Wolpe - Quartet

STEFAN WOLPE Quartet for Trumpet, Tenor Saxophone, Percussion and Piano

Stefan Wolpe (1902-1970) was among the most gifted and protean composers of the 20th century.

Performances and recordings in Europe and the United States during the 100th anniversary of his birth in 2002 provided a striking new look at his relentlessly searching, provocative music.

Wolpe's compositional career spanned more than fifty years, starting amid the tumult of Germany in the '20s and early '30s and the early influence of Busoni, to a brief stint in Austria studying with Anton Webern, through five years in Palestine, to New York, where – except for a few years in the 1950’s when he taught at the experimental Black Mountain College – he lived from 1938 until his death in 1970. Bristling with energy, his music reflects the spirit of Dada, the Bauhaus, abstract expressionism, and improvisational jazz (among Wolpe’s students were a number of jazz composers).

Written at Black Mountain College, the Quartet for Saxophone, Trumpet, Percussion and Piano is one of Wolpe’s most frequently performed works. Wolpe wrote about how he would juxtapose the most poetic musical ideas with the most prosaic. In notes for a 2000 recording of the Quartet, Art Lange wrote that the fascinating character of the Quartet was shaped by a similarly wide range of factors: “memories of Weill-derived Berlin theater pit bands;” Webern’s Quartet for clarinet, tenor saxophone, piano, and violin; the compositional followup of jazz composer John Carisi to studying with Wolpe (!); and “the limited personnel on hand at musician-deprived Black Mountain.”

For more about Stefan Wolpe and his music, see the website of The Stefan Wolpe Society: www.wolpe.org.

QUARTET for Trumpet, Tenor Saxophone, Percussion and Piano

I Lento

= 60

Stefan Wolpe (1950 - 1954) rit.

a tempo

rit.

B Trumpet Tenor Saxophone 3 Tom toms (high, medium, low) felt sticks

6 3

Percussion poco

Lento

= 60

rit.

a tempo

Piano

5

1

a tempo

3

a tempo

11

3

3

3

molto

Š Copyright 1966, 2004 by Southern Music Publishing Co., Inc. International Copyright Secured Printed in U.S.A. All Rights Reserved Including the Right of Public Performance

rit.

2

2 15

Tom toms

molto

3

19

5

3

3

(T. t.)

24

3

3

3

3

(T. t.)

3

IDID

3

3

4 31

3

poco

5

3

(T. t.)

33 dolce

3

7

(T. t.)

3

5

5 3

35

poco rit.

a tempo

poco rit.

a tempo

3

(T. t.)

3 6

3

3 3 IDID

3

3

4

6 3

37

5

3

espr.

(T. t.)

(mute)

5

Ped.

7

Ped.

Ped. dim.

43

3

3 5

3

(T. t.)

3

3

sord.

Sost.

8

3

5

46

5

3

3

5

6 3

Xylophone

molto

molto

dolce marc.

IDID

5

9 50

3

meno 3

(Xylo.)

(molto)

55

10 3

(Xylo.)

to Timpani and Vibraphone

(pluck) â?‰

pochiss.

Sost.

Ped.

58 11

Timpani

IDID

Ped.

3

Vibraphone (medium yarn mallets)

Ped.

Sost.

(mute)

Ped.

6

12 61

leggieriss.

dolce, espr.

(Vib.)

Ped.

3 3

3

Ped.

13

63

6

5

5

leggieriss.

3

(Vib.)

poco Ped.

3

3

marc.

14

65

3

3

3

pochiss.

3

Ped.

IDID

Ped.

7 69

15

(Vib.)

molto

Ped.

Ped.

dolce

poco

molto

Sost.

72

(Vib.)

Ped.

3

5

3

75

Sost.

16

molto

Snare Drum Tom toms, wood stick

(wood stick)

felt stick

3

3 ❉

5

più 3

poco IDID

8

17 77 3 3

(Sn. Dr.)

(rim shot)

5

3

3

poco stacc. e marcato

Sost.

18

80

6 3

marc., espr.

(Sn. Dr.)

3

3

82

3

dolce 3

Cymbal

3

3

* notation from Source A IDID

3

9

19

84

leggieriss.

6

(Cym.)

3

leggieriss.

l. v.

3

3

3

3

3 3

Sost.

20

85

3

3

3

3

dolce Tom toms

3

3 3

5

21

88

3

3

5

5

(on rim) (T. t.)

IDID

pochiss.

molto

IDID

10

22

90

meno mosso

3

Vibraphone

Ped.

meno mosso

94

23

a tempo

5

(r. s.)

Snare Drum Tom toms

più

(Vibraphone)

Ped.

a tempo

5

3

più

3

24

97

Ped.

espr.

(T. t.)

3

Ped. IDID

Ped.

5

Sost.

Ped.

11 103 25

26

3

Cymbal Medium Gong Snare Drum

3

Tom toms

3

3

3 3

molto

27

107

5

(T. t.)

3

più

più

Ped.

111

3

Cym. Gong (T. t.)

IDID

l. v.

12 Con moto

II

= 144

B Trumpet

Tenor Saxophone Snare Drum

Percussion

S. D. sticks

Tom toms

Con moto

felt sticks

= 144

Piano

5

1

3

3

(S. D.)

snares off

3

11

5

Xylophone 5

3

IDID

13 14

3

(T. t.)

2 18 3 3

(T. t.)

molto

23

Snare Drum

IDID

14 27

Tom toms

senza dim.

3

32

legg.

(T. t.)

sempre

37

Cymbal, soft sticks

damp

(T. t.)

molto IDID

15 41

Cymbal, soft sticks damp

damp

(T. t.)

45

4

(T. t.)

48

(T. t.), wood sticks

poco

IDID

f. s.

w. s.

16

5 52

Tom toms

w. s.

f. s.

3

3

56

5

pochiss.

w. s. f. s.

(T. t.)

3

3

with splendor

3

60 5

Cymbal

poco

IDID

3

w. s.

poco

17 63

6

Cymbal

soft sticks

l. v.

poco

66 legg., espr.

legg., espr.

Tom toms

w. s.

piĂš

Ped.

70

7

(T. t.)

ten. poco

poco

IDID

marc.

marc.

18

8

73

Cymbal

damp

Tom toms

76

(Cym.)

damp

(T. t.)

78

f. s.

(T. t.)

pochiss.

IDID

w. s.

f. s.

w. s.

19 80

9 legg.

(T. t.)

w. s.

83

(T. t.)

86

10

poco

dolce Cymbal (T. t.)

IDID

soft stick

l. v.

molto

dolciss.

20

11

89

Cymbal

soft stick l. v.

92

Cymbal molto Tom toms

94

12

rit.

(T. t.)

rit.

IDID

21 97

a tempo

piĂš

Xylophone

a tempo

poco

molto

poco ma dolce

102

13 7

molto

5

Snare Drum

molto

muted

to Tom toms molto

take hand off slowly

poco

poco

106

con sord.

Tom toms

ten.

IDID

senza dim.

22

14

110

Tom toms

113

senza. sord.

flt.

(T. t.)

115

ord.

(T. t.)

meno IDID

3

(non legato)

23 118

15 flt.

flt.

ord.

Snare Drum

snares on

Tom toms

rit.

120

molto

molto

molto

(Sn. Dr.)

molto

rit.

molto cresc.

3

piĂš rit.

122

meno mosso

poco

(Sn. Dr.)

snares off senza cresc.

piĂš rit.

8

3 3

3 IDID

Ped.

meno mosso

3

3

3

24

16

124 poco

poco

wood stick

Cymbal

126

rit.

3

3

l. v.

3

piĂš rit.

molto rit.

piĂš rit.

molto rit.

3

3

Xylophone

rit.

3

poco

17

131 Tempo I

(Xylo.)

marc., leggiero

poco

Tempo I

marc., legg.

IDID

25 133

poco

Xylophone

poco

poco

138

pochiss. snares on

Snare Drum

ten.

142

18

Tom toms wood sticks

molto

Xylophone

IDID

sharply

poco

snares off

26 146

Xylophone

molto

19

151

7

dolce

Tom toms

(Xylo.)

staccatiss., marc.

poco

156 marc.

(T. t.)

IDID

poco

27

20

159

dolce

w. s. f. s.

Tom toms

stacc., pesante

legatiss.

162 3

marc.

lightly (T. t.)

167

(T. t.)

3

wood

felt

wood

poco

IDID

felt

28

21 171

3

3

piĂš

molto

[intensely] Tom toms

molto

3

intensely

3 3

3 3

3

marc., sost.

174

poco accel.

rit.

(T. t.)

a tempo

w. s.

poco accel.

22

3

rit.

a tempo 3

3

piĂš 3

piĂš

Ped.

177 legg.

poco

Snare Drum

elated

IDID

3

29 180

3

Snare Drum Tom toms

vastly

23

182

3

3

(T. t.)

w. s.

f. s.

w. s.

184

(T. t.)

marc., legg.

non cresc.

IDID

30 187 stacc. e legg.

Tom toms

piĂš

piĂš

w. s.

poco

24

190

(T. t.)

f. s.

w. s.

with impulse

molto

poco

194

(T. t.)

f. s. w. s.

molto

IDID

molto

31 199

25 marc.

Tom toms

201

marc. f. s. w. s.

f. s.

aggressively

marc.

Snare Drum

ten.

204

(Sn. Dr.)

IDID

26

32 207

Snare Drum

27

210

poco

(Sn. Dr.)

213 poco

Tom toms

IDID

f. s.

33

28

217

(T. t.)

w. s.

più

Ped.

220

molto

Snare Drum, snares on (T. t.)

poco

più

Ped.

29

224

sub.

(Sn. Dr.)

3

3

3

3

3

3

molto 3

IDID

3

3

3

3

dim.

3

3

3 3

3

34 226

PiĂš mosso

rit.

Xylophone

PiĂš mosso

231

rit.

30

(almost tempo primo)

Tempo primo

(almost tempo primo)

Tempo primo

(Xyl.)

238

rit.

(Xyl.)

to Cymbal

rit.

poco

IDID

35

31 243

a tempo

Cymbal, soft sticks

l. v.

damp

Snare Drum Tom toms

f. s.

a tempo

247

3

3

Snare Drum

3

252

32 5

Xylophone

8

3

IDID

36 256

3

marc.

Xylophone

stacc. e marc.

3

3 3

3

poco stacc.

259

33

3

con sord.

3

marc.

3

soft stick muted

Cymbal

damp

3

3

3

261

senza sord.

3

3

3

3

Cymbal

damp

Tom toms

3

damp

f. s.

3

3

stacc. e marc.

IDID

molto

molto

molto

37

34

263 3

3

3

molto damp

Cymbal Tom toms

damp

f. s.

3

3

3

3

(non stacc.)

265

piĂš

3

molto

marc., legg.

pochiss.

(T. t.)

marc., legg.

3 3

3

3

35

268 pochiss.

poco

pochiss.

Snare Drum (T. t.)

f. s.

3

3

IDID

38 271

poco

Tom toms

dolce

274

36

(T. t.)

f. s.

w. s.

f. s.

w. s.

f. s.

f. s.

w. s.

w. s.

3 3

37

277

(T. t.)

IDID

3

f. s.

w. s.

f. s.

w. s.

3

3

39 280

poco

Tom toms

wood sticks to end

38 285 più

3

(T. t.)

3

ten.

289

più

(T. t.)

IDID