Liam Taylor-West: for Strings #1

Liam Taylor-West (2016)

for Strings

#1

A piece for an unconducted group of string players, written in open score, and to be performed as if by a large chamber group. Performers may move freely between musical lines, as long as no part is ever left unplayed.

There is no set stage layout, and physical movement around the performance space by standing players is encouraged.

for Strings

#1

Although there is often a common metre felt across the ensemble, it should never become quantised into apparent bars of 4/3/2/etc., and all entries should feel equally weighted. UniďŹ ed 'downbeats' should only occur where barlines indicate synchronisity between parts. Dashed arrows indicate cues being given from one event to another, roughly simultaneous, one. Bold arrows provide approximate timings. Notes in boxes should be held (or repeated) for the duration of the arrow until a new cue is given. Repeated notes may have a speciďŹ ed number of repetitions indicated.

For tuning reference, numbers printed above microtonal pitches indicate the partial number from within a given harmonic series where that pitch occurs. If desired, the whole ensemble may detune their instruments away from A=440Hz (the ďŹ rst recording is lowered roughly 40 cents) as long as all players are in tune with each other.

Instrumentation: Ensemble of 10+ string players, including a mixture of violins, violas and cellos

Duration:

ca.5'15"

for Strings

Full Score

#1

Liam Taylor-West (2016) 0'32"

0'16"

X q = ca. 60

x2

& ì Œ Œ b˙ ™ -

œ

™ &í™

Œ ì

Œ Œ Œ Œ b˙ ™ -

œ

Œ Œ ™™î

Œ Œ b˙- ™

œ

Œ Œ Œ

Œ í ™™ ww >

mf q = ca. 60

™ ˙ ™ Œ ™î o

mf

&ì Œ

Œ b˙ -

x3

> œœ >

(cont.)

° ™ & í ™ bw >

˙™

Πww > o mf

˙˙™™

mf

Œ Œ Œ Œ ™™î o

mf

o

Strings x2 (cont.)

¢&

Œ Œ Œ Œ í ™™ bw >

™ ˙ ™ Œ ™î o

mf

q = ca. 60

?

b˙ ˙

Œ Œ Œ Œ ™™î

x3

x2

> bw

> bw

b˙- ™

˙ Œ ™™î o

Œ Œ í ™™ mf

=

Œ Œ í ™™ ˙ b˙ -

&ì

œ

í ™™

?

Œ Œ Œ ™™î o

mf

=

X 1'16"

9

° x2™ & í ™ ˙™ -

œ

Œ

Œ ™™î

&ì

Œ

Œ í ™™ ˙ . Œ Œ

˙™ œ -

˙

œ ™™î

Œ

mf (2/2)

Œ

Œ

Œ

Œ

&

Œ b˙ ™ -

Œ

Œ

x2

Œ ™ b˙ ™ í ™ b˙ ™ -

Œ

œ

œ

™ bœœ ™î -

&

> ‰ í ™™ bw f

x2

(2/3)

Œ

Œ

&

™™î

Œ

Œ

Œ

&ì

Œ

ww >

Œ

Œ

˙-

Œ

b˙

™™î

í ™™ ww >

o mf

mf

f x5

(2/2)

Œ

Œ

Œ

Œ

&

˙ b˙ -

Œ

b˙ ˙

Œ

Œ

Œ

í ™™

Œ b ˙-

Œ ™™î

&

˙

> b˙ f Œ

> b˙

í ™™ b˙w >

™™î L

Œ

x2

b˙ ™

(3/3)

œ

> bw

? ¢

Πo

Œ

Πmf

Πo

> bw í ™™

œ Œ ™™î

?

x5 > bw í ™™ b w

f

™™î c

2

15/18/22.Eb

1'44"

Bnw w w

U ° & ∑

B˙ ì n˙˙

13.Eb

p (unsynchronised swelling of dynamics across all notes)

™™î (no rit.)

x2

> ‰ í ™™ bw

™™î

x2

&ì

™™î

&ì

‰

mp

x4

Œ

1'56"

> ‰ í ™™ bw

mf

> bw p

dim. and rit.

™™î

‰ í ™™ w >

bb ˙w bw

2'12"

Œ ì o

&ì

Œ

mf

?

&ì

p

(2/2)

&

w b wb w

n˙˙

14.Eb

J˙

& í ™™ B˙ o &

nw w

&

o

bœ J

16/18/24.Eb

17/20.Eb

13

Œ ì o

bw w-w mf

bU w-

˙

&ì

mf

-

? ì b bw w

¢ mf

-

? ì bbw w

Œ ì o

? ì bbw w

ì

Πo

mf

=

Œ ì o

bw w-w

Œ ì o

mf

=

2'48" 14/16/22.F

19

° &

bw b ww

Bw Jww

b˙ b ˙˙ &ì

mf

B˙

J˙

&ì

&

JB˙˙

nw mf

x3 2'22"

&

í ™™ w >

™™î

&

ì Œ w >

f mf 6/7/8/11.F

7/9/11.Eb

& JBw w w o ? bbw w

&ì

B˙ J ˙˙

b wbw w

&

JBw ww w mf

mf

mp

mf mp

mf mf f

œœ

Œ

bbw w

œœ Œ

bbw w

œœ Œ

bbw w

b -˙w b w w-

˙

> w w

˙˙

f

mf

¢ mf

p

mf

p

mf

p

mf

Œ

Œ

ΠΠw > f

> w ˙ mf

˙ Œ Œ

3'20"

25

° &

Bw J ww

œ

B ˙™ &ì

w Jww

Jww

3

Œ 28.Db 14/16.F K J ˙˙ ww w

slow gliss.

begin gliss one-by-one

˙˙

& f

oΠfade C to nothing

w w

&

&

w

& ˙

bw

f

x8

Œ Œ ‰ ™ œr œ ˙ >

&

Œ Œ ‰ ™ œr œ ˙ >

˙ (f)

mf

&

Bww Jw w

?

> w w

˙˙

f

mf

í ™™ w >

˙

mf

f

œ Œ Œ Œ ™™î

(2/8)

(3/8)

(4/8)

mp

Πo

Œ Œ

> w w

˙˙

f

mf

Œ Œ

¢

=

= 4'32" 5'15" 16/18/24.Eb

31

° &

Kw J ww

K w J ww

w b wb w

oΠb ww

fade Bb to nothing

&ì

Πo

& p mf

&

&ì

bw

Πo

w mf

(5/8)

¢&

w > f

(6/8)

(7/8)

(8/8)

Œ

œ Œ Œ Œ

&

bwmp

mp

bw w ?ì

Πo

mf

off suddenly

˙™

Πbw p

˙™

Πbw pp

˙™

Πo