other islands

for four players violin, soprano sax, piano & computer

nick fells 2009

other islands nick fells for ensemble intégrales, october 2009 this piece is for four players: soprano sax, violin, piano and computer (with maxmsp software) it lasts about 11 minutes there are some materials provided:

• a maxmsp patch, which performs live processing but also incorporates a pre-determined soundtrack

• printed score elements there are 5 sections in the piece, and these run continuously: one – fuckers (0’00’’ – 2’53) two – capriccio (2’53’’ – 5’36’’) three – intercourse (bingo) (5’36’’ – 8’12’’) four – scheme (8’12’’ – 9’44’’) five – chippie (9’44’’ – 11’08’’) the names of sections relate to social interactions around the streets of Glasgow, where it was created. The islands of the title are can be thought of as socially constituted within the ensemble – islands often isolated but also in sight of one another. the five sections are delineated in the ‘soundtrack’ which plays back continuously throughout the piece from within the max patch. The timings of the sections are given above. to know where these section changes occur, there are several options: either use a stopwatch, use cues given by the max operator, or learn the differences in the backing track aurally. in each section there is different instrumentation as follows: one – piano and sax two – violin solo

three – violin and sax, piano joins four – piano solo five – violin, sax and piano

in all sections, the max patch captures the live sound of the ensemble and processes it, creating another textural layer. it would help to memorise the guidelines below as much as possible. There are no ‘parts’, but players could make their own notes of the sections. there is a high degree of freedom about what is actually played in each section.

one – fuckers 0’00’’ – 2’53 violin is tacet in this section. sax: make a soft ‘bed’ of noise (breath/reed), that you can articulated delicately. This provides source material for the max patch. Play this with the purpose of ‘feeding’ the mic/max patch with sound for subsequent processing (the processed sound actually doesn’t come in until two – capriccio). piano – piano has notation for this. The material written is not to be played as written. the written material is to be thought of as a core, from which you derive the actual played material. Clarification: the music proceeds in the normal way (left to right), with the pitches given. But you are asked to ‘interpret’ heavily – cut into the material by making short stops, vary the rhythm in a stuttering, halting way, change pitches, rearticulate notes, accent and suddenly re-articulate quietly; around b15 when the material expands, vary chords by transposing, add notes all across the range of the instrument, and re-interpret the material quite freely and energetically. Energy levels can be minimum to maximum possible. The written notes should persist through this fairly free interplay. Make sure you finish at the right time, just after the bass drops out in the soundtrack and when ‘two – capriccio’ starts. two – capriccio 2’53’’ – 5’36’’ piano and sax are tacet in this section. violin – the violin has notation for this. The written score is clearly not playable as such. The score is derived from a particular edition of nicolo paganini’s caprices that offered certain typographic possibilities. Try to play the score, but the sound of trying is what is wanted here. Again, this is source material for the max patch processing rather than a ‘musical line’ in its own right – it cannot really be thought of adequately in isolation from the electronic processing provided in the max patch. However, as a guide, the sound of trying to find particular places on the instrument, trying to find pitches without being sure of what they are intended to be – the sound of the bow, the accidents, the knocking of fingers on the fingerboard and so on, the releasing of fingers; these are all desirable sounds. The music is fast and virtuosic in origin, of course, but here is all but obliterated; the intention is not to be virtuosic here. We do not know what sound will occur as a result of trying to find something to play in this. If you get to the end of the written material, go back to some point and try again. Be aware of what is happening in the soundtrack at this point – you are intertwining with its granular elements. three – intercourse (bingo) 5’36’’ – 8’12’’ piano is tacet here until 6’35’’ when a high noise enters in the soundtrack. At this point, join, by playing a very slowly repeated high D (3 octaves above middle C). At 7’05’’ you’ll hear an F# in the backing track – at this point, start playing F# as well as the repeated D.

sax and violin: in the soundtrack, there is a voice which ‘intones’ in repeated patterns using pitches of approximately concert A, E, and C# below (in the middle C octave). Listen to the patterns. Play together, in heterophony with each other and with the soundtrack (departing from the soundtrack and playing freely). Pitches should not stick to those in the soundtrack but can return to them. Use your judgement. Sax leads – violin follows, though both start together and as soon as you hear the voice in the soundtrack. four – scheme 8’12’’ – 9’44’’ violin and sax tacet piano: has notation here. As in one – fuckers, develop a 'style' of traversing the material, which is your individual interpretation in response to hearing the style of the accompanying soundtrack. As in fuckers, the style should be halting, freezing certain notes/chords, stuttering, or here even playing keys without being able to get notes to sound - a kind of obsessive inability to make an utterance at all. The noise of playing the keyboard itself might become a feature in this case. five – chippie 9’44’’ – 11’08’’ everyone plays here – listen carefully to what is going on. piano – play inside the instrument with a contact microphone, making contact with the strings themselves. This is source material for the max patch and should be played in conjunction with it (i.e. listen carefully to the electronics). Overall, as a guide, when playing with the computer – the computer will capture all the ‘peaks’ of loudness in your playing – it aims to capture anything it thinks is an ‘event’. This includes tiny, quiet sounds (which will also be picked-up). Therefore, when playing, it is useful to think of a halting, stuttering style, with gaps between events – a chance for the software to ‘isolate’ and capture the events you are playing. It is also desirable to include normally undesired sounds. To discuss any aspect of the piece feel free to get in touch with me direct (nick.fells@glasgow.ac.uk). Dialogue and discussion is integral to the process of realising the piece and the composition is not fixed. Thoughts and contributions are welcomed.

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other islandsnotation core for two - capriccio

piano and sax - tacet

violin:

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