Thorvaldsdottir UBIQUE

Anna Thorvaldsdottir

Ubique for flute, grand piano, 2 cellos and electronics

(2022–23)

This work was co-commissioned by the Pnea Foundation, with lead funds from the Cheswatyr Foundation, and Carnegie Hall. The World Premiere was given on 25 May 2023 at Carnegie Hall, New York, by Claire Chase, flutes; Katinka Kleijn and Seth Parker Woods, cellos; Cory Smythe, piano; and Levy Lorenzo, live sound.

Duration: c. 48 minutes

Instrumentation

Flutist: flute, bass flute and contrabass flute

Grand piano

2 Cellos

Electronics (with designated performer)

Performance Notes

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My music is written as an ecosystem of materials that are carried from one performer – or performers – to the next throughout the process of the work. As you play a phrase, harmony, texture or a lyrical line it is being delivered to you, passed on from another performer for you to carry on until it is delivered to another. All materials continuously grow in and out of each other, growing and transforming throughout the process.

When you see a long sustained pitch, think of it as a fragile flower that you need to carry in your hands and walk the distance on a thin rope without dropping it or falling. It is a way of measuring time and noticing the tiny changes that happen as you walk further along the same thin rope. Absolute tranquility with the necessary amount of concentration, determination and fundament needed to perform the task.

*

The live instruments need to be amplified for performance and it is asked that all sound is played through the same audio system, the live performance and the electronics, for natural blending of the sounds. A subtle reverb would be ideal for warm resonating sound in the performance space. It is desired that the dynamic level of the music should not be low, but rather somewhat immediate with a warm quality and presence – so is asked that the amplification of the live instruments be quite substantial for a big sound in the performance space.

For the electronic parts, one or more subwoofers are needed, depending on the size and layout of the space.

*

Final barlines between parts indicate some slight “extra time” or short pause in-between the parts, but the atmosphere should be held and remain continuous and flowing from one part to the next. Where indicated, the electronics continue through the final barline into the next part.

*

The tempo in the piece is for the most part quite slow, and it is asked that the duration of each note value should be held and sustained with focus, even on the shortest of note values, 16th notes etc., rather than to approach shorter note values as an “attack” or to be released too soon.

Techniques

Everyone

All glissandos should be played throughout the duration of the note value they are written by. For example, w , slow glissando that starts at the beginning of the note and glissandos throughout the four beats of the note value. Similar with i , faster glissando (depending on the destination of the following pitch).

Accidentals apply to one measure at a time – accidentals are on occasion reapplied within a measure for convenience.

Three tremolo lines refer to playing quick tremolo notes rather than rhythmic 32nd notes. When playing on tremolo (or flutter tongue) there should not be an accent on the beats where the pitches change or between measures – the tremolo should be even throughout the passages as they move between pitches and measures.

( h ) A duration mark in brackets above a note indicates the note’s duration (applied for quarter note and a half note with stems only).

One sound/texture/effect gradually becomes the next.

The indications “lyrical” apply only to the passage they are written above.

Flutes

When notes are tied throughout an extended period of time and during long phrases written without silences or breathing markings, breathe where needed – without aiming to sustain the notes or phrases on one breath beyond comfortable capacity, and without losing the fundament and quality of the pitches or sounds.

From bar 50 and 304, the ‘empty’ bars represent the continuation of the effect written in the bar before.

Special noteheads, techniques and indications

Diamond note head on the centre line of the staff indicates air sounds with no pitches sounding.

When indicated to “perform on air with no pitch – with subtle ‘s’ sound formation for a subtly distorted sound on air” this should produce a subtle ‘white noise’ sound.

When not solely sustained on centre line of staff (no pitch), played on air with very slight pitch colours to the air sound – the airy quality should be much more prominent than the pitches.

Dynamics on airy notes are relative to the sound of the effect, so they should be aimed at projecting relative to the nuance of the sound rather than in the same dynamic as a pitch with the same dynamics would. It is asked that the ethereal airy textural effects should not be overdramatised – the airy sounds are intended to be a textural dimension to the overall sound texture.

Tremolo lines indicate flutter tongue.

Tongue flicks on air, written in rhythmic patterns (as a controlled flutter).

Key clicks and tongue ram, for percussive effect. The upper notehead indicates the key click, the lower note is the sounding pitch/color effect.

Abbreviations

ord. – ordinary, takes back effects previously applied fl. – flutter

k.cl.t.r. – key click and tongue ram

Grand Piano

Staff Types

There are two staff systems for the piano:

Upper staff lines ‘Inside Piano’ –Material written on the upper staff lines should be performed on the inside of the instrument. Lower staff lines ‘Piano keyboard’ –To be performed on the keyboard. Material is written between the upper and lower staffs by register, rather than purposely indicating right and left hand positions at all times. Please perform the material between the hands as desired.

Objects needed

A bundle of either doublebass bow hairs or very fine/thin finishing lines to bow strings inside the piano for distorted sound.

1 Guitar pick

1 Superball mallet ( ® ) the superball mallet should be dragged in sustained strokes on strings as indicated.

Symbols and noteheads

Pitches of textural materials, played on the inside the piano, are written with small noteheads in brackets, this is e.g. when performed with superball mallet, bow hairs or guitar pick.

Indicated with “erratic and sporadic short attacks with guitar pick on muted string”. Played on indicated string(s), with pitches and pitch ranges indicated with small noteheads in brackets. Mute string(s) with fingers of one hand and pick with guitar pick (or finger nail) on the surface of the string(s) in short upwards movements on the surface of the string(s). This should result in a crackling sound. Perform in erratic and sporadic short arrhythmic attacks on the strings – avoid playing too frequently or in regular patterns, almost as if on one’s own path separated from the others.

Same crackling sound effect as above, here in rhythmic patterns. Mute the indicated string(s) and crackle on the surface of the string with fingernail or guitar pick in very short movements. Crackling sounds are always played on muted strings.

Plucked inside the piano. Pizz. inside of the piano is always performed with fingertips.

Draw superball mallet on the string inside the piano, the mallet should be pressed into the string and drawn slowly in a sustained stroke, resulting in a deep resonating droning sound.

Harmonics

Play the lower note (written on keyboard staff) and gently press on the harmonic of the octave on the string inside the piano. The resulting pitch is indicated with the diamond notehead on the ‘inside piano’ staff.

Glissando on harmonics (on the strings that are played on the keyboard). Results in ethereal ‘ghost’ sound and subtle harmonic shadows as the fingers glissando on the strings played. The effect is about the moving sound glissading over the strings rather than the actual starting or end points of the harmonics themselves, continuous movement over the harmonics (except at the end as shown in the example where the harmonics are held for the half note).

As grand pianos vary in sizes and types: if it is not possible to play specific written harmonics on the written notes, please find another position and glissando between alternative harmonics.

Abbreviations

s.b. – superball

f.t. – fingertips: written when a note is to be plucked (pizz.) inside the piano.

Cellos

Bow strokes

When notes are tied through an extended period of time – change bow where necessary. During long sustained notes please change bow as often as necessary, not synchronised, it is not intended for bow strokes to be too slow but rather of the required speed each time for the tone to be fully carried with depth and fundament.

Vibrato

In lyrical and “expressive” passages please apply vibrato. In general, collectively apply vibrato as desired. During glissandos and harmonics please play senza vibrato.

Special noteheads and effects

Eighth and quarter notes of the noteheads shown: For airy effect – place left hand/fingers (not only one finger) lightly to cover the indicated string, around the given pitch area, not on harmonic. Fingers are not to be placed on exact pitches. This produces an unpitched airy sound. The upper notehead indicates the airy technique, the small notehead below indicates the open string where the technique is to be played.

When these noteheads are indicated with ‘ord.’, it refers to playing normally on the written effect and merely serves to take back indication of otherwise performing such as with sul pont., much bow pressure etc.

Quarter notes and half notes shown of the same notehead: When the airy notehead is written with a glissando, slide the hand up and down the string as indicated. This will produce slight harmonic colours in the airy sound as the hand glissandos over the string(s), but the aim is for the sound to be as pitchless as possible.

Sixteenth note show. Much bow pressure performed on muted string, not on a pitch (as indicated by the notehead). When written on a short note value (sixteenth note) this should produce a non-pitched percussive attack to the muted string. The short notes on much bow pressure work best when performed close to the frog.

When indicated to play with much bow pressure (m.b.pr.) on a longer sustained note – apply a bit more (than ordinary) bow pressure to the string for a subtle atmospheric sustained distortion sound through continued movement of the bow. Not so much bow pressure that the flow of the bow is disturbed or that the sound becomes too aggressive or too scratchy, but rather subtly distorted sustained white noise sounds. The following indication is written with the first appearance of the technique in each part: Subtly on m.b.pr. (not too much pressure) for subtly distorted sound on air – very slow bow stroke(/-s) change bow where necessary, not synchronized (mute strings with fingers).

Col legno saltando on muted string.

When indicated to perform airy note heads in arpeggio patterns between strings “with subtle airy pitch colours” keep fingers/hand on strings and articulate ‘on air’ – subtle pitch colours will naturally appear through the airy sound.

Dynamics on airy notes are relative to the sound of the effect, so they should be aimed at projecting relative to the nuance of the sound rather than in the same dynamic as a pitch with the same dynamics would.

The following versions of accelerando appear on airy textures:

Bow strokes back and forth as indicated in an accelerating motion.

Hitting the string with bow hairs and having the bow bounce on the string in an accelerating motion.

The same pattern is also written on ordinary notes with col legno.

Abbreviations

l.b.pr. – light bow pressure: apply light bow pressure to the string for an airy effect resulting in a light airy and transparent sound, flautando

m.b.pr. – much bow pressure

sust. – sustained

ord. – ordinary, takes back all effects previously applied, including (but not limited to) sul pont.

ord.b.str. – ordinary bow stroke

ord.b.pr. – ordinary bow pressure

w. – with

c.l. – col legno

s.p. – sul pont.

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