Year
1997
Duration
11'
Instrumentation
electric guitar - delay unit
×
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 Electronics
Dedication
John Tamburello
Commission
American Composers Forum, Jerome Foundation
Premiere
Berlin, Germany, Sophiensaele, 21 January 2000: Seth Josel, electric guitar
Publisher
Manuscript
Comment
Performance of this work requires a program switch and distortion.
Source
score; premiere program; composer homepage;
Details
In recent years I've become very drawn to the idea of writing music that is, in one way or another, about the kinds of music I love. In 1997 I was given the opportunity to write an electric guitar piece for guitarist John Tamburello. After frantically culling through my record collection for possible raw material I finally hit upon two aspects of Pete Townshend's guitar work in particular. One was an archetypal 2-chord declamation which is a harmonic building block throughout the piece. The other was a technique used on the Who's Live at Leeds performance where, during an extended solo, Townshend seems to create an antiphonal environment by responding to the echo which rebounds from the back walls of the auditorium - as if conversing with his own shadow. This led to the idea of writing a piece for guitar and digital delay in which the delay is set so that only one "echo" (or "slapback") occurs after the initial attack. With the exception of one passage, the delay is maintained throughout the entire work so that it becomes, in essence, a 50-50 partnership between the guitarist and the delay unit. Slapback was underwritten by the American Composers Forum with funds provided by the Jerome Foundation.
- Michael Fiday -
