Year
1998
Duration
6'
Instrumentation
electric guitar - tape
×
Explanation of the instrumentation string
| Abbreviation |
Instrument |
Guitar(s) and other plucked instruments |
|
| bal |
balalaika |
| bgtr |
bass guitar |
| bjo |
banjo |
| egtr |
electric guitar |
| gtr |
guitar |
| gtr (ampl.) |
amplified guitar |
| hrp |
harp |
| mand |
mandolin |
| uke |
ukulele |
Woodwinds |
|
| afl |
alto flute |
| asax |
alto saxophone |
| barsax |
baritone saxophone |
| bcl |
bass clarinet |
| bsax |
bass saxophone |
| bsthn |
basset horn |
| cl |
clarinet |
| corA |
cor anglais |
| dbcl |
contrabass clarinet (or double bass clarinet) |
| dbn |
contrabassoon (or double bassoon) |
| Ebcl |
E-flat clarinet |
| fl |
flute |
| heck |
heckelphone |
| ob |
oboe |
| obda |
oboe d'amore |
| picc |
piccolo |
| rec |
recorder |
| sarrus |
sarrusophone |
| sax |
saxophone |
| ssax |
soprano saxophone |
| tsax |
tenor saxophone |
Brass |
|
| bgl |
bugle |
| btrbn |
bass trombone |
| crt |
cornet |
| euph |
euphonium |
| flghn |
fluegel horn |
| hn |
horn |
| picctpt |
piccolo trumpet |
| tpt |
trumpet |
| trbn |
trombone |
| tba |
tuba |
| Wtba |
Wagner tuba |
Percussion |
|
| cim |
cimbalom |
| drkit |
drum kit |
| glsp |
glockenspiel |
| mba |
marimba |
| perc |
percussion |
| tamb |
tambourine |
| timp |
timpani |
| vib |
vibraphone |
| xyl |
xylophone |
Keyboards |
|
| cel |
celesta |
| eorg |
electric organ |
| epft |
electric piano |
| harm |
harmonium |
| Horg |
Hammond organ |
| hpsd |
harpsichord |
| kybd |
keyboard |
| org |
organ |
| pft |
piano |
| prep pft |
prepared piano |
| synth |
synthesizer |
Strings |
|
| db |
double bass (or contra bass) |
| evln |
electric violin |
| strgs |
strings |
| vla |
viola |
| vlada |
viola d'amore |
| vlc |
violoncello |
| vln |
violin |
Vocal |
|
| A |
(Contr)alto |
| B |
Bass |
| Bar |
baritone |
| MS |
mezzo-soprano |
| S |
soprano |
| T |
tenor |
Other |
|
| acc |
accordion |
| ocar |
ocarina |
| oM |
Ondes Martinot |
Explanation
The standard, accepted order of instrumentation for large ensembles: fl.ob.cl.bsn - hn.tpt.trbn.tba - perc - other - vlnI.vlnII.vla.vlc.db - tape, or electronics. Saxophones appear between clarinet and bassoon.
All other scorings (less than 8 instruments) are listed in full.
When an instrument is listed in parentheses, then this instrument is doubled. "guitar (=electric guitar)" means that the guitarist plays an acoustic, as well as an electric guitar. In an orchestral setting, "1(I=picc).2(II=corA).2(II=bcl).1" would resolve to: 1 flute (also playing piccolo), 2 oboes (second oboe also playing cor anglais), 2 clarinets (second clarinet also playing bass clarinet), 1 bassoon. If there is an extra instrument, which is not doubled, then this is expressly written out, e.g. "1(I=picc).2.corA.2.bcl.1.dbn", which unravels to: 1 flute (also playing piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 1 bass clarinet, 1 bassoon, 1 double bassoon.
Solo instruments in a concerto or chamber setting are written out in front of the ensemble instruments: guitar - 1.1.1.1 - 1.0.0.0 - perc - strgs.
|
Genre
Guitar with Fixed Media
Premiere
Montreal, Canada: Tim Brady, electric guitar
Publisher
Manuscript
Source
Interensemble website; Tim Brady website; Chasalow correspondence;
Details
I have always been interested in the question of how one can integrate elements of various musical traditions into new pieces. No matter what route one takes, the challenge is always to use something from one's past experience as a point of departure - to integrate the materials so completely, that something new emerges. If a piece fails to do this, it risks becoming no more than a pastiche of stylistic cliches. In recent years, I have made tape pieces that have deliberately revealed and quoted well-known source material. In Left To His Own Devices I built an homage to Milton Babbitt from quotations from recorded interviews and the sound of the RCA synthesizer. In Portrait of the Artist, I drew on the voice and music of John Lennon.
When Tim Brady asked me to write a piece for electric guitar and tape, I decided right away to use the
beginning of Jimi Hendrix, Purple Haze as the motive of the piece. Most people will recognize this quote immediately, although it is always far more manipulated than one might imagine on first hearing. In addition to the challenge of integrating such an icon of popular culture into something new and convincing, there was the difficulty of bringing sounds of the live performer and the computer generated together in one acoustical space.
- Eric Chasalow
