MILLER, TYLER MAXWELL, M.M. Winds of Change (2013) Directed by Dr. Alejandro Rutty. 55pp.

Transcription

1 MILLER, TYLER MAXWELL, M.M. Winds of Change (201) Directed by Dr. Alejandro Rutty. 55. Winds of Change attemts to build uon the recent tradition of monohonic comositional ractice by combining techniques directed at setting a central musical line to maintain interest and create textural clarity. These techniques are rimarily insired by the orks of George Crumb and Tan Dun. Winds of Change also includes found and built ercussion instruments, hich are emloyed to create a unique timbral sound environment. The combination of these to elements is intended to create a monohonic ork that is both exressively clear and unique. Chater I concerns the basic urose of the thesis and accomanying document. Chater II focuses on secific techniques and comositional rocesses used in Winds of Change.

2 WINDS OF CHANGE by Tyler Maxell Miller A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Music Greensboro 201 Aroved by Committee Chair

3 APPROVAL PAGE This thesis ritten by Tyler Maxell Miller has been aroved by the folloing committee of the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Committee Chair Dr. Alejandro Rutty Committee Members Dr. Mark Engebretson Dr. Joan Titus Date of Accetance by Committee ii

4 TALE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION...1 II. COMPOSITIONAL TECHNQIUES...2 Conclusions...11 REFERENCES...12 APPENDIX A. INSTRUMENT CONSTRUCTION...1 APPENDIX. SCORE OF WINDS OF CHANGE...17 iii

5 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION With the musical comosition Winds of Change I have attemted to build uon the recent tradition of monohonic comositional ractice through the combination of my ersonal stylistic understanding of monohonic texture ith the imlementation of found and built ercussion instruments. Monohonic texture is herein defined as the setting of a central rominent line, combined ith a background texture that serves to suort that line. There is recedent ithin recent monohonic ractice toard exerimentation ith found ercussion, non-traditional use of common ercussion instruments, and ercussion-like textures in non-ercussion orks. These techniques serve as an alternative means to set aart a central idea from the rest of a ork. Chater II references the orks of George Crumb and Tan Dun regarding their monohonic techniques and serves to highlight the salient oints of their influence on Winds of Change. 1

6 CHAPTER II COMPOSITIONAL TECHNIQUES Winds of Change as constructed as a ork characterized by the setting of a central line. Secifically, this setting as created through the use of comositional techniques designed to maintain interest, and create textural clarity. Examining the comositional ractices of George Crumb and Tan Dun in light of their influence on Winds of Change ill hel elucidate the manner in hich the central monohonic line of the ork as set. Robert Moevs describes a comelling asect of George Crumb s monohonic style as he demonstrates ho Crumb creates a background texture in his orks through the maniulation of timbral, satial, registral, and temoral elements. Moevs describes ho Crumb handles these asects through the terms reercussion and echo. If the sound is exlosive ith instant reeat, the effect is of a reercussion or ricochet; if quieter ith somehat more delayed reeat, it becomes an echo. This device determines the use of to ianos throughout and can extend to mallet ercussion instruments. The echo device is ervasive in Crumb s comositions, relacing olyhony, and sometimes is codified in their titles, as the Eleven Echoes of Autumn (Echoes I) The technique is thus used to highlight the central monohonic line of a ork. This is achieved through the creation or removal of timbral, registral, and temoral sace 1 Robert Moevs, Revie of Records: Music for a Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III), The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 62, No. 2 (Ar., 1976),

7 beteen the monohonic center, and the background texture of a ork. Further, Moevs oints to the isolation or reetition of figures in the background texture itself as the means by hich this sace is created. Heterogeneous borroings, suerositions, sometimes rudimentary transcritions [ ] sounds, motives, hrases, assages, rocedures, entire structures fail to break this ersisting unity, but rather oint u the sense of constriction roduced by tightly circumscribed use of rimary material, an assemblage of sooky effects and symbols chosen to evoke a articular mood, and a comositional method reduced essentially to their simle concatenation. 1 Stated another ay, these individual gestures do not constitute the central monohonic line but rather ork in tandem to frame and clarify, as oose to form, a unified hole. These techniques are imortant in regards to Winds of Change due to their erceived effectiveness in creating textural clarity and definition regarding the setting of a central monohonic line. Similarly, Winds of Change is concerned from the outset ith creating a sound orld ithin hich the central idea is laced. The sound orld is resented first and is given the time to develo before the central line enters. The first to ages of the score sho this sound orld is constructed exclusively in the ercussion lines. This suortive texture is created through the use of slate gongs and a boed cymbal on timano. This combination of to distinct sounds, hich are rich in unique timbral characteristics, serves to define the sound orld of the iece immediately (see Figure 1). 2 Ibid., 02

8 Figure 1. eginning Sound Environment of Winds of Change. After the sound orld has been thoroughly exosed the central monohonic line enters in the cello at Rehearsal A. Simultaneous movement beteen the monohonic center, and the suortive background texture is urosefully avoided. The avoidance of concurrent movement beteen the arts is one of the defining characteristics of the ay 4

9 the central idea is set in this instance. This is similar to the ay Crumb emloys the techniques of reercussion and echo, and the ay textural clarity is created by avoidance of overlaing elements of the central monohonic line and suorting sound orld. Tan Dun s monohonic comositional style shares the characteristic adherence to textural clarity aarent in Crumb s orks. Tan constructs elaborate sound environments ithin each of these orks through innovative uses of ercussion instruments. These sound environments are constructed rimarily in regard to timbre and are designed to change through minute timbral alterations over the course of a ork. An examle of Tan s maniulation of timbre is aarent in the score to the film Hero. 2 This film consists of a single story told three searate ays. While subtly different, these stories remain true to a single overarching lot line. Tan mirrors this narrative style timbrally. He attaches the timbre of a small ind chime to the character Flying Sno during the first version of the story at 0:18:25. A similar chime is used in conjunction ith the metallic sounds of clashing sords, the sounds of these sords hitting ater, and a heavy echo, in the second version of the story at 0:52:54. Yet another chime can be heard in the final version of the story at 1:1:0. Each version of the chime is characterized by a unique timbre. The subtle differences in timbre beteen these sections hel to create an added sense of interest. They are not sufficiently different from one another as to revent their contextualization as extensions of one another. This technique is emloyed in Winds of Change through the shift from a boed cymbal on timano to a boed nile gong in the third ercussion line. This effect is 2 Quentin Tarantino, Hero, urbank, CA: Miramax Home Entertainment. DVD,

10 used to demarcate the three-section structure of the ork. These sections are from the beginning to rehearsal letter D, rehearsal letter D to F, and rehearsal letter F through the end of the iece. The effect here is a shift beteen the brightly metallic sounds of the boed cymbal in the first section, to the more resonant and clearly itched sounds of the nile gong. There is not a timbral develoment beteen these to elements, but a direction shift from one to the other. This reflects the influence of Tan s use of chimes in Hero by moving beteen timbres that are sufficiently similar to maintain overall contextual continuity, hile simultaneously maintaining interest and variability in an otherise monohonic texture. On a local level there is interlay beteen the central line and background texture in terms of the shae of certain gestures. This rincile is emloyed to add continuity to the ork. An examle of this interlay can be seen at rehearsal letter here the ercussion figures mimic the uard motion seen slightly before and after in the cello line. The technique of shifting the basic contour of the central line beteen various instruments as ell as beteen the central line and background texture is emloyed throughout the ork (see Figure 2). Similarly, the three-note arch that first aears ith the oening cello line at rehearsal letter A (see Figure ), aears frequently in the ork and is moved beteen arts and beteen different textures. 6

11 Figure 2. Shifting Contour eteen Central Line and Sound Environment. 7

12 Figure. Oening Arch Figure at Rehearsal Letter A. One notable examle of this figure occurs after rehearsal letter G. In this instance, the Cello line retains the function of the central line, hile the other string arts mirror it s three-note gestures. This can be seen in the first and second violins in measures , and again in the second violin in measures (see Figure 4). There is a tendency throughout the ork to construct gestures by combining instruments from the ercussion section and the string quintet (see Figure 5). These gestures serve to add continuity and interest to the background texture. They also form a bridge beteen the string quintet and the ercussion section. This bridge is crucial in the realization of the ork due to the tendency to conflate entire string quintet ith the central line itself. This is due rimarily to the shared timbre ithin the string quintet, and 8

13 the fact that the central line largely resides in the cello art throughout the ork. Constructing gestures beteen the ercussion and string lines as they function in the background texture serves to diminish the imact of this tendency on the overall effectiveness of the ork. Figure 4. Reaearance of Arch Figure at Rehearsal Letter G. 9

14 Figure 5. Shared Gesture eteen Percussion and Strings Another element, hich adds continuity to the ork, is the figuration of the boed cymbal on timano found in Percussion. This figure instructs the erformer to begin boing ith the edal set to a itch in the center of the drums range. The erformer then executes a gliss uards, folloed by a fall to a itch belo the center of 10

15 the instruments range and a second gliss uards. This figure as secifically used for the timbre and tone quality roduced by this secific series of glissandi. Figure 6. oed Cymbal on Timano Figuration. Conclusions The techniques discussed above are emloyed in Winds of Change ith the unifying urose of textural clarity. They are intended to create an evocative sound environment that suorts the central line of the ork. The iece is further defined by its use of built and found ercussion. Winds of Change is best understood, then, as a combination of monohonic comositional technique, textural clarity, found and built ercussion, and my ersonal aesthetic rinciles. Taken together these elements are intended to stretch a single central line throughout the ork, hile maintaining clarity and interest throughout. 11

16 REFERENCES Hung, Eric, "Tan Dun Through the Lens of Western Media (Part II)," Notes, Vol. 68, No., March 2012, Moevs, Robert, Revie of Records: Music for a Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III), The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 62, No. 2 (Ar., 1976). Tarantino, Quentin, Hero, urbank, CA: Miramax Home Entertainment. DVD, Tarantino, Quentin, Hero Defined, urbank, CA: Miramax Home Entertainment. DVD,

17 APPENDIX A INSTRUMENT CONSTRUCTION The instruments used in this ork range from those found in common ractice, such as the string quintet, to unique instruments constructed and found ith the secific intent of being used in this iece. The stones used in the original erformance ere made of granite, selected secifically for its sound quality and resonance. Likeise, they ere chosen to be of similar size and sherical shae roughly that of a baseball. Any similarly sized granite stones should suffice in a erformance of this ork. The gongs called for in the ork ere constructed from common roofing slate. Any similar slate roofing tiles should ork in the construction of these gongs for a erformance. Three tyes of slate, quarried by the Camara Slate Products Comany, and Hillto Slate, Inc., ere used to construct the gongs used in the original erformance. These three tyes of slate are Camara Unfading Mottled Green and Purle Slate, Hillto Slate Vermont Purle, and Hillto Vermont Grey. To tile thicknesses, /8 and 1/4 inch, ere used. These secific thicknesses have the best combination of durability and resonance. The thinner tiles resonate better, hile the thicker tiles ossess a higher durability. The itch of each iece of slate is difficult to judge by the aarent size or thickness of each tile due to the large degree of variability in the material. 1

18 The slate gongs are constructed by drilling holes in slate roofing tile. These holes allo for the slate tiles to be strung and hang freely. The holes should be equally saced, beteen one and to inches, from the edges of the slate so the tile ill hang evenly. A 1/8-inch titanium drill bit as used in combination ith a standard consumer grade lack and Decker drill to create these holes. There as some tendency for the slate to cleave, or flake, during drilling. Increasing drill seed hile decreasing drill ressure roved successful in reventing the tiles from breaking during this rocess. The slate gongs roduce a range of different tones deending on here they are struck, the imlement used to strike them, and the unique characteristics of each individual iece of slate. A soft (as oosed to hard) rock hammer is used in conjunction ith medium-hard rubber mallets to strike the slate in this iece. This allos for a metallic and louder sound hen struck ith the rock hammer, and a softer, duller sound hen struck ith the rubber mallets. The slate itself is quite durable, though it does tend to flake during erformance. Further, a great deal of sound can be created ithout the use of a large amount of force. The gongs should be struck gently at the outset of rehearsal. Increased force can then be emloyed as familiarity ith the material increases. 14

19 Slate gong construction ictures: Figure A-1. Drill used during the construction of the slate gongs Figure A-2. Slate gongs constructed from /8 inch roofing slate 15

20 Figure A-. Slate gongs constructed from 1/4 inch roofing slate Contact information for slate comanies: Camara Slate Products Quarriers and Fabricators of Natural Vermont Slate Products PO ox 8, 96 S. Main St., Fair Haven, VT 0574 Phone: camaraslate.com Hillto Slate Inc. PO ox 201, Route 22A Middle Granville, NY Phone: (518) hilltoslate.com 16

21 APPENDIX SCORE OF WINDS OF CHANGE Duration: 14 min Instrumentation String Quintet and Percussion Violin I Violin II Viola Cello Double ass Percussion Parts: : Dumbek Water Tam Small Nile Gong Sinning Plate Gong : Djembe Medium Nile Gong Large Nile Gong : Djembe Large Cymbal Timani ass or Cello o Sus. Cymbal Triangle eater Shared: Slate Gongs (At least three: lo, med., high) Soft Rock Hammer 2 Five-Gallon uckets Large Water Container Stones 18

22 Percussion Notes: Stones The stones used in the original erformance ere made of granite, selected secifically for sound quality and resonance. Likeise, they ere chosen to be of a similar size and sherical shae, roughly that of a baseball. Any similarly sized airs of granite stones should suffice in a erformance of this ork. Slate Gongs 1) Tyes: Winds of Change calls for slate gongs. These can be constructed from standard /8 inch roofing slate. Please see searate instructions for detailed information on ho to construct these gongs. 2) Mallets and other beaters: The iece calls for to rimary tyes of beaters: med. Rubber mallets, and a soft rock hammer. a. Where a soft rock hammer is unavailable, an ordinary carenters hammer ill suffice, though it should be used in a more delicate fashion to avoid breaking the slate. ) Strike Gongs Over Water: Whenever ossible the slate gongs should be struck over a large container of ater, such as a five-gallon construction bucket. This serves to increase the resonance of the gong. 4) Slate Gongs in Water: To different methods of laying the slate gongs in ater are emloyed in this iece. a. Instructs the erformer to strike the gong hile artially submerged in ater. When this symbol is not emloyed and the erformer is instructed to lay a ater slate gong, or ater tam, the layer should strike the instrument before loer it into the ater. 19

23 Score Winds of Change Tyler Miller Violin I 4 Unmeasured, Ethereal, Random. Like fishing boat buoys gently clanging together hile saying in ocean breeze. Violin II 4 Viola 4 Cello 4 Double ass 4 4 *Sm. Slate Gong: y ä Strike ith med. hard rubber mallet ȳ y ä yä ȳ y ä *Med. Slate Gong: Strike ith rock hammer 4 4 yä ȳ yä ȳ yä y ä ȳ *Cleavage of Rock: Slate is a tye of rock formed through the deositing of layers of material, hich are then comressed under great ressures. Do not be alarmed if there is some cleavage, or shearing off of some of these layers, during erformance. This is usually limited to small flakes of stone. If this begins to imact the integrity of the slate to a large degree, reduce the strength used in hitting the gongs. yä ȳ y ä oed Large Cymbal on Timano: ȳ y y y y y yä Let Ring edal gliss. 20

24 9 D.. 9 yä ȳ y y y y y ȳ y ä ȳ y ä yä ȳ y ä ȳ yä ȳ yä ȳ y ä ȳ yä *Slate Gong: y â y â y - y y y y y y â oed Large Cymbal on Timano: edal gliss. Let Ring 21

25 A 17 Winds Of Change Ethereal, Soserando {q = 66} Perc. Continues With Metric Freedom J o ȯ o # o ȯ J o Melody, soserando ä - # -. #. # - Make this note subdued, eaker #. D.. 17 Perc. Continues With Metric Freedom Stones: y ä y ä ȳ y ä ȳ J ȳ J y y ä ȳ y ä ȳ Let Ring edal gliss. 22

26 2 # ä - # - ä ä - # - U. D.. 2 y ä y ä ȳ J ȳ y J y ä ȳ J ȳ y J Medium Nile Gong: Ta gently ith drum stick y y y Sus. Cym.: y Scrae ith triangle beater 2

27 28 J o o ȯ # o ȯ J o ä # - # - - ä. -. ä D.. 28 y ȳ y y y y y y ä Slate Gong: y ä ȳ J ȳ J y oed Large Cymbal on Timano: Let Ring edal gliss. 24

28 J o o ȯ ä ä. - - ä. - ä J - ä â. ä D.. y â y - y ä ȳ 25

29 8 Unmeasured, Maintain Similar Temo - ä - -. # - - D.. 8 Water Tam: y y y Water Tam: y y y Med. Slate Gong: y y y y y y y (Strike out of ater) y y *Lg. Slate Gong: y y y y y y y Large nile gong: y Scrae ith triangle beater 26

30 C 49 Ethereal, Soserando {q = 66} ȱ D.. 49 Re-strike as needed to maintain resonance y oed Large Cymbal on Timano: Strike ith med. hard rubber mallet ȳ y y 27

31 54 o ȯ ȯ o o o ȯ ȯ ȯ ȯ o o D.. 54 y Water Tam: y o o Re-strike as needed to maintain resonance # o F o ȳ y ȳ Lg. Slate Gong: Strike ith rock hammer y ä ȳ y y y y y y y 28

32 60 ȯ f ȯ f ȯ o o ō ȯ o D.. ȯ f ȯ f # o ȯ o o ȯ P o o 60 Water Tam: y y (Stike tam, then di into ater) y Med. Slate Gong: y y y y y y y y y y y y y Lg. Slate Gong: y ä ȳ y ä ȳ f 29

33 64 ō ȯ ȯ o " " " " D.. " 64 - y - - y - Water Tam: Re-strike as needed to maintain resonance " " " 0

34 D Moderato {q = 78} 69 D.. 69 Dumbek: Djembe: ± y ± y ± y ± y 1

35 7 D.. 7 ± y ± y 2

36 76 D ± y ± y

37 D ±. ±. ±. 4

38 82.. D... " 82 ± ±. ±. 5

39 85.. D ±. ±. ±. 6

40 88. f. f f. f D.. f 88 f ±. y. y. f 7

41 ä ƒ ä ƒ - ƒ ƒ D.. ƒ 91 ƒ y. y. y ƒ 8

42 D E ä. J ß j â ß j # # â ß # # ä. J ß P j j # # â fl ß F ß Winds Of Change F j ä. J ß F j â ß j # # â ß # # ä. J ß P j j # # â fl ß F j ß.. y. ß y. ß 9

43 97 ä J ß. F j â ß D.. # F j # j j # # â ß # # ä #. J ß F j # â ß. izz. j # j 97 y. ± ±. 40

44 100 D.. # j # fl - # - j #. P J j fl - # ±. 41

45 104 F Slightly Faster {q = 88} (Melody) â - # -., U D.. j fl j - j Med. Slate Gong: y y y y 42

46 110 P # ä - ä # ä - -. Slo seasick bends # -. Slo seasick bends - D y y y y y y y y y y y y y arco Slo seasick bends -. 4

47 J - ä - â - ä - - D.. izz. j j - - j - j

48 120 # ä æ. æ f # ä æ D.... # -. j - j - # # - b P j - j Lg. Slate Gong: J - J - oed Large Cymbal on Timano: 45

49 124 Ease in and out of trem. æ æ. æ ä f # - # f. Ease in and out of trem. æ - # - æ D.. j - j Strike ith med. hard rubber mallet fl oed large (metal) gong on Timano: 46

50 128 æ ȯ o j. # - # - - # - æ D j - j - - fl fl 47

51 12 o f o o o 2 # - # - # f f. - # D.. j - f j - j - j Sinning Plate Gong fl 2 - fl

52 G Moderato {q = 108} 16 o 2 Winds Of Change - - ä 2.. U - - â ä U - b - ä - D Water Tam: Re-strike as needed to maintain resonance F 2 fl fl - fl 2 oed large (metal) gong on Timano: F 49

53 P ä. F -. - P ä. F - D arco ä P ä P F - P.... b- F - b - - F b - â ä - fl - fl - fl - F F 50

54 â - - ä - - â ä â b â - - â P b â P U " U " P U " U " P D ä b â P U " " 4 4 " 4 " 4 51

55 H # -. 4 o J ȯ # - # ä - ä # # J Make this note subdued, eaker ȯ # D Slate Gong: fl Strike ith med. hard rubber mallet - fl 4 52

56 154 # ä - # - - ä. - # - U. D U fl - fl - - U fl 5

57 I 158 Unmeasured, Ethereal, Random. Like fishing boat buoys gently clanging together hile saying in ocean breeze. Winds Of Change ȯ - # ä - ä ä - - ä D *Slate Gong: ä Strike ith med. hard rubber mallet - ä ä - ä ä *Slate Gong: â - Strike ith rock hammer â - â â - â - â - â - â Let Ring edal gliss. 54

58 ȯ ä ä - ä - ä ä ä. D ä - ä ä - â - â â *Slate Gong: â â oed Large Cymbal on Timano: edal gliss. Let Ring *Slate Gong: â â 55