THE SAD PARK
FOR AMPLIFIED STRING QUARTET WITH ELECTRONICS AND AUDIO BACKING TRACK
SCORE
duration ca. 40 minutes
Commissioned by the Kronos Quartet, through the generosity of Mrs. Ralph I. Dorfman with additional support from the Barbican, London (UK), and the National Endowment for the ArtsQuartet
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© 2006 by Universal Music Corp. (ASCAP) International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. RNY 1311 ISMN 979-0-041-61311-6
Warning : Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited by Federal law, and subject to criminal prosecution.
program note: The Sad Park
Part 1: Two evil planes broke in little pieces and fire came.
Part 2: There was a big boom and then there was teeny fiery coming out.
Part 3: I just heard that on the news that the buildings are crashing down.
Part 4: And all the persons that were in the airplane died.
The recordings used in this piece are of children, ages 3 and 4, and were made by Loyan Beausoleil, a pre-kindergarten teacher at University Plaza Nursery School in Lower Manhattan, between September 2001 and January 2002. (My son Lev was in Ms. Beausoleil’s class during this period.) Her ongoing work with these children is chronicled at http://www.youngestwitnesses.com
When I heard these recordings I was struck by the raw tunefulness of the children’s speech. These specific segments were chosen for their musicality as well as for their content. I worked with sound designer Luke DuBois on the post-production of these tapes. In Parts 1 and 3, the sound clips are gradually slowed down to reveal the hidden acoustical properties of the speech. Parts 2 and 4 use an electronic music technique called granular synthesis, in which tiny ''grains'' of sound from the original source are captured and compacted together.
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(Audio Track begins at :00)
The Sad Park
q = 113
Driving, but inexpressive. With groove and drive. Do not accent the beat.
Michael Gordon
Vln. 2 Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla. Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln.
Vla.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc. 119
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc. 124
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vla. Vc.
Vln.
Vla.
Vc.
Vln.
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
154 Gradually slowing down and a bit less dry
159 q = 96
164 Slowing down and a bit more sound from the bow
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln.
Vln. 2
Vla. Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla. Vc.
Vln.
Vla.
Vln. 2
Vla. Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla. Vc.
Track continues, Click stops.)
Vla.
Part 2
'There was a big boom and then there was teeny fiery coming out.'
Play expressively with the contours of the audio track, building the sound gradually through M53. q = 60 (M2-bell@10:06)
(Audio Track continues through tacit...)
(M63-bell@14:09)
Vla.
(Audio Track: I just heard...@15:03)
Vln. 2
(Audio Track continues, Click stops.)
Vla.
Part 3
'I just heard that on the news that the buildings are crashing down'
legato, but every note with energy
q = 180 (Click@16:16 - cue only)
e = 360
sim. (opposite bowing, staggered phrasing)
sim. (opposite bowing, staggered phrasing)
(opposite bowing, staggered phrasing)
Vln.
Vln.
Vla.
(opposite bowing, staggered phrasing )
(opposite bowing, staggered phrasing )
(opposite bowing, staggered phrasing )
(opposite bowing, staggered phrasing )
sim. (bow with vln. 2)
(opposite bowing, phrase together)
a tempo 119
sim. opposite bowing, phrase together
mp
mp
mp
sim. opposite bowing, phrase together
sim. opposite bowing, phrase together
sim. opposite bowing, phrase together
mp
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla. Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2 Vla.
(Click@19:54 - runs through M177) a tempo
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vln.
Vla. Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vla.
Vln. 2
Vla. Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln.
Vla.
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
(Click@21:16 - cue only.)
Vln. 2
Vla. Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln.
(Click Track ends here.) a tempo 185
mp
sim. opposite bowing, staggered phrasing
sim. opposite bowing, staggered phrasing
mp
mp (continuous glissando) expressive
sim. opposite bowing, staggered phrasing
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mp
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln.
Vla.
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
(continuous glissando for 1' 30")
(continuous glissando joining viola for 1' 30") p
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(continuous glissando joining violin 1, viola for 1' 30") ord. expressive p tune C string to B-flat
*continue as indicated below
*continue as indicated below
*continue as indicated below
*continue as indicated below
Vla.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc. 245
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc. 250
*Cue: "And all the persons that were in the airplane died" is heard 3X. After the 3rd time, Cello starts a long slow glissando from the bottom note to the extreme top of the instrument. Violins 1-2 and Viola immediately sneak in with the cello so that
Part 4
'And all the persons that were in the airplane died'
End Audio Track suddenly at downbeat of Part 4.
Distortion on all instruments*
Driving, full throttle q = 170
non vib.
Vln. 1
non vib. (sim.)
Vln. 2
Vla. marcato off the string
(sim.) scordatura non vib.
(sim.)
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*A distortion effect, similar to the type of distortion an electric guitar player uses, should be added to all instruments. I prefer the sound of an Ibanez Tube Scream, but any quality distortion unit is fine. marcato
Vc. 5
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc. 9
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
marcato
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc. 121
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Feedback On - All instruments should begin feeding back into the system. Sudden stop at end.
Vla.
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.
Vln. 1
Vln. 2
Vla.
Vc.