

#˙

ing,

˙

liv

-

˙.

ing,

,

but now

2

29

1

2

&

˙

gliss.

,

˙.

œ

now,

œ œ #œ

,

˙.

now,

& ˙. &Œ (8)

but

, P œ œ #œ œ ˙

1

but

U U f

44 ww

4 5 & 4 ˙. Œ 4

4 Ó 4

U U

& 42

49

2

& 42 (8)

œ

life,

but

#œ

liv - ing,

but

œ

liv - ing,

œ.

j œ #œ œ ˙

,

œ.

j œ #œ œ ˙

,

but

.. 44 œ

1, 2, (3), (4)

now,

œ

liv - ing, but

now,

but

. 4 œ . 4

but

4 (opt.) 2+ voices on each entrance

(8)

1

F œ œ œ

freely, tempo flexible

life, life,

2

but

.. # ˙

œ

& 44 ˙ . Œ 45 œ ww Œ

42

œ

life,

,p

now

final

.. # ˙

p PF f #œ œ œ

,

˙.

b

Œ 43 # ˙ .

Ó

3 repeat 3-5 times, gradually synchronizing until all voices align in unison cresc. through repeats , / ,

,p œ

˙

now

2

œ

life,

36

1

b

5 4 Ó

(8)

,

œ 3 ˙ 5 œ 4 œ #œ œ 4 now,

&

2 pt. 2: rejoin canon starting with leader

q = 69 in time

ww˙ ˙

liv - ing,

f

˙

w

b

5 pt. 2 in unison (pt. 1 continue as before)

44 Ó 44

p in unison

w

now.

P Œ œ

now,

˙

œœ œœœ # œœœœ œœœœœ

now, now, now, now,

w

wwww Ó

www

now,

Œ ww ˙

˙˙ b

now,

U

now,

now

œœ

U

œœœ œœœ ˙˙˙ œ ˙

now, now, now, now,

U

wwwwww

now,

w

42

wwwww w

˙

U

w

2 4