BARDEN
limina
for Saxophone, E-Guitar, Percussion and Keyboards
E-Guitar
MARK BARDEN
limina
for Saxophone, E-Guitar, Percussion and Keyboards
(2021)
E-Guitar
Commissioned by Wien Modern
First performance on 27 November 2021 by Ensemble Nikel at Tanzquartier Wien, as part of the Wien Modern festival
M.Barden: limina (2021)
Stand: 6.sep.2021
Preface
limina is designed to slow down our perception of time and to invite both deep listening into the smallest levels of sonic development and a heightened awareness of the present moment—aims I extend to both the audience and the musicians. For this reason and owing to the unpredictable and irreplicable nature of many of the sounds that interested me here, the notation demanded considerable flexibility. Instead of a vertical score, I define specific sonic vocabularies and outline a choreography of actions that explore these vocabularies. Each musician has their own sequence of gestures and sound materials or playing techniques, which are presented in the form of palettes and pitch sequences. This approach to form & notation mirrors my understanding of how choreographer Ligia Lewis’s Sensation 1 is structured. In performance, a work like this demands both a thorough understanding and control of the sonic materials as well as a virtuosic ability to attend and respond in the moment to minute details of the material’s morphology.
Rather than a polyphonic quartet, musicians should consider themselves four limbs of one body or, better yet, four slowly swirling currents in a massive aqueous body: seek the thinnest sliver of contrast between what is similar and what is identical, embrace the ambiguity when you lose track of your own sound in the sound mass, breathe together, blend. Find your own fascinations and “sweet spots” in these sounds and teach us how to listen them.
Consider how cream moves through coffee: an entire universe of blossoming turbulence— formally obvious (chaos, after all, is deterministic and we know a uniform mixture must result) and yet beautiful if you look closely. limina’s approach to form (especially as articulated through dynamics) is similar: there is no attempt at formal surprises or enticements. One must choose to “look closely”. Build crescendi with these listeners in mind, sculpting achingly slow turbulent currents that, heard deeply, are full of rich details and impossible to predict.
Stopwatch timings are given as a guide for initial practice and rehearsals. I consider these a sort of metronome marking that, ideally, musicians can abandon in performance. Going “off the clock” for performances is riskier and may require some cues, but it affords greater interpretative freedom and more organic, in-the-moment pacing and listening.
Formal Overview
limina has five sections (A–E) of roughly equal length (7–9’ each) & two optional codas. The KB part (on Moog & Korg) functions as the work’s “spine” for A–D, providing the central support and continuity. Saxophone switches to drone synth for sections D & E; Percussion plays drone synth except for C and first half of D (at which point they play an amplified metal surface with objects).
A pp – mp Warm. Begins in medias res. Beatings, gradual accrual of large chords.
B < f … < ff Distorted air & 1st build (harsh, thin, metallic). Breath fights us as we fight it.
C ppp sempre Alien landscape, cold strange lifeless. A menacing precision. A throbbing.
D < ff Crackling, scraping, waves of fast piercing metals. 2nd build.
E ff sost. … < fff Erupts beyond the body. A raw force ever folding & unfolding upon itself.
Coda1 pp < mp >o Residue, resonance.
Coda2 o< f | n. Pre-echo of silent scream.
E-GUITAR
Set-up
•No amp. The guitar signal goes through PA via the main mixer.
•No scordatura & no preparations at the start.
•Foam weave & chopstick must be prepared quickly for C-Section.
Symbols
B C D gesture numbers
B C D string numbers
XII fret
))) create beatings (with near-unison microtonal dyads)
+add (i.e. continue previous gestures/sounds & add this to your options)
–subtract (i.e. continue previous gestures/sounds & add this to your options)
+/– add or do not add (e.g.: +/– subtle feedback) & and / or
*and/or (e.g. Mod*Sharp)
| separates a sequence of actions (like a bar line)
[: :] repeat signs
[…] continue previous sounds/gestures
p < f crescendo from piano to forte
o< / >o crescendo dal niente / diminuendo al niente
Abbreviations
AIC all-interval chord
OD overdrive
PS pitch shifter
BN bottleneck
DT difference tones
esp. especially
Vib. vibrato
Chor. chorus
Rev. reverb
Exp.Ped. expression pedal
Gestures
Unless otherwise stated, all actions in each gesture may occur simultaneously. (Only the separator “ | “ indicates non-simultaneity. Commas are used to list simultaneous actions.) The rate of changes is generally slow and intuitive. Listen to the overall quartet texture and keep sound mass in constant, subtle motion. Less is more.
— A SECTION — pp – mp
0’00 A TACET (tutti start count-up timers)
0’05 B
[: Play 5-25” | Rest 2-15” :] pp – mp
Work slowly through Pitch Seq. 1a.1
Mimic others’ timbres, esp. Moog & Lyra. (+/– Rev./Chor.)
Freely combine 3 techniques: ebow (+/– BN), harmonics (single), ord. (single/dyads) (Esp. harmonic attack on one string followed by sustained ebow tone on another.)
FX for ord notes: long decay & no attack
+/– microtonal deviations on any note (up to quarter-tone higher or lower)
+/– PS )))
+/– vib.
+/– pochissimo glissando (BN*whammy*PS)
1 Sequences show the order in which to add notes to your collection of possibilities for a given section. Once you have introduced a note, you may repeat it, changing register/effects/intonation ad lib. Interact with and respond to others when making these decisions (see sample notation). Once you have completed Seq. 1a, move on to 1b or 1c.
C + barré harmonics B – G that include a note from the AIC sequence
— B SECTION — < f … < ff
9’00
D [: Play 10-45” | Rest 5-20” :] pp – mp
+AIC2 sequences (AIC1 may still be played as well)
E + difference tones (…build tension…cresc. poco a poco…)
F + subtle feedback & noise
Mimic others, esp. Korg & Lyra
))) in foreground with constant subtle changes (PS)
G [Arrive at forte … sustain tension … increasingly aggressive yet slow]
H + Bass1 ))) as another layer (fade in/out with Exp.Ped.)
I + harsh, bright timbre that complements Korg ))) very strong
DT piercing
J fade out | insert 3-part preparation (chopstick, threaded rod, foam) | continue I [use ebow B +/– PS for DT or AIC pitches ))) ] +intersperse gestures from Air1 agitato palette
K < ff (forceful, but not as brutal as the E-Section)
— C SECTION — ppp sempre
16’00 L Cut all sound suddenly except for: ppp Bass1 (ossia: mp > ppp rather than sub. ppp)
+Air1 gesture ( f ) [spin thr. rod on coil 1], dark, pp, 20–40” ad lib.
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