ABSTRACT. Dr. Robert Gibson, Director and Professor of Composition, School of Music

Transcription

1 ABSTRACT Title o Document: DOUBT, or Narrator and Orchestra Asha Srinivasan, Doctor o Musical Arts, 2008 Directed By: Dr. Robert Gibson, Director and Proessor o Comosition, School o Music Doubt is a single-movement comosition o roughly twelve minutes or narrator and orchestra (woodwinds, horns, and trumets in airs, timani, ercussion, strings). The iece exlores the controversial issue o caital unishment. The text was comiled rom resources ound on the websites o Death Penalty Inormation Center (htt:// and Anti-Death Penalty Inormation (htt:// as well as excerts rom the Bible. Doubt was conceived o as a dramatic work in which a narrator recites actual inormation in a direct and unemotional manner and the orchestra rovides a resonse to the mixed emotions elicited by the text. The list o dates and case summaries resented in the middle section o the iece seemed most owerul and eective when recited in a natural seaking voice, which is why I chose not to set the text as song. Also, I chose the orchestral medium rather than a chamber setting because the nature o the toic demanded a larger range o colors and combinations, as well as a louder, uller sound.

2 Much o the music was comosed while deciding which texts to include. Thus the music inluenced the choice o text as much as the text suggested the musical setting. The our ormal divisions o the iece are delineated rimarily by the text. The irst section is an orchestral introduction reresenting various emotional ersectives suggested by the texts. The narrator begins the second section with a Biblical verse over sarse orchestration. The third and main section o the iece begins with a new melody in the low strings that is closely related to the harmonic organization o the iece. The narrator lists dates o convictions, executions, exonerations and acts related to doubtul cases. The third section and the narration conclude with another brie assage rom the Bible. The ourth section is a dramatic orchestral coda, bringing back the oening harmonies o juxtaosed erect iths. The inal chord is ull o tension and discord, relecting the oositions inherent in the toic o caital unishment: lie vs. death, symathy vs. reroach, ain vs. hoe, but above all, doubt about guilt vs. innocence.

3 DOUBT, or Narrator and Orchestra By Asha Srinivasan Dissertation submitted to the Faculty o the Graduate School o the University o Maryland, College Park, in artial ulillment o the requirements or the degree o Doctor o Musical Arts 2008 Advisory Committee: Proessor Robert Gibson, Chair Proessor Barbara Haggh-Huglo Proessor Dora Hanninen Proessor Martha Nell Smith Proessor Mark Wilson

4 Coyright by Asha Srinivasan (ASCAP) 2008

5 Table o Contents Table o Contents...ii Instrumentation and Notes...iii Text...iv Doubt... 1 Bibliograhy ii

6 Instrumentation and Notes 2 Flutes (1 Piccolo) 2 Oboes 2 Bb Clarinets 2 Bassoons 2 Horns in F 2 Trumets in C Timani Percussion: Large Susended Cymbal Crotales Snare Drum Narrator Violin I Violin II Viola Violoncello Contrabass Percussion: Beaters: Narrator: The narrator or this iece can be either male or emale and should be amliied using a microhone. Notation: The symbol shows oints where the text's entrance must be synchronized with the musical event at that measure. I a sentence starts without this symbol, it is a continuation o the revious assage and must ollow the revious sentence at a normal ace, without ause. Sometimes rests have been rovided to show clearly on which beat or art o the beat certain assages should begin. The rests are always given rom the beginning o the measure. For examle, at m. 99, the hal-rest shows that Then said Jesus should begin on the last beat o the measure and in m. 101, Father, orgive them should begin an eighth rest ater the downbeat (or in other words, slightly ater the chord in the orchestra). Dynamic marks show the general volume level, but the narrator should always be heard clearly over the orchestra. The word (beat) is used to denote a dramatic ause o some aroriate length between sentences, as is tyically ound in theatrical scrits. Other seciic instructions about the dramatic recitation o the text have been given in italics. iii

7 Text The text was derived rom ublic domain versions o the Bible, as well as rom these websites with ermission: Death Penalty Inormation Center (htt:// and Anti-Death Penalty Inormation (htt:// It should be read at a normal ace with clear enunciation but without exaggeration. Daughters o Jerusalem, wee not or me, but or yourselves and or your children. For behold, the days are coming in which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For i they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? And there were also two other maleactors led with him to be ut to death. And when they arrived at the lace that is called Calvary, there they cruciied him and the maleactors, one on the right hand and the other on the let. Then said Jesus, Father, orgive them, or they know not what they do. Convicted: 1979, Executed: Convicted: 1980, Executed: Convicted: 1987, Exonerated: Convicted: 1974, Exonerated: Convicted: 1983, New evidence uncovered oints towards another man Executed: Convicted: 1992, arson exerts have concluded that the ire was accidental. Executed: Convicted: 1986, New DNA blood evidence has thrown considerable doubt Executed: Considerable doubt eyewitness error bad lawyering government misconduct junk science drunk lawyer snitch testimony alse conessions hearsay Convicted: 1983, No hysical evidence linked him to the crime. Exonerated: Convicted: 1999, The DNA results ointed directly to another individual. Exonerated: Convicted: 1984, The conviction was overturned when another man conessed to the crime. Exonerated: Convicted: 1991, DNA evidence roved the hairs ound clutched in the victim s hands were rom a white man and the deendant was black Exonerated: Convicted: 1982, The deense attorney ailed to interview witnesses, ailed to obtain olice reorts, elicited damaging testimony against his own client during cross examination o a witness. Exonerated: years later Exonerated, 12 years later Exonerated, 16 years later 21 years later 26 years later 30 years later Never. But they cried saying, Cruciy him, cruciy him. Why? What evil has he done? Cruciy him. iv

8 Doubt Flute Deliberately, with weight q=80 Oboe a2 Clarinet in Bb Bassoon Horn in F Trumet in C Timani in E, Bb, C# Percussion Narrator Violin I Deliberately, with weight q=80 Violin II Viola Violoncello Contrabass 2008, Asha Srinivasan and ASCAP 1

9 7 a2 13 a2 a2 C Tt. Tim. Lg Sus Cym 13 (non ) 2

10 16 a2 18 a a2 C Tt. Tim. 18 3

11 24 26 m breathe as needed at tie breaks C Tt. m breathe as needed at tie breaks Tim. Lg Sus Cym 26 m m m m m m m m 4

12 32 2. () 2. sz (a2) C Tt. Tim. 3 m m E - G, Bb - Ab 5

13 40 40 m 2. 2 ṁ m 2. m (at a slightly slow ace, but not too dramatically) Daughters o Jerusalem, wee not or me, Crotales (metal mallet) but wee or yourselves, and or your children. Fl Sweet, yet tragic m m m m 2.m 2. m m m solo For behold, the days are coming 6

14 55 59 To Picc. m solo molto esressivo 3 solo molto esressivo m C Tt. m m Lg Sus Cym in which they shall say, 59 Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, m m m 7

15 61 Piccolo 3 m 2. m 2. C Tt. a2 Snare Drum without snares on rim Crotales 3 3 and the breasts that never nursed. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. 3 3 For i they do these things in a green tree, m m 8

16 67 67 Picc. Fl. 2 To Fl. C Tt. Tim. Lg Sus Cym 3 67 what shall be done in the dry?

17 Tim. 75 izz. And there were also two other maleactors led with him to be ut to death. arco izz. (arco) (arco) (arco) 10

18 78 2. Flute Lg sus cym Snare drum Snare drum without snares m m arco m (m) izz. izz. izz. arco 11

19 81 (2.) (2.) 3 on rim arco 12

20 83 C Tt. Tim. a Lg Sus Cym arco 13

21 a C Tt. Tim. 3 3 a2 3 3 m m Lg Sus Cym 85 14

22 C Tt a2 Tim. Snare drum with snares 90 And when they arrived at the lace that is called Calvary Crotales there they cruciied him 15

23 93 () rit. rit. and the maleactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the let. Then said Jesus, (gently) Father, orgive them, or they know not what they do Darkly q=62 Darkly q=62 lyrically m lyrically m 104 oco accel. a2 lyrically m q=72 (in a lat, actual manner) Executed: 1989 Convicted: 1980 Convicted: 1979 m oco accel. izz. () m q=72 izz. sul E m izz. sul arco E izz. 16

24 112 oco accel. oco accel. 115 Executed: 1994 q=80 q=80 izz. arco sul D m 118 oco accel. a2 Convicted: 1987 Exonerated: 2007 Convicted: 1974 lg sus cym snare drum Exonerated: 2004 Snare drum without snares oco accel. izz. arco m arco izz. arco izz. 17

25 124 q= m q=88 arco (still in a lat, yet irm tone) Convicted: 1983, New evidence uncovered... oints towards another man... (beat) Executed: 1989 m m arco sul G Fl. 128 Convicted: 1992, arson exerts have concluded that the ire was accidental. (beat) Executed: 2004 m sul A sul A Lg Sus Cym sub. sub. sub. m m Convicted: 1986, New 3 sub. sub. 18

26 C Tt. DNA blood evidence has thrown considerable doubt...(trail o) (beat) Executed: 1997 Considerable doubt sub. arco 19

27 138 a2 C Tt. with snares (at a normal ace with some ause between each, not synchronized) eyewitness error... bad lawyering... government misconduct... junk science... drunk lawyer... snitch testimony... izz. izz. 20

28 C Tt. Tim. m Lg Sus Cym G - E, Ab - Bb alse conessions... hearsay... arco m izz. arco arco 21

29 rit. 146 rit. Gently q=68 Crotales Gently q=68 m (with a sense o Convicted: 1983, hoe and irony) Convicted: 1999, The DNA results ointed No hysical evidence Exonerated: directly to another individual. (beat) linked him to the crime Exonerated: 2004 Violin I Solo delicately m m C Tt Convicted: 1984, The conviction was overturned when another man conessed to the crime. Exonerated: 2002 m 160 con sord. Convicted: 1991, DNA evidence roved the hairs ound clutched in the victim's hands were rom a white man and the deendant was black... 22

30 C Tt. 163 sub. sub breathe quietly as needed at tie breaks Exonerated: 1997 Convicted: 1982, The deense attorney ailed to interview witnesses, ailed to obtain olice reorts, elicited damaging testimony against tutti Fl. 168 breathe quietly as needed at tie breaks To Picc. enter imercetibly change notes almost imercetibly change notes almost imercetibly m his own client during cross examination o a witness. (long beat) Exonerated:

31 Picc Warmly Piccolo m Fl. Fl. 2 m m 2. m C Tt. senza sord. m 17 years later... (beat) Exonerated 12 years later... (beat) Exonerated 173 Warmly 24

32 rit. Picc. a temo m Fl. Fl. 2 (sace out loosely and emhasize the number) 16 years later years later years later years later... (sotly and simly) Never. 176 rit. a temo solo molto esressivo ort. 25

33 Picc. 181 To Fl. m tutti m m m (like the beginning, at m. 40) But they cried, saying, "Cruciy him, cruciy him." (beat) Why? What evil has he done? 26

34 196 Fl. 1 Flute 198 Dramatically () Fl. Fl. 2 () 2. () () () C Tt. () (quietly) Cruciy him. 198 Dramatically () () () () () 27

35 To Picc. Piccolo 212 Fl. Fl. 2 6 a2 staggered breathing a2 staggered breathing C Tt. Tim. Lg Sus Cym

36 Deliberately, with weight q= Picc. Fl. Fl. 2 sz sz C Tt. Tim. sz Deliberately, with weight q=80 Lg Sus Cym m sz sz 29

37 Picc Fl. Fl. 2 C Tt. Tim. 226 Snare Drum with snares lg sus cym snare drum m 30

38 Picc. Fl. Fl To Fl. 232 Flute C Tt. Tim. Lg Sus Cym m 232 on rim

39 238 a2 242 a2 C Tt. Tim. 3 m on rim m

40 243 C Tt. Tim. 3 3 sz () l.v. l.v. 33

41 Bibliograhy Auchter, Ellen. Egregious Death Penalty Cases. Anti-Death Penalty Inormation. htt:// (accessed Aril 17, 2008). Death Penalty Inormation Center. Descritions o Each Innocence Case. Innocence and the Death Penalty. htt:// (accessed Aril 17, 2008). Death Penalty Inormation Center. Executed but Possibly Innocent. Innocence and the Death Penalty. htt:// (accessed on Aril 17, 2008). 34