i can feel the universe expanding solo voice
Stephen Ryan Jackson
- i can feel the universe expanding -
Program Notes: In those early morning hours when everything is silent. When one feels like the only person alive, when one thinks very hard about mortality, loneliness, people, society, and love. I can feel the universe expanding. This piece is meant to recreate that distinct sensation.
Performance Notes: Voice type: i.c.f.t.u.e is intended to be sung by any voice type. In instances where there is definite pitch, women sing at written pitch and men sing down an octave (if necessary).
Techniques and Notations: Time Based Notation: brackets with approximate timings (in seconds) are given above unmetered sound events. When fermatas are given the bracketed event should last as long as the breath will allow.
Staves: in the score three types of staves are used: - one line staff: events without pitch. - three line staff: events with approximated pitch (low, middle, high) - five line staff: traditional notation
- Dashed Arrows: smoothly transition from one phoneme to another.
- Inhale: on an intake of breath. Should be audible.
Vocal Quality: In sections with pitched singing, the voice should be sung with a non-operatic quality. - Exhale: an exhale of air. Should be audible.
Electronics: Live processing is notated throughout the score using boxed text These effects can either be done with a pedal board or a MaxMSP patch. (Patch available upon request) A brief description of each effect is listed below.
Reverb 1: Very wet ambient atmospheric reverb. Reverb 2: Semi-wet reverb. Delay 1: Light tight and compact delays (3 - 5) Delay 2: Intense, sporadic, heavy delays (7 - 10) Distortion: Heavy distortion with low pass filter
Text: The text for i.c.f.t.u.e is excerpted from Tao Lin's poem "i will learn to love a person and then i will teach you and then we will know". A majority of the time the text is written in I.P.A, with exception to when entire words are spoken.
Duration ca; 812 minutes Duration ca; - 9- 13 minutes
Copyright© ©2018 2017Stephen StephenR. R.Jackson Jackson Copyright www.stephenryanjackson.com www.stephenryanjackson.com stephenjacksoncomposer@gmail.com stephenjacksoncomposer@gmail.com (817) 233 233 9907 - 9907 (817)
- Whisper: either whispered or with an airy quality with no tone.
- Glottal Stops: using only the air stream of the voice to stop and start the sound. Notation is approximate and is used to show space and frequency of glottal stops
- No Tone / Consonant: harshly articulate the given consonant with as little tone as possible.
- Hoarse / Clenched Tone: gradual compressing of the larynx.
- Hum: hum in head voice. Pitch is approximate.
- Vocal Fry: singing in the lowest register with a very slow air speed to produce a "creaking" type sound.
- Speech: spoken.
- Hissing Static: quickly change vowel sounds while producing an "s" sound.
text is excerpted from... "i will learn how to love a person and then i will teach you and then we will know"
written forfor Kristen written RoseMurdaugh Hegele
- Tao Lin (b. 1983)
- i can feel the universe expanding Stephen Ryan Jackson (2017) (2018)
Reverb 1: On atmospheric with no sense of pulse
(almost suffocating)
pp 6 sec.
8 sec.
6 sec.
inhale
U Œ
exhale glottal stops
~
O Voice
O
/ o a
a huh
ah
5 sec. 6 sec.
4 sec.
U ΠO
~
O
/ a a
o ah
huh
(like turning on a radio)
p 3 sec.
2 sec.
3 sec.
4 sec.
U Π~
O /
a
o
a
huh
i
ɛ
(as long as breath physically / past what allow) feels “comfortable”) (aswill long as breathallow will comfortably
mf
à U ΠO
~
huh
æ
/ a
Copyright © © 2017 Copyright 2018 Stephen Stephen R. R.Jackson Jackson www.stephenryanjackson.com www.stephenryanjackson.com
- i can feel the universe expanding -
mp 2 sec.
~
O J
/
√
5 sec.
U ‰
~ o i
æ huh
p mf 2 sec.
3 sec. 5 sec.
/
r ¿
r ¿
~
~
æ
U ‰
~
a
k
ts
i
ɛ
Delay 1: On q = 60 gaining momentum mf (hoarse)
O™
O™
O
O
O
√ ~
O
U ‰
U O ‰ R
/ ¿
¿
O J
æ k
ts
a
i huh
O™
O
O
O
j O
O
/ ¿
O R
O R
O R
O R
O R
r ¿
O
f
i
huh
O
æ k
a
n
-
n
-
n
-
n
-
n L
Delay 1: Off p 8 sec.
O
5 sec.
4 sec.
~
O
/
U ‰
U U O ≈ O ‰ R R
a o
a
huh ah huh
- 2 -
huh
Reverb 1: Off Reverb 2: On Delay 1: On
- i can feel the universe expanding -
q = 72 continue gaining momentum mf
O™
O
O
O
/
O
O
O
O
¿ ¿
¿
¿
k
ts
O
j O
O
O R
¿ ¿
æ k
ts i æ i huh k
O
O
/
O ¿
O
ts
æ
O
O
O
O
O™ ¿
¿ ¿ ¿ O
¿ ¿
O
O
k
O
æ i
k
ts
i
k
k
ts
i
ts
Delay 1: Off
O
j O
O
/ ¿ ¿
O™
O J
O
O
O
O
O™
O O O O O O O O
O
U ‰ O
¿ ¿ i n - n - n - n - n - n -n - n
a
f
L
k k
ts
huh
i
f
√ O
~
huh
æ
√ U ‰
/
O R
~
huh
i
a
a æ
Delay 2: On p f
q = 160 + suddenly rapid (hum in head voice) 3 sec. 3 sec.
√
(vocal fry)
6
6 6 ¿ ¿
/ hmm
k
~
6
k
+
™™ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ™™
a
t - k - t - k - p - k - ts - k
hmm æ
a
i (repeat as needed)
- 3 -
Delay 2: Off
- i can feel the universe expanding -
q = 72 continue gaining momentum (spoken with a low, distant and detached tone)
mf
p
3
O™
O
O
O
O
O O O O O O O O O O
O
n -n -n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n
f
U ‰ j O
U ‰
/ ¿ a
i
-
-
L
the
u - ni - verse
k
Distortion: On
q = 160 + suddenly rapid A Tempo 4 sec.
mf
sff 3 sec.
6 6
6 6
/ +
™™ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ™™
6
6
O
O
æ
O
O
æ a__________
i
p - t - k - ts - t - k - ts - k
a______ ____
i
hmm
hmm
hmm
(repeat as needed)
Distortion: Off
Distortion: Off
Distortion: On
5 sec.
6 / ¿ ¿
6 ¿¿¿
O
k k ts
i
O
+™
O
O
O
‰
O
O R
r ¿
+
k
a
~
æ k
ts
a æ
hmm huh
Reverb 2: Off Delay 1: Off Reverb 1: On A Tempo
q = 160 + suddenly rapid 6 sec.
p 7 sec.
√ U ‰
~ OOO O O O O OOO
™™ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ™™ > >
n -n-n - n - n - n - n - n - n -n
p - t - k - ts - p - t - k - t
/
gliss.
~ f
sh
(repeat as needed)
√ mp
O gliss.
~
o O
glis s.
. gliss
O
O gliss.
O
O O
O O
O O
O O
O O
O O
O O
/ 3
sh
s(i)
s(u)
s(i)
s(u)
s(i)
s(u)
s(i)
s(u) s(i)
- 4 -
s(u) continues...
O O
O O
O
‰
- i can feel the universe expanding Delay 2: On sfz
Delay 2: Off
sp
√ O
gliss.
/ ¿
¿
k
ts
O
O
O
gliss.
~
O
sh__________________ sh
s(i)
f
(like hissing static)
mp sfz
sp
7 sec. 3 sec.
/ ™™ ~
™™ O
O
O
≈ O O
~
O
O
O
O
O
O ¿
¿
k
ts
(alternate freely between s(i), s(u), ps, ts)
a
f
sh
ɛ
i
f
sh
f
sh
s(i)
p mf 5 sec. 5 sec.
™ / ™ ~
™™
j O
O
6 6
O
hmm
i
O
~
O
OOOOOOOO (alternate freely between s(i), s(u), ps, ts)
sh__________________________
f
n -n-n -n - n -n -n-n
a æ
Delay 2: On Delay 2: Off
sff 2 sec.
sfz sp 4 sec.
™ ™ / ™ >¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ >¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ™
3 sec.
2 sec.
2 sec.
3 sec.
~
O R
p - t - k - ts - p - k - ts - t huh sh__________________________
f
sh
s
(repeat as needed)
7 sec.
O
j O O
a
f
mf
/
O J
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
gliss.
O ≈ O
O O O ≈ ~ ¿ ¿ ¿
O
O
O
O
O
O
3 3
huh sh
i
ɛ
f
sh
k
k
ts
sh
s(u)
s(i)
- 5 -
s(i)
s(u) continues...
o O ‰
- i can feel the universe expanding Distortion: Fade in Delay 2: Fade in mf
sfz
O
O
i
æ
O
O
O
j O
O
6
2 sec.
5 sec.
Kr >¿
6
/ a sh hmm
™™ ~ >¿k ts¿ (alternate freely between s(i), s(u), ps, ts)
™™
™™ ~
™™
(alternate freely between s(i), s(u), ps, ts)
k
8 sec.
5 sec.
6 sec.
4 sec.
sfz (breathe as needed)
fff
/
™™ ~ >œt >œp >œk
™™ ™™ ~
™™ ™™ ~
™™
U Œ
~
(alternate freely between s(i), s(u), ps, ts) (as before, add sh(i), sh(u), psh, tsh)
(alternate freely between sh(i), sh(u), psh, tsh)
sh_________________
Delay 2: Off Distortion: Off Delay 2: Fade in
quickly & panicked, as if hyperventilating sfff 3 sec.
6 sec.
9 sec.
7 sec.
fff sp (repeat as needed)
/
r >¿
™™ O J
~
O J
O J
™™ ™™
O J
O J
™™ ™™ O J
O J
O J
™™
sh___________________________
k (alternate inhale and exhale freely, speaking words "i" "can" & "feel") ("the" & "universe")
("expanding")
Distortion: Fade in
Distortion: Fade in
Delay 2: Off hyperventilating
sp
fff
√
4 sec. 6 sec.
6
2 sec.
6 6 / ™™ OJ
O J
™™ ™™ O R
O ™™ R
O O O O O O O 6
OO O O
n-n-n -n - n - n - n
n-n -n - n
™™ O O O O ™™
+ a____________________________
("i" "can" & "feel")
hmm
hmm
("i" & "can") (rapidly alternating between inhale and exhale)
- 6 -
“Björk - like” Distortion: Off
- i can feel the universe expanding -
(sung with a breathy and non-operatic quality, in head voice or falsetto. tone can occaisonally break) (second time only)
first time mp second time p faster with less stability
U Œ
™™ Bœ ™
/
U bœ ™ Œ
bœ
œ
U Œ b œ ™ µœ
˙™
j ˙™ U Œ œ
j bœ
j œ
&
j œ
0 U Œ ™™
/ #˙ ™
˙™ a
a æ
æ a
a
detached emotionally
p pp 5 sec.
3 sec. 2 sec.
U Π& O
U Œ
U Œ
O
O
/
œ O
O
œ O a a o
ɛ huh I
I
huh
huh
(repeat as many times as desired for dramatic effect decreasing in dynamic each time)
3 pp
p
j
j
j
U Œ
U ‰
‰ /
& O
œ
™™ &
O
O can
f - eel
the
u
-
ni - verse
œ
O
U pp Œ O œ O
ex - pan - ding
I
I huh
I huh
October, 29 2017 Boston, MA
huh
U ™ Œ ™
- 7 -