Invitation: major 7th double stop.
Acceptance:
- another M7, with the bottom notes of each double stop forming a tritone. (pair, vlns or vla-vcl).
- All instruments come to form an 8-part chord of M7 double stops.
- Distance between bottom note of vln2 and top note of vla is a P4.
Section D, Wyschnegradsky type 1
Chords (bottom note-top note) Vln 1: C#5-C nat6 Vln 2: G nat4-F#5 Vla: Eb3-D4 Vcl: A2-G#3 or Vln 1: E5-Eb6 Vln 2: Bb4-A5 Vla: Gb3-F4 Vcl: C3-B4
Possibilities:
-Accelerating the double stop as repeated notes until a tremolo and then slowing back down, pp to p, independent. Can be done by any amount of instruments within an existing chord.
- sfff with immediate decresc to ppp, then a slow soft gliss upwards. After a short pause repeat (go back to same note). This can accelerate and decelerate, independently.
- One instrument glisses a note of their double stop to form an 8ve double stop. The others then move to form an 8-part chord in which each person is playing an 8ve double stop, which is displaced by a TT relative to the instrument above and below them. In this, vln 1 and vla will be an 8ve apart, as will vcl and vln2.
Invitation: a trill at any pitch, interval between neutral 2nd and M7
Acceptance: another trill at any pitch with the same interval
Section M, Wandering trills
- Trill glissandi. Gliss and change interval of trill, cresc to ff, subito pp after reaching target pitch. Play densely with contrasts.
- Can also reduce glis to quartertone or half tone, or cresc just to mp or p
- May be played as a duet or trio.
Invitation: continuous creaking
Aceptance: 2nd instrument creaking. All join.
Section A, string sounds
-Transition to soft, discontinuous creaking. Lots of variation.
Interjections:
- sustained artificial harmonics col legno
- artificial harmonics col legno accelerating to a trem or slowing down
- (1-2x per realisation of A): individual notes below F#4 bowed very softly (barely audible)
- more seldom: loud creaking (roar)
Invitation: quartertone trill (p to mf) or quartertone interval (mf to ff)
Acceptance: join in with same thing at same pitch
Section F, unison subdued
Possibilities:
- Variations in dynamics and tonal colors
- add pizz (f to fff)
- Invitation to play another pitch, by leap or by glissando. Prefer m3, M7, or tritone
- Invite to play pp/p (listen for this!)
Invitation: individual tone arco vibrato, mp to mf
Acceptance: play the same note in the same way
Section K, wandering overtone chords
After acceptance:
- vcl stays at same pitch, switch to non vib
- vln1 slow glis up to small m7 (non vib)
- vln2 slow glis to P5 (lower than vln1), non vib
- vla slow glis up to M3 (lower than vln2), non vib
Then:
- vcl comes to fore dynamically and moves in very slow glissandi
- Other instruments attempt to follow, shifting chord in parallel. Vcl can mark newly reached fundamentals with poco vib
Invitation: double stop M3, M6, or m7
Acceptance:
-cello plays the chord’s fundamental
-others enter to complete the overtone chord, consisting of fundamental, 3rd partial (8ve+P5), 5th partial (2 8ve+M3), and 7th partial (2 8ve+m7)
If M3: fund is 2 8ves below bottom note
If M6: fund is 8ve+5th below bottom note
If m7: fund is 2 8ves below bottom note
Section B, overtone chord type 1
Chord options: C and G series
Possibilities:
- add further partials ad lib (see below)
- gradual tone color and dynamic changes (between p and mf)
- can invite to rise or fall by a quartertone
- invite to trill in quartertones
- at the end of the first time playing B in the piece, all instruments should do a quartertone trill to signal conclusion
further partials
2nd: 8ve
4th: 2 8ve
6th: 2 8ve+P5
8th: 3 8ve
9th: 3 8ve+large M2
10th: 3 8ve+M3
11th: 3 8ve+tritone lowered by a quartertone
12th: 3 8ve+P5
14th: 3 8ve+m7
Invitation: quick descending pizz, p, with pause
Acceptance: similar pizz motion
Section H, pizzicato clouds
- shorten rests, cresc to ff
- end on one’s own and immediately pronounce a new invitation in pp arco
- can be followed by: A (string sounds), D (Wysch 1), E (Wysch 2), J (high notes), M (wandering trills), N (duet 1), or O (duet 2)
Invitation: a single note with little vib, slow cresc pp to f, then descresc to pp. repeat.
Acceptance: join w same note, cresc when the other instrument is starting a descresc
Section O, Duet 2
- duets only between vln 1 and vln2 or vla and vcl. Can have 2 simultaneous duets.
- during cresc, can change pitch via gliss and the second instrument must try to match (follow glis simultaneously)
- when one instrument forfeits cresc, the second instrument stops
Invitation: tritone double stop
Acceptance:
-another tritone (within instrument pairings). The top note of the bottom instrument and the bottom note of the top instrument should form a P5 (vln2-vln1 or vcl-vla)
-everybody builds up an 8-part chord with the same intervals
Section E, Wyschnegradsky chord type 2
Chords: (bottom note-top note) Vln 1: F#5-Cnat 6 Vln 2: F nat 4-B4 Vla: E3-Bb3 Vcl: Eb2-A2 or Vln 1: G#6-D7 Vln 2: G5-C#6 Vla: F#4-C5 Vcl: F3-B3
Possibilities:
- Accelerating continuously until tremolo is reached then slow down. Can be executed independently by 1-4 instruments
- Play sfff then immediately decresc to ppp, then slow gliss upwards. Repeat after a pause, starting again at the same double stop. Accelerate and decelerate.
- One instrument can invite a new thing by glissing up to a new tritone double stop. All others gliss to that same double stop but in different octaves, so that the new tritone is present in 4 different octaves. Return by glissing to the original Wysch chord transposed to a different pitch.
Invitation: play highest note possible extremely softly
Acceptance: also play highest note possible extremely softly
Section J, extremely high notes
- more frequent bow changes gradual cresc to quarter motion c. quarter=72, fff. No rhythmic unison. Vary pitches slightly.
- possible to exit at any time
Invitation: 3/4-tone interval (between M2 and m2) double stop, ff, then glis up, about 5-12 sec. Repeat several times. Not below D4 and C#(3/4sharp)
Acceptance: attempt to realize same double stop and glissandi in canon (same pitch and glis range)
Section L, glissandi in neutral seconds
- gradually drift a bit lower, enlarge and speed up gliss until c. quarter=72
- independent rhythm, try to stay in same pitch area.
Invitation: pizz fff, followed by bowed ppp same note on another string.
Acceptance:
Cello enters with fundamental.
All other instruments enter to complete 4-part chord consisting of: fundamental, 3rd partial (8ve+P5), 5th partial (2 8ve+M3), and 7th partial (2 8ve+m7)
Section C, overtone chord type 2
Chords:
C series (vln 1 5th partial, vln 2 3rd partial, vla 7th partial)
–> vln 1 holds
–> E kinda flat series (vln 1 7th partial, vln 2 5th partial vla 3rd partial)
–> vln 2 holds
–> G# more flat series
- All notes drop out except for either the 5th or 7th partial.
- This note becomes the new 4th or 8th partial.
- Person holding over adds a new note:
- If 7th partial, add m7 above (bottom note is 4th partial, so fundamental is 2 8ve below; top note is 7th partial)
- If 5th partial, add m6 below (top note is 8th partial, so fundamental is 3 8ve below; bottom note is 5th partial)
- Others enter to complete the new overtone chord. The chord should descend microtonally because it’s built on the old 5th/7th partial.
- Can chain this multiple times or exit at any time.
Invitation: a trill at any pitch, with interval between neutral second and M7, pp, sul pont or ord
Acceptance: another trill at any pitch with same interval as above
Section M, wandering trills
- Trill glissandi, independently
- Gliss and cresc to ff. Interval for trill should change
- After reaching target pitch, subito pp
- Play densely with contrasts
Possibilities:
- gliss by only a quartertone or halftone, or cresc to mp or p
- can be played as a duet or as a trio as well
Invitation: pizz quadruple-stop fff, 3 M7 piled
Acceptance: piz another quadruple stop fff, 3 M7 (make sure everyone hears this)
Section P, pizz quadruple-stops and high arco double stops
- after invitation and acceptance, P must be played through
- Several unaccepted invitations to other elements
- Each person does a pizz chord tuned to the harmonic series (do the notes printed in the score). FF and very surprising. In this order!
Vcl: G-D-B; Vln 2: G-D-B-F; Vla: G-B-F; Vln 1: G-D-B-F - Several unaccepted invitations to other elements
- Three-quarter-tone interval (between M2 and m2), very high. Independent tempo quarter notes between 52 and 72, sff, multiple repeats. Gradual descresc, decrease tempo, and let pitch fall gradually. When p is reached, instruments exit individually
Invitation: gettati arco or col legno, with rests in between bows. p
Acceptance: matching pitch and arco vs CL, interrupt rests with gettati.
Section N, duet 1
Possibilities:
- slow glissandi during gettati
- play with density
- 2 duets at once
Thumping fingers on strings, fast and at variable intervals
Beginning
Interjections: individual, extremely high natural harmonics fff. (Vary length but not too long)
Invitation: thumping fingers, like the beginning
Acceptance: also thump fingers
Section Q, Gesualdo quotation.
- after acceptance, Q must be played all the way through
- Decrescendo thumping, grand pause
- Commence quotation as simultaneously as possible without audible signals
- play quotation (imagine metronome to keep tempo steady)
