Mike Svoboda : Snare Drum Concerto (Growth II) by Mike Svoboda

Growth II

Mike Svoboda 2021

Snare Drum Concerto Partitur

Movement 1: a dehydrated, pulverised, and then reconstituted (with lumps) 1903 recording of Joseph Joachim playing Brahms's Hungarian Dance No. 1

Movement 2: Isaac Stern sp eaking in 1999 ab out the founding of the National Endowment of Ar ts seen through a thick layer of nostalgia's sweet molasses

Mike Svoboda

Movement 3: the Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina playing Chopin’s No cturne Op 9, No 2 f rozen, broken in shards, and randomly reassembled

Growth II – Snare Drum Concerto for Violin, Soprano Saxophone, Accordion and Percussion (2021)

written for the Concept Store Quartet

Grow th I was commissioned with the generous support from

Comissioned with the generous support from

The premiere performance by the Concept Store Quartet with Alicja Pilarczyk (violin), Pablo González Balaguer (saxophone), Nejc Grm (accordion), and Jeanne Larrouturou (percussion) took place on February 15th, 2022 in BKA-Theater, Berlin. The composition was commissioned with funds from the Fachausschuss Musik BS/BL.

Duration ca. 13 minuten

www.boosey.com

Movement 1

Wilted recitatives revitalized

Movement 2

A Kotsuzumi and Kagkegoe sandwich dipped in cultural appropriation

Movement 3

John Lennon thunderclouds with Yoko Ono lighting bolts

Each of the three movements draws from a historical recording of a violin, a violinist, or an attempt to mechanically imitate both:

1. The ﬁrst recording of a violin with a performance by Josef Joachim playing Hungarian Dance No. 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKK5iFFPKxM&t=3s (accessed Nov. 2020)

2. An excerpt of a Carnegie Hall interview given by Isaac Stern in 1999

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ-z2JWaGvg (accessed Nov. 2020, ca. minute 9:00 to 12:30, slightly edited)

3. The Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina, a music cabinet with three selfplaying violins and a self-playing piana called as the „8th wonder of the world“ at the 1920 World Fair playing Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2 in E ﬂat major

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBzaSVbCWxM

(accessed Nov. 2020)

Instrumentation

Violin

Soprano Sax in Bb

Accordion

Solo Percussion

Snare Drum with soft mallet, sticks, two super ball mallets (half-spheres) and 20 ad lib. such as brushes, a carrot, a banana, a plastic rose, a sock, a shoe, a rubber chicken, etc.)

Composer’s note

Growth II – Snare Drum Concerto (2021)

written for the Concept Store Quartet

It is said that Oliver Messiaen and Jean Sibelius were synaesthetes who saw colors while listening to music. I myself see geometric, undulating, wa ing forms, and when I look at ne art, I o en hear sounds in return. In my Growth series, I compose music imagining that it is seen, smelled, felt, or touched. e basic rule for Growth is that each work consists of three movements, and for each movement a found sound object serves as a point of departure – a kind of sourdough starter – from which the conceptual, rhythmic, harmonic, or structural substructure of a movement can ferment or sprout. e sound object can be a historical music recording, a eld recording, or an interview and it may be partially audible in some form or entirely not at all.

e weight of the instrument’s tradition was decisive for the selection of objects in Growth I - Violin Concerto. But in the case of the Snare Drum Concerto, the non-European origin and the military role of the snare drum were decisive for the selection. e movements are called Wilted recitatives revitalized, a nod to the underdeveloped parlando qualities of the snare drum; A Kotsuzumi and Kagkegoe sandwich dipped in cultural appropriation; and lastly John Lennon thunderclouds with Yoko Ono lighting bolts with Yoko Ono's Ono-Chord message serving as a click track only the soloist can hear: „I love you“.

Mike Svoboda in February 2022

Grow th II – Snare Dr um C oncer to

w r itten for the Concept Store Quar tet

1. Wi lte d re citatives re v italiz e d

snares oﬀ, drum skin ver y loose, tuning pegs in place, play with hand and a so mallet

staccato = slightly shor ter, tenuto = slightly longer rhy thm parlando sempre

For the 1st movement, the Percussionist has the Snare Drum prepared with tuning pegs and a glass of water for "Cadenza" ready e 2nd movement will need two tables le and right of the Snare Drum for the 20 b eaters, 1, 3, 5, 7, etc on the le and 2, 4, 6, 8, etc on the right e 3rd movement needs a megaphone with a small loudspeaker pointed at close range to the ear of the Percussionist and a large speaker with good bass at the back of the stage.

Svoboda / B oosey & Hawkes B erlin 2022

                                                                                                                                                 fast ( c. 160) re citative ( c. 72)                                         Violin S oprano Sax Accordion Snare Drum

                                                                                                                                    fast   re citative ( c. 72)                                               Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr tune drum up slowly while play ing by bar 53    4

©Mike Mike Svob o da (2021)

                                                                                                                                                                                             Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr  8                                                                                                                                                                             c 54   re citative   c 108   re citative   c 108                                                     Vln S Sax Acc Sn. Dr.      14                                                                                                           pizz       re citative                     Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr 19 2 recitatives 20221117

                                                                                                                               arco                         Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr            23                                                                                                                                                        pizz arco       fast                   Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr a loud as Perc      27                                                                                                                                                  re citative ( c. 72) accel rit . accel rit . accel rit .                     Vln S. Sax. Acc Sn. Dr. gliss up (w ith elbow) gliss dow n gliss up gliss dow n gliss up gliss dow n  32 3 recitatives 20221117

                                                                                                                                       fast   re citative ( c 72)                             Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr parlando ad lib 35                                                                                                                                                                                      fast re citative fast re citative           Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr 38                                                                                                                                                    fast   re citative fast   re citative fast                           Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr 42 4 recitatives 20221117

two large Superball Mallets (half spheres) which bounce rapidly, quasi tremolo

                                                                                                                                                                                                               re citative   ( c. 72)         Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr almost in tune press drum skin to ﬁne-tune to the Violin's Bb parlando improv isation ad lib 47                                                                                                                                                                    c 108           L R L R etc Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr repeat ad lib repeat ad lib

55                                                                              sub Vln S. Sax. Acc Sn Dr     63 5 recitatives 20221117

2. A kotsuzumi and k akego e sandw itch dipp e d in cu ltur al appropriation

III IV var y the leng th of the fermati substantially, always waiting for the percussionist to change and show the next beater

with 20 beaters (objects) and snares oﬀ

show the next beater in the fermata before continuing

                                                                                                  ( ) ( ) sub Vln Acc Sn Dr 67                                                                                                               ( ) Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr "Cadenza" drink a glass of water while removing the tuning pegs   70                                                                                                                                           gliss. gliss m s gliss m d c 54                     ( )                                     1 2 3 Violin S oprano Sax Accordion Snare Drum

cluster gliss played

    6 recitatives 20221117

gliss on both strings up to any ver y high pitches ad lib

                                                                                                                                                       ( )                         ( )                     4 5 Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr

             7                                                                                                                                                                                                                6 7 8 9 Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr 12                                                                                                                                                                ( )                                     10 11 12 13 Vln S. Sax. Acc Sn Dr 19 7 kotsuzumi sandwitch 20221117

not necessarily waiting from here on for percussionist to show the beater

the ensemble doesn't wait any more for the next beater to be show n

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        13 14 14 15 14 15 16 15 Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr

 25                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  16 17 16 17 18 Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr rub beater on drum skin    31                                                                                                                                                                                             18 19 18 19 19 20 19 Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr    37 8 kotsuzumi sandwitch 20221117

follow the percussionist ver y closely

change beater ad lib w ith for ever y note using a w ide selection from both tables and rub in a circular motion unless marked stattacto

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 20 20 1 2 1 4 5 6 Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr long   41                                                                                                                                                                                   poco poco poco         ver y slow, molto r ub ato sub sub. sub ly rical         Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr

secco

   48                                                                                                                                                   poco poco poco poco poco     sub sub sub sub sub Vln S. Sax. Acc Sn Dr 52 kotsuzumi sandwitch 20221117 9

3. John L ennon thundercl ouds w ith Yoko Ono lig htning b olts

-35¢ =11/2 inter val to B-ﬂat in Just Intonation

tune C (sounding B-ﬂat) up 14¢ to 2/5 inter val to D of the Harmonica in Just Intonation

bend A-ﬂat dow n 17¢ to 7/2 inter val to Bb (or 7/5 inter val to D in Just Intonation

Blues Harmonica (just the D) start audio (2nd track)

le channel from the megaphone Yoko Ono says:

only heard by the Percussionist through a megaphone mounted on a stand and pointing to the side of the head

e audio (le channel) is played f rom a small speaker inside a megaphone mounted on a mic-stand pointing directly and at a ver y close distance to an ear of the Percussionist. e sound is audible to the audience only faintly and only up to bar 3 or 4. From bar 12, the audio (Yoko Ono's voice) is mostly only audible to the Percussionist e heartb eat (right channel) is heard clearly f rom a large speaker in the room, b ehind the ensemble From bar 54, Yoko Ono's voice is to also b e heard slightly in the hall, if possible

 9 20221117

                                                                                                                   cresc di mi nuen do al niente = 30   ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )   ca         Snare Drum Audio start audio snares on "e Perfect Roll" le channel from the megaphone                                                                                                                                                                     cresc        = 92               - - - - - - - Send the O na chord mes sage I love your ” be re peat ed ly blink ing the light Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H B

right channel from a speaker in the hall Heartbeat      

                                                                                                                                     - - - - - - in the fre quen c y and the du ra tion re quired for the mes sage Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H B l h "accent v ibrato", quasi tremolo, hitting w ith r h Buzz roll           15                                                                                                                                                      - - - - From ships, from the top of the moun tains, from build ings us ing the whole build ing, Vln S Sax Acc Sn. Dr. Y O H B           19                                                                                          - - in town squares from the sky and to the sky Keep send ing the mes sage to the Sn Dr Y O H B 24 11 Ono lightning 20221117

                                                                                                   m s         - end of the year and be yond Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H B "accent v ibrato" as before 28                                                                                                                          - - - - Keep send ing the mes sage ev r y where Vln S Sax Acc Sn. Dr. Y.O. H B rim click (bossa nova style)                  30 12 Ono lightning 20221117

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  frull cre scen                      - - - on the Earth and to the U ni verse Keep send ing Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H B Bellow Shake (B S )  34                                                                                                                       cre scen cre scen cre scen do          - - - - - For in di vid u als send the mes sage by hand: Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H B B S              38 13 Ono lightning 20221117

                                                                                                                                           do do do cresc          “I love you ” Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H.B.             42                                                                                                                                   -L Or us ing ﬂash lights: Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y.O. H B stick on stick click (L on skin ↓)     46 14 Ono lightning 20221117

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        R L R L R L “I love you ” Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H B ↓dead stroke 50                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             L L L “I love you ” “I Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H B                     54 15 Ono lightning 20221117

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        cre scen do           love you Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y.O. H B                           59                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       R R R R R R L L L L L “I love you ” Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H B all dow nbows var y tremolo speed slightly ad lib var y tremolo speed slightly ad lib var y tremolo speed slightly ad lib            63 16 Ono lightning 20221117

                                                                                                                               “I love Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H B                                67                                                                                                                                                                       you ” “I Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H B                                       70 17 Ono lightning 20221117

                                                                                                                                             love you ” Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H.B.                            74                                                                                                                                                                               L L L L L R R R R R R R R R L L L L R L L R R L L R R L I love you Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H B                           77 18 Ono lightning 20221117

                                                                                                                                                                                                        R R “I love you Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H B                                81                                                                                                                                                                                      “I love Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H B                                86 19 Ono lightning 20221117

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 you ” “I love Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H B all dow nbows                90                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  R R R R etc L you ” Vln S Sax Acc Sn Dr Y O H B all dow nbows    95 20 Ono lightning 20221117