Vesper (2019) for string quartet and electronics

STEPHEN SPENCER

VESPER FOR STRING QUARTET AND ELECTRONICS 2019

PERFORMANCE NOTES DISPOSITION OF INSTRUMENTS This piece is to be performed in an antiphonal configuration (see diagram below). The quartet is to be divided into two duos, with violin I and violoncello located on the left (house left; stage right), and violin II and viola located on the right (house right; stage left). The L and R in the score refers to house left and right. The two duos should be spaced as far apart as possible without hindering the ability to communicate.

violoncello

viola

violin I

violin II

L

R (AUDIENCE)

ELECTRONIC REQUIREMENTS & SET-UP This performance of this piece requires the following: One (1) Mac computer/laptop running Mac OSX 10.8.5 or later.

One (1) MIDI foot-pedal.

One (1) MIDI device/keyboard to convert foot-pedal presses to MIDI (plugged in to CPU via USB) One (1) Audio I/O device to send output from computer to speakers.

Two (2) speakers, L and R, each placed as close as possible to the duo located on that side of the stage.

Note: Amplification of the ensemble is not necessary nor recommended.

Max patch and instructions available upon request from the composer: sspencer1@gradcenter.cuny.edu

NOTATION GUIDE Microtones indicate an approximate deviation (10-25 cents) from equal temperament in the direction shown.

II

au talon

  

poco.

Rectangular noteheads represent muffled tones produced by dampening the strings with the left hand.

The result should be an airy sound that should not contain any clearly audible pitches. When paired with glissando, extra care should be taken not to produce any clear harmonics.

Indicates a tremolo between a stopped note and an artificial harmonic (in the written example, the performer is to rapidly and lightly touch the harmonic node located around a minor third above the stopped note) Boxes indicate various degrees of bow pressure. Partly filled boxes (with and without poco) indicate a moderate amount of overpressure; completely filled boxes represent a completely saturated and distorted sound. The empty/while box represents a regular amount of bow pressure. Gradual changes between states are shown with an arrow.

Triangular noteheads represent the highest possible notes on the indicated strings.

ST: sul tasto SP: sul ponticello mST: molto sul tasto mSP: molto sul ponticello ord: ordinary bow placement (cancels ST, SP, mST, mSP) norm: normal bow technique (cancels punta d’arco, au talon)

VESPER q = 68

Violin I

& 44

L Cello

? 44

-̇

mST

R

4 & 4 J˙ !

mST

B 44 K ˙!

 6

Vln. I

"

2

OO

mST

Viola

44 œ b ‚ b œ #

ST sempre flaut.

OO

OO q = 68

Violin II

œ OO

44 œj ‰ œ œ ‚ p #

ST sempre flaut.

"

42

Ó

!

1

42

Ó

mST

Ó

2 4

Ó

42

bO

œ œ ‚ # P ‰

œ OO

b œ- .

j œ ‰ Lœ P

— æ !

poco.

kœ n‚

I

"

4 4

"

44

Vc.

OO

"

"

Œ

ord. sempre flaut.

"

"

"

"

OO

Œ

au talon – k œ – –– @ @ # IV

ric.

Vln. II

R

& œO j ‰ ‰ !j @ bœ œ œ B Oœ p

norm.

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Ȯ-

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O O ‰ k œJ œ Oœ Oœ L L Oœ Ȯ # P

œ @

j j !j Oœ @ –– ‰ L œO œO –– P ! p III

b˙ !

au talon

œ @

––@ !

III

ric.

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bœ. æ

œ @J

ST

#

OO

-̇

j œ- ‰ ‚ p œ b œ# ˙

"

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"

"

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k œO

sempre flaut.

4

Elec.

b b -Ȯ #

au talon

"

"

J ‰ Œ

œ

L

?

œ œ

poco.

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OO

j œ ‰ Œ

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A

"

&

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A

j ˙!

Elec.

S. SPENCER (2019)

Lœ P

bO

punta d'arco

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poco.

ord.

-̇ ord.

II – b O au talon – O O –– b œ k œ œ –– J !J @ @ p P #

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2

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& œ ‚ ˙ — — ? ‰ @J @ k œ ˙ !

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˙

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Elec.

Vln. II





11

punta d'arco

bO

— III poco.  æ kœ œ j œ œ !

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j œ! œ-

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I

norm.

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punta d'arco

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norm.

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poco.

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˙

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&

"

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B

"

"

"

"

"

R Vla.

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16 poco.

Vln. I

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&

5

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norm.

#

–– @

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poco.

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ric.

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ric.

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20 Vln. I

2 4

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&

4 4

"

L Vc.

?

42

"

44 Œ

"

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2 J 4 @

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

25

Vln. I

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42

O

œ. ord.

I

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&

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Elec.

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II

j Lœ œ.

F



poco.

>˙

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B



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poco.

j

44

œ ˙ O #

̇

#

OO

"

4 4

b˙

k œ ‚ K œ- œ # p

b œ- œ œ p

6

Elec.

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B

ST

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 œ b‚ œ @ # P

j Lœ œ

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>˙



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B

"

"

bœ

mSP

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Ͼ

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f 7

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R Vla.

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˙

j œ bœ @

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Ó

F

mSP



poco.

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OO

"

bœ @

ST

3

"

œO P ‰ @œ P

j – ––J @ b O O œO œ œ æ– Oœ b b Oœ J

ric.

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4

30 Vln. I

&

"

?

"

– au talon – –– @J ‰ Ó æ # II

L Vc.

Œ

–– æ #

–– æ p

Ó

–– @J ‰ Œ

III

au talon

–– @J ‰

I

‰ –!j –@ – – IV

42 ––@ #

44 j ‰ œ- ˙ p

––@

–– 42 @J ‰

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II

––@

C

O

œ-

ST 44 ‰ œ œ b ˙ J p

O

ST

Œ

8

OO

Elec.

Vln. II

R Vla.

– O !j ‰ –– – œ ! b œ œ & æ @ –– Oœ B @J



35

Vln. I

& ˙

O

?@

IV mSP

‚ ‚

œ æ

œ-

‚ #

OO

Elec.

Vln. II

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̇

L Vc.

OO

— æ &

b Oœ

au talon



au talon

ric.

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˙ @ #

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— æ I



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III mSP

‚.

#

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— — ‰ æJ æ

"

Ó

24 OœJ Oœ

Oœ b b Oœ Oœ ..





IV mSP

‰ b ‚ ‚ œ@ œ@ œ œ œ@ J - #

 ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ bœ œ œ œ æ æ OO

— æ

Ó — æ !

— @J ‰

Ó



n Oœ J F

poco.

j bO O œO 42 œO œO b œ œ

#

OO

Œ

Oœ J

norm.

— — ord. j @ œ œ b‚ œ ‚ J æ !

R Vla.

OO

œ OO



C

44 Oœ

œ

p

 

44 Oœ F

poco.

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p

j ord. œ@ k œ ‚ œ ‚ œ II ord.

˙

O

— æ

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Ó

I

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Œ

— ‰ æJ

— — ‰ @J æ

— æ — æ

— æJ ‰ Ó p

Œ

— ‰ æJ !

Ó

j Lœ kœ ‚

39 Vln. I

L Vc.

& œ



? >œ 9

R Vla.

j ––@ ‰

IV

au talon

––æ #

j j ‰ œO œO œO œO ric.

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III

? –æ –– ‰ Ó – @J p III

Vc.

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œ p

Œ

IV au talon

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Ó

Ó III

––æ p

Œ

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43

L

œ F 3

œ



Vln. I



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Elec.

Vln. II

5

II

œ !

au talon

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Œ –– æ P

OO

Œ –– æ P II

–– @J ‰ Œ

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au talon

œ @

–– @J ‰ Œ

– –– @J ‰ æ– F I

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b˙ !

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D

–– @J ‰ Œ

–– –I @J ‰ – æ F

Vla.

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B œ Œ

b b Oœ k k Oœ œ œ j ‚ . ! ! @ @ ‚ ‚ ‚ b‚ ‚ ‚ œ bœ. œ œ ‰ !

R

!

IV mSP

––@

––@

ord.

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O

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

ric.

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

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Ȯ

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‚ b‚ œ

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

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–– –– k Oœ æ @

Oœ

Faster IV

–– @J ‰

O æ

‰ b‚

––@

Oœ Oœ œO J J

norm.

OO III mSP

––æ #

IV

OO

norm.

& n!˙

II

Vln. II

OO

Œ

IV –– j @J ‰ ‰ ––! ––@ #

10

Elec.

–– @J ‰

OO

ric.

–– @J ‰ Œ

––æ p

III



>˙

ƒ



œ

Oœ

F

#



j 2 ‚ 4

j ‚ ‚ #



‚. ‚ ‚ ‚ p III

2 4

OO

Faster

Œ

— — — — J æ ‰ æ ‰ æJ æ !

— — ‰ @J æ !

— — æ æJ ‰ Œ

Œ

42

— æ

42

6

2 4 & 4 œ bœ œ œ œ 4 œ mSP

48 Vln. I

L Vc.



? 42 œ . œ b œ æ

Elec.

Vln. II

R Vla.

–– &æ P

L

I

œ

I –– @J ‰ –– æ #

–– æ p

II

? Œ –– æ P

OO

œ œ œ mSP œ . œb œ J p

4 ‰ Oœ œO b œ 4 J @ P 44 Œ b Oœ P

–– @J

–– – @J ‰ æ– F

œ@

‰ œ p

œ Oœ œ-

mSP

Vln. II

R Vla.



& œ p



B œ @ p

œ œ b œ k œ‰ J

j ‰ bœ œ œ æ æ p mSP

P

˙



œ



‚ . ‚ ‚ b ‚ ‚ œ œJ œ

j œ œ

‚ ‚ ord. œ œ œ ‚ J ‚ ‚.

œ J

̇

ƒ

˙

Œ

— — ‰ æJ æ !

— — ‰ @J æ !

— æ

kœ

œ œ J





˙ ƒ

Lœ ˙ J ƒ

OO

— — ‰ æJ æ — æJ ‰ Ó

̇



Œ

œ p

ƒ

œ



b˙ ƒ

Œ

p

OO

— — ‰ æJ æ !

— — ‰ @J æ !

f

OO

E



f

ord.

œ OO

œ œ Lœ bœ œ ‰ J ƒ



#œ J

œ

œ

E

‰ æœ œ æœ J p

OO

œ œ J

ord. b œ œ-

œ P

–– mSP @J b œ . œ OO

j œ

j œ bœ

mSP

Œ

12

13

Elec.

–– @J

–– – @J ‰ æ–

ord.

–– – @J ‰ ‰ æ– F I

Vc.

j ‰ ––! ––@ # III

au talon

–– – @J ‰ ‰ æ–

I –– –– @J ‰ æ #

OO

— 2 B 4 @J ‰ Œ

53

Vln. I

11

— — 2 ‰ æJ æ &4



Œ

44 œ æ

OO

–– æ p

II

au talon

— æ

O ‰ œ œOJ b œ . œ œ F mSP

O b œ b Oœ bmSP J ˙ ‰ @ F

–

@

2 œJ 4

‰ Œ

––

I

2 – 4 æ P



œ

f

4 4 4 4

OO

œ œ œ Lœ ‚ œ ‚ ‰ ‚J ‚ ‚ 42 P I

Œ

II mSP

Œ

‚ ‚ b‚ ‰ J ‚ ‚ J P II mSP

‚ 2 œ J 4

œ kœ

44 4 4

& 44 œ

58 Vln. I

L

— æ

! œ! b œ œæ ƒ mSP

Ͼ

‰ œ!j œ! œ! b œ æ

Ͼ

˙ bO

œ æ

œ æ

œ @

? 44 ‰ œ !œ b œ œ œ œ # œ !œ b!œ ˙ @ !J !J ƒ mSP

Vc.

14

R

4 &4



œ

f

B 44 –– æ f

II

Vla.

OOO

OO

Elec.

Vln. II

œ OOO

bO



–– @

bœ. ! ƒ

mSP

œ

œœ !

>œ æ

œ œ œ œ ! ! !

OOO

OO

œ œ ˙

œ@

‰ b œj œ b Oœ œ œO @ @ @

I

—.

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–– @

Œ

O

œ@

˙ >

˙ ˙

œ@ ˙@

U

˙ Ï

U ̇

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OOO

I – –– – æ æ œ@ ˙@

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˙

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OOO

—. œO œ . œ œ b œ œ ˙ @J ! ! æ –– æ

œ

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j œ! œ@ # œj ˙

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˙

> ˙

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Ï

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