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JESPER NORDIN Undercurrents
concerto for cello, ensemble and live electronics (2007)
score.
EIGENTUM DES VERLEGERS ALLE RECHTE VORBEHALTEN
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
HENRY LITOLFF’S VERLAG / C. F. PETERS
FRANKFURT/M.
· LEIPZIG · LONDON · NEW YORK
F lute
Bassoon
French hor n (in F)
Percussion
Marimba
& ?
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(big flat g ong)
Dr um trig gers are connected to the Gran Cassa and the three Tom-toms to control par t of the electronics
* highest pitch used in piece
w At some points in the piece you put two dr umsticks on the bars (on "white" and "black" bars) and let them rattle as much as possible without falling off (Tr y tying strings with small weights to the ends of the drumsticks or tape them on to the bars - but not too tight)
Pianofor te (par tly played with large soft mallets directly on the strings, two dr um stick are used on the bass strings to achive a rattling sound)
Violoncello solo (The cellist also controls the live electronics with two pedals one switch pedal and one expression pedal)
Electronics (The electronics are not represented in the score with anything but text. For more explanation of the electronic part, see next page)
Violin (iPod or CD player with headphones needed)
Viola (iPod or CD player with headphones needed)
Double bass (iPod or CD player with headphones needed)
This piece was commissioned from Ensemble Orchestra Contemporain as a "Commande de l'Etat" and is composed for Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain and the cellist Benjamin Carat. The technical and musical research was done at GRAME during 2006.
T he live electronics in Undercur r ents is controlled by the soloist through two MIDI pedalsone Switch (on/off) and one Expression (g radual). T he tom-toms of the percussionist have dr um trig g ers attached to them so they can send MIDI infor mation (MIDI pitch number is the only thing needed).
T hese controllers work in different ways in the eight different par ts of the piece - called ”r ules”. Other things are done automaticly when reaching a new par t.
To chang e between the different par ts of the piece the cellist press his Switch pedal once (someone needs to oversee the computer so that the patch always is in sync).
Explanation of the different ter ms used
[Mir rored]
[Freeze]
[Loop]
[Dr um loops]
Sound is sent from one or more sources to the speakers that are positioned behind the Tam-tam and/or under the g rand pianothe sound sent there get the Tam-tam/piano to resonate.
Sound is recorded and ”frozen” through g ranular synthesis
Sound is recorded and played back exactly as it was recorded, over and over ag ain
T here are three pre recorded dr um loops in the patch made by the Swedish Imrovisation g roup ”Altaír” - Loop 1 is in 6/8, Loop 2 is in 8/8 (3+3+2) and Loop 3 is in 7/8
[Heterophony]
T he heterophony is something between a long delay line, a reverb and a larg e-g rain g ranular synthesis - it takes the sound that comes in and then multiplies and delays it
T he duration of this piece is 15-17 minutes
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Over view of what the electronics do in the different par ts.
[1] Bar 1 - 36
AUTOMATIC
- T he sound from the cello is [Mir rored] to the speaker under the g rand piano RULES
[5] Bar 183 - 199
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- When the cellist holds down the Switch pedal he records sound from the ensemble and sends it to the [Freeze]
[2] Bar 37 - 80
AUTOMATIC
- T he sound from [Freeze] is slowly faded out.
- T he sound from the cello is [Mir rored] to the speaker under the g rand piano
- T he sound from the piano is [Mir rored] to the speakers behind the tam-tam
- T he sound from the ensemble (apar t from the sound of the piano) is [Mir rored] to the speakers under the g rand piano and behind the Tam-tam RULES
- When the cellist holds down the switch pedal he stops the sound of the ensemble and soloist from being [Mir rored] at all
- With the expression pedal the cellist controls where the sound from the ensemble and the soloist is sent - if the pedal is at 0 the sound is sent to the piano, if it is at 127 it is sent to the tam-tam and if it is somewhere in between it is sent to both (g radually shifting from one to the other)
[3] Bar 81 - 133
AUTOMATIC
- T he sound from the cello is [Mir rored] to the speaker under the g rand piano
- T he sound from the ensemble (apar t from the sound of the piano) is [Mir rored] to the speaker under the g rand piano RULES
- When the cellist holds down the Switch pedal he records sound from the ensemble which is then played back in a [Loop]
- With the expression pedal the cellist controls the volume of pre recorded [Dr um loops] that are then remixed by the amplitued of the cello
[4] Bar 134 - 182
AUTOMATIC
- No sound is [Mir rored] anymore RULES
- When the cellist holds down the Switch pedal he records sound from the ensemble which is then played back in a [Loop]
- With the expression pedal the cellist controls the threshold of sensitivity for the pre recorded [Dr um loops] - this sensitivity decides how much amplitude is needed by the cellist to tur n them off (0=always off, 127=always on)
- T he dr um trig g ers on the Gran Cassa and the three Tom-toms are connected to the three different dr um loops - when hit they trig g er a small slice of the sound file to be played (Gran Cassa - [Dr um loop 1], larg e Tom - [Dr um loop 2], medium Tom - [Loop 3], small Tom - all three [Dr um loops])
AUTOMATIC
- T he sound of the cello and the ensemble is sent to [Heterophony] RULES
- With the expression pedal the cellist controls the threshold of sensitivity for the pre recorded [Dr um loops] - this sensitivity decides how much amplitude is needed by the cellist to tur n them off (0=always off, 127=always on)
- T he dr um trig g ers on the Gran Cassa and the three Tom-toms are connected to the three different dr um loops - when hit they trig g er a small slice of the sound file to be played (Gran Cassa - [Dr um loop 1], larg e Tom - [Dr um loop 2], medium Tom - [Loop 3], small Tom - all three [Dr um loops])
[6] Bar 200 - 202
AUTOMATIC
- T he sound of the cello and the ensemble is not sent to [Heterophony]
- T he recorded loops from [4] are g radually faded out
- T he three [Dr um loops] are played softly at their original tempo RULES
- With the expression pedal the cellist controls the threshold of sensitivity for the pre recorded [Dr um loops] - this sensitivity decides how much amplitude is needed by the cellist to tur n them off (0=always off, 127=always on)
[7] Bar 203 - 223
AUTOMATIC
- T he sound from the cello is [Mir rored] to the speaker under the g rand piano
- T he three [Dr um loops] are played softly at their original tempo but are g radually faded out
- T he recorded loops from [3] are sent to [Heterophony] while fading out
RULES
- When the cellist holds down the Switch pedal he records sound from the ensemble which is then played back in a [Loop]
- With the expression pedal the cellist controls the threshold of sensitivity for the pre recorded [Dr um loops] - this sensitivity decides how much amplitude is needed by the cellist to tur n them off (0=always off, 127=always on)
[8] Bar 224 - 245
AUTOMATIC
- T he sound from the cello is [Mir rored] to the speaker under the g rand piano
- T he recorded loops from [7] are sent to [Heterophony] while fading out
RULES
- With the expression pedal the cellist controls the level of sound from the cello and the ensemble that is sent to the [Heterophony]
ISSUU Version
Technical equipment needed for Undercur r ents:
For perusal only
* Computer with Max/MSP and the patch "Undercur rents"
* Sound card with minimum eight inputs and four outputs
* MIDI interface
* One MIDI switch pedal
* One MIDI expression pedal
* Four dr um trig g ers/contact microphones
* One dr um machine like the Alesis "DM5" or "Trig g er|io" (used only to conver t the dr um trig g ers to MIDI)
* Mixer (number of inputs depending on how one chooses to amplify the instr uments and how much one seperates the sound from the computer, but prefer rably around twenty inputs and possibility to send direct outs and several aux sends)
* At least two speakers for the out sound (the piece works in stereo but can benefit from more speakers to broaden the sound space)
* One speaker to put ver y close behind the Tam-tam
* One speaker to put under the g rand piano (as close to the underside as possible)
* Monitors for the musicians
* Microphones for all instr uments in the ensemble (exactly how many microphones are used for the percussion instr uments can depend on the hall and the sound system)
Conductor
An example of the sound routing can look like this Microphones:
Vlc - Stereo pair for wind (Fl - Fg - Cor) - Stero pair for small strings (Vl - Vla)Cb - Pf(2) - Mar(2) - Tom-toms(2) - Gran Cassa - Tam-tam
Mixer inputs
* All the above
* 2, 4 or 6 channels of sound from the computer
Mixer outputs
* Main out to sound system (stereo or more)
* Aux send to monitors
* Direct send to computer of Vlc - Cb - Pf - Mar
* Direct send to computer of Stereo pairs for winds and small strings
Sound card
Inputs (8): Vlc - Cb - Pf - Mar - Stereo pairs for winds and small strings
Outputs (4, 6 or 8): Direct to speaker behind Tam - Direct to speaker under Pf2, 4 or 6 outputs of the treated sound to the mixer
Transposed score
ISSUU Version
Undercurrents
concerto for cello, ensemble and live electronics COMMANDE DU MINISTÈRE DE LA CULTURE (FRANCE) REALISATION MUSICALE : GRAME/centre national de création musicale/Lyon
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Marimba is [Recorded] and [Looped]
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The only exception is the piano that is always [Mirrored] to the Tam-tam
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On sign from conductor, finish the loops you are playing then take off your headphones.
On sign from conductor, finish the loops you are playing then take off your headphones.
On sign from conductor, finish the loops you are playing then take off your headphones.
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Trill
breathe when necessary using short, active breaths
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Trill between two harsh multiphonics
breathe when necessary using short, active breaths
Growl and gliss ad lib with voice breathe when necessary using short, active breaths