Clepsydra

for Percussion, Cello, Trumpet and Flute William Pearson

Performance Notes
Percussion:
Wire brushes used throughout. Glockenspiel is laid on top of bass drum vertically so that white notes are on the right and black notes are on the left. The notation is essentially transcribed, re-written by the percussionist on the indicated key with the wire brushes. The thickness or darkness of the inscription indicates how much pressure should be applied.
Glockenspiel Staff

LONG stems represent the INNER edge of the glockenspiel key. SHORT stems represent the OUTER edge. Horizontal dashed lines outside of the staff indicate motion without physical contact with the instrument. (Ex: 248 - 249 both hands begin at the INNER edge of the indicated keys, moving towards the OUTER edge, rst scribbling quickly on on indicated keys, then continuing to move without making contact with the instrument.) The bass drum is placed at, like a table. The glockenspiel on top separates the drumhead into two halves, one for each hand.

Bass drum Staff

The notation is essentially transcribed, re-written by the percussionist on the indicated key with the wire brushes. The thickness or darkness of the inscription indicates how much pressure should be applied. LONG stems represent the INNER edge of each half of the drum head (the glockenspiel edge). SHORT stems represent the OUTER edge of each half of the drum head (the outer edge of the table). The same notational rules apply to the bass drum and the glockenspiel.

Cello:
The top half of the cello staff indicates how the left hand should move along the neck. The thickness or darkness of the inscription indicates how much pressure should be applied. The X on this staff indicates a MUTING GRIP, resulting in little or no discernible pitch when bowing. Changes in pressure will affect the quality and the amount of discernible pitch - total pitchlessness is not expected. The O indicates a HARMONIC GRIP, where the ngers lightly touch the string as it would when playing a natural harmonic. The bottom half of the cello staff indicates how the bow should move along the strings. The ve lines of the bottom staff are, from top to bottom: A String, D String, G String, C String, Bridge. The thickness or darkness of the inscription indicates how much pressure should be applied. Darkest lines should be scratchy, very light lines should be autando. Notation written ALONG a string-line, as in the example above, indicates VERTICAL bowing along the indicated string. Notation written DIAGONAL to a string-line indicates HORIZONTAL or traditional bowing along the indicated string. As in the percussion notation, LONG and SHORT stems delineate edges. LONG stems indicate the UPPER or TASTO edge, while SHORT stems indicate the LOWER or PONTICELLO edge. The UPPER edge (tasto) will change depending on the location of the left hand. The bow should never touch the left hand. However, the bow should never venture any higher than a comfortable molto sul tasto, even if the left hand is at the very top of the neck. The initial placement of the bow on the string should be in a comfortable position for the vertical bowing - about four inches from the frog.

Cello Staff

If traditional horizontal bowing is indicated (with diagonal notation) the LONG stem indicates the frog, the SHORT stem indicates the tip. Horizontal dashed lines outside of the staff indicate motion without physical contact with the instrument.

Trumpet :
The top half of the trumpet staff indicates how breath is used. The larger middle section of the top half, marked BREATH, simply indicates unpitched breath through the instrument. The thickness of the notation indicates the intensity of the breath. BLACK (lled-in) notation indicates EXHALING WHITE (empty) notation indicates INHALING Inhaling neednt be actually through the trumpet, but the mouth should still be touching the mouthpiece, so that the friction of the air around the mouthpiece or through nearly closed lips can be heard. The top section, marked BUZZ, indicates pitched buzzing into the instrument. Thickness of notation indicates the intensity of the buzzing, and, to an imprecise extent, pitch. The bottom section, marked VOICE, indicates pitched singing into the instrument. Thickness of notation indicates the intensity of the sings, and, to an imprecise extent, pitch. The bottom half of the trumpet staff indicates how the valves are depressed. Ideally, all inhalation and exhalation by the performer is indicated in the piece, and there are several sections where the performer must hold her breath. If such indications are uncomfortable to the performer, please disregard them with care to preserve the sonic intent.

Flute :
The top half of the ute staff indicates how breath is used. The larger middle section of the top half, marked BREATH, simply indicates unpitched breath over the instrument. The thickness of the notation indicates the intensity of the breath. Pitch is to be avoided in all but the most intense breath. BLACK (lled-in) notation indicates EXHALING WHITE (empty) notation indicates INHALING The top section, marked TONE, indicates an embouchure and air-ow to created pitched tone through the instrument. Thickness of notation indicates the intensity of the air-ow, and, to an imprecise extent, pitch. The bottom section, marked VOICE, indicates pitched singing into the instrument. Thickness of notation indicates the intensity of the sings, and, to an imprecise extent, pitch. The bottom half of the ute staff indicates how the keys are depressed with each hand. Completely lled in notation indicates that all of the keys are closed, completely empty notation indicates that all of the keys are open. The middle line between the BREATH staff and the KEY staff indicates rotation of the ute. The thicker the line, the more curled-in the ute is. Ideally, all inhalation and exhalation by the performer is indicated in the piece, and there are several sections where the performer must hold her breath. If such indications are uncomfortable to the performer, please disregard them with care to preserve the sonic intent.

Staging :
Screen (on the ground, 6)

projector ute tpt

Cello

perc

light

Semi-transparent Screen (6 up)

light

Audience

The two lights should be relatively dim, and should shine through the bodies of the performers, creating shadows which amplify their physical movements on the screen behind them, but not illuminating their faces. The score is projected onto a semi-transparent screen so that the performers can read their music in the dark, and without a conductor. The score should scroll itself on the screen, with a marker which indicates where in time the performers should be. A vague outline of the changing shapes of the score should be visible to the audience, and should be as close as possible to the brightness of the shadow image. The ensemble should be amplied slightly towards the end of heightening the audiences perception of the physicality of the performers.

But there was no statement At the beginning. There was only a breathless waste, A dumb cry shaping everything in projected After-effects orphaned by playing the part intended for them, Though one must not forget that the nature of this Emptiness, these previsions, Was that it could only happen here, on this page held Too close to be legible, sprouting erasures, except that they Ended everything in the transparent sphere of what was Intended only a moment ago, spiraling further out, its Gesture nally dissolving in the weather. It was the long way back out of sadness Of that rst meeting: a half-triumph, an imaginary feeling Which still protected its events and pauses, the way A telescope protects its view of distant mountains And all they include, the coming and going, Moving correctly up to other levels, preparing to spend the night There where the tiny gures halt as darkness comes on, Beside some loud torrent in an empty yet personal landscape.
from Clepsydra by John Ashbery