Keane Southard
Variazioni Semplici for
Violin and Harp
(2008) (Duration: c. 4 mins.)
Program notes: I began composing my Variazioni Semplici during the summer of 2008 and completed it in October of the same year. The piece is very much influenced by the music of Arvo Pärt, although I don’t particularly like much of his music. However, I was thinking about his philosophy of Tintinnabuli and decided to write a piece which uses a very simple theme with a very simple harmonization, but is varied in simple and subtle ways. The goal of the work would then be a magnification of scale, where these slight variations carry larger consequences and ramifications within the scope of the work. The effect is then like freezing a short span of time and looking at it from slightly different angles, or expanding a beautiful moment in order to enjoy it more fully but not to the point of overkill. This was my objective in creating this work and represents a very different way of composing from all my previous works. The work is also influenced by the song “Morgen” by Richard Strauss, which I remember studying in my theory class during my freshman year of college and having an incredible and indescribable feeling while considering the text, hearing the music, and looking out the window at the morning sun. Keane Southard 2008
Performance instructions: 1. A portamento differs from a glissando in that a portamento is a quick slide to the next note at the end of the duration of the note, whereas a glissando is a slide from note to note at a constant velocity. A note followed by a glissando should not be held any longer than any other pitch within the glissando but should be only a starting point for the glissando. When a note is both the end of a glissando and the beginning of another, the note should only act as a change of direction and should not be held longer than any of the notes within the glissando. 2. In general, harmonics are notated by either a diamond notehead (â—Š) which indicates the pitch where the finger should be placed to produce the harmonic, or by a small circle over the note intended to sound as a harmonic. For natural harmonics, both methods are used depending on context. All artificial harmonics are designated with the stopped pitch as a regular notehead and the node to be touched a perfect fourth above the note with a diamond notehead. The note produced should be two octaves above the stopped pitch and is NOT notated in the score. 3. Three different sets of dynamic markings are given. One indicates an arch shape for each measure, the second an arch shape for each four-measure phrase, and the third an arch shape for the entire piece (marco-dynamics). 4. The whole work should be played with beauty, sincerity, and extreme attention to detail.
Keane Southard/Spindrift Pages Email: keane.southard@hotmail.com Website: keanesouthard.instantencore.com
Violin
(macro-dynamics) p sul A
n. pp (niente)
mp
gliss.
pp mp dolcissimo
gliss.
gliss.
pp
n.
mp
pp
n.
savor this moment in each phrase
keep finger held down on fingerboard until end of measure always
Hp.
pp pp sul D
5
D C# B / E F# G A pp dolcissimo
Harp
Keane Southard
h. = 36 con rubato, molto espressivo
Vln.
Variazioni Semplici
h. = 36 con rubato, molto espressivo
p
savor this moment in each phrase
pp
8
Vln.
Hp.
pp
sul D
gliss. por t.
mp
n. simile dynamics
pp
simile dynamics
3
©2008
por t.
3
port.
3
2
port.
12
Vln.
Hp.
3
16
Vln.
Hp.
3
gliss.
gliss.
sul A
gliss.
3
3
gliss.
20
Vln.
Hp.
3
3
3 C#-C§
24
Vln.
Hp.
Vln.
31
Vln.
Hp.
3
C§-C#
port.
3
3
. port
C#-C§
3
mp port.
Hp.
3
28
3
. port
F#-F§ C§-C#
3
3
F§-F#
4
34
Vln.
Hp.
port. port.
3
3
3
3
Hp.
3
3
38
Vln.
port. port. 3 3
3
port. port.
3
3
3
3
Hp.
3
pizz.
42
Vln.
3
l.h. pizz.
arco
5
46
Vln.
Hp.
sul G
arco
gliss.
pp
50
Vln.
gliss.
Hp.
gliss.
gliss.
(open D)
(open D) ppp sul G
pp
glis s.
rit.
Hp.
sul tasto
54
Vln.
p
natural
pp
(with tuning peg)
rit.
pp
6
(sul D)
58
Vln.
Hp.
gliss.
l.v.
ppp
ppp