(THE EASTERN ROOM OF THE PALACE)

Transcription

1 ANDREA CLEARFIELD RABSONG SHAR (THE EASTERN ROOM OF THE ALACE) sorano, electronics and chamber orchestra 2016

2 INSTRUMENTATION Sorano Solo Flute Oboe Bb Clarinet Bass Clarinet ercussion (3) Har iano Violin Viola Cello Bass ERCUSSION LIST ercussion 1 Marimba Vibes Glock Bass bo (for boed vibes) Drilbu Bell (or any bell - M) Susended Cymbal (H) Rolmo Cymbal (or small crash cymbal) Slastick (or 2 ieces of ood) ercussion 2 Snare 2 Timbales (H, M) Sus. Cym (H) Triangle (M) Drilbu Bell (or any bell - L) Metal (Singing Bol, Bundt an or any metal) Woodblock (L) ercussion 3 Snare 2 Toms (M, L) B.D. Tam-Tam (Gong - M) Triangle (L) Ting-Sha Bells (2 bells on a cord) Woodblock (H) Comoser can rovide Tingsha Bell, 2 Drilbu Bells, Rolmo Cymbal

3 Notes This iece is insired by my fieldork in the restricted, remote Himalayan region of Lo Monthang in Uer Mustang, Neal, near the Tibetan border. There I recorded indigenous folk music ith Katey Blumenthal, ethnomusicologist and anthroologist. The eole of Uer Mustang are ethnically Tibetan; the region is one of the last remaining enclaves of traditional Tibetan culture. Much is in flux and this ancient horse culture is threatened. Efforts are being made to reserve their music, dance, medicine, religion, language and art. Under the ausices of the Rubin Foundation, Katey and I recorded over 0 songs that had not been reviously documented. These included the comlete reertoire of gar-glu (court offering songs) of the last royal court singer Tashi Tsering. The songs, assed don from father to son for centuries, tell of the history of the eole in this region; their festivals, eddings, origins, ay of life. Gar-glu reertoire as erformed by members of the Emeda caste, lo in the caste system. There as originally an ensemble of eight musicians erforming gar-glu reertoire. No only Tashi Tsering remains. Traditional ays are being relaced ith more modernity, including the feudal and caste system. Tashi Tsering no longer sings in his traditional role; the era of gar-glu singing has ended. Our recordings are no in the Cultural Library in Lo Monthang and are art of the University of Cambridge World Oral Literature roject: "an urgent global initiative to document and make accessible endangered oral literatures before they disaear ithout record." In NYC these songs are no taught to Mustangi children as art of a ne Himalayan language and culture reservation initiative. I chose to rite a iece for The University of Arkansas' Ne Music Ensemble that as insired by the song Rabsong Shar (The Eastern Room of the alace), a favorite of the former King of Lo Monthang, Jigme Dorje albar Bista (the last king in a lineage dating from 80, ho steed don in 2010). Rabsong Shar is about a room in the alace in Lo Monthang here the King and Queen live that has a door on the East side. Inside the room, the King ears a golden hat and the Queen ears torquoise and choral beads. Tashi Tsering layed this song to elcome the King and Queen. I recorded Tashi Tsering singing this song in He accomanied himself ith a air of skin drums called nha (like small conga drums). Fragments of the traditional Loba ords, melody and rhythms from the first stanza of the song are incororated into this ork, framed in my contemorary music language. There are elements informed by vocal ornaments articular to Tashi Tsering's singing style. There are also ercussive elements based on Tashi Tsering's drum rhythms. Electronics at the beginning and end of the ork ere constructed from my original recording of Rabsong Shar in Lo Monthang ith Tashi Tsering laying the drum. The ork deals ith memory, loss and change. It is also about song as a ay to tell the story of a eole and to celebrate, honor and reserve a culture and its language. With gratitude to Alex Shairo and Carol Moore, hose studios rovided time and sace ithin hich to create this ork. Andrea Clearfield

4 Translation by Katey Blumenthal. Transliteration by Katey Blumenthal and Andrea Clearfield. Rabsong Shar (The Eastern room of the alace) The King stays on the right side of Rabsong Shar. In this room my kind king stays The brightness of the gods is the king's generation The king's cron of gold, eacock feathers and ornaments. The queen stays on the left side of the Rabsong Shar In this room my kind queen stays In the brightness of the gods is the queen's generation The queenho ears turquoise and coral jeels. Inside the Lo Valley the king's strong horses are ket After three days, adron the horses ith saddles A golden saddle for the king and a turquoise saddle for the queen All the orld is brilliant, and hen the king and queen aear they are radiant Gods and goddesses rotect them And the sun and moon revolve around them. 1st stanza transliterated: Rab song shar gyi gas hyog nas Bdag gi hyon o bjang o bzhugs 'da gsar lha 'I dung rgyung bshugs Gcig cha kha la gnyis cha lnoms Mi dbang rba bya gser gi brom togs lthoms ronunciation Guide - Voels are generally ronounced in their ure form (Ah, Eh, Ee, Oh, Oo) and ithout a dihthong unless indicated by a series of connected voel. - The consonant 'H' is sung ith an asiration, like in the ord Khar - ZH combinations are ronounced soft, almost like the American 'SH' - CH combinations are hard, like the American ord Chair erformance Notes To electronic tracks are layed as art of this score. The first one begins the iece, ith the donbeat for erformers at 15 seconds. The second track begins at m Each track includes fade in and out. Comoser ill suly electronic tracks. Accidentals aly only to the octave in hich they aear. Some courtesy accidentals are included for ease.

5 ERCUSSION KEY ercussion 1 Sus. Cym -M Rolmo Cymbal Slastick Drilbu Bell ercussion 2 Snare (rim) Snare Timbale - H Timbale - M Sus. Cym. - H ercussion 3 Tom-M Tom-L B.D. Gong (Tam-Tam) Ting-Sha Bells Drilbu Bell Metal Woodblock Triangle Triangle Woodblock Snare

6 C Score RABSONG SHAR (The Eastern room of the alace) Commissioned by the Mcllroy rofessor Endoment for Jamal Duncan and the Arkansas Ne Music Ensemble Based on a traditional Loba gar-glu song Translation by Katey Blumenthal and Karma Wangyal Gurung Recorded by Andrea Clearfield and Katey Blumenthal Andrea Clearfield February, 2016 Begin Electronic Track 1 Conductor donbeat at 0:15 B Moderato q = 86 Ø sul tasto to...sul ont to...sul tasto Ø " " # sul tasto to...sul ont to...sul tasto Snare Snare off, lay on rim ith ood Fl # # # Gong rub around edge ith rubber mallet or suer ball. very slo gl. " #. # " " 3 3 ". #... on drum (Snare off)... Tom-M ".... Marimba on rim sticks on rim of bar 6 B sul tasto to...sul ont to.... Ø sul tasto to...sul ont to...sul tasto sul tasto to...sul ont to...sul tasto Coyright 2016 by Andrea Clearfield [ASCA]. All Rights Reserved.

7 Rabsong Shar 7 Fl. 9 9 # #. emerging from cl. itch #. very slo gl. #. # # # r # B sul tasto sul tasto to...sul ont to...sul tasto j j # col legno, ricochet reeat figure freely [ strike quietly in seet sot inside iano: scrae lo strings ith finger nail # sul tasto...to sul ont...to sul tasto ] rub around edge ith rubber mallet or suer ball. sul tasto to...sul ont to " "... æ Tom-M rim

8 8 Rabsong Shar Fl. B. Cl. H... # " B.D. Tom-L j on drum head # knock on ood.. #.. #. 3 3 # 3 6 # # #..... on drum head "..... ord. soft sticks sim. # B # col legno, ricochet reeat figure freely [ ] æ [ ] sul tasto sul tasto to...sul ont to...sul t. sul tasto

9 Rabsong Shar 9 Fl. 16 r # j # " r B. Cl. 3 3 j # - # 5 6 # - - # # - J # ith ood B.D. j Tom-L 2 2 H sim n. 2 B col legno, ricochet reeat figure freely # # " [ ] 3 # " n. 2 2

10 10 Rabsong Shar 18 2 " r To Vibes K # Sus. Cym. 2 2 Gong soft mallet soft sticks..... Tom-L Snare ood ire brushes Tom-M J H. 2 strike loest strings ith alm for a resonant gong-like sound % 18 2 soft mallet (or alm) on loest strings for resonant gong-like sound col legno, ricochet reeat figure freely b [ ] Ø 2 2 B 2 # " 2 2 "[ # ] 2

11 Rabsong Shar 11 Fl Sus. Cym. Gong soft sticks soft mallet Vibes arco n Tom-L ood. ". Tom-M 2 H. 2 2 sim. j 2 (%) sim. j 2 B 2 sul tasto to...sul ont to...sul tasto sul tasto to...sul ont to...sul tasto 2 sul tasto to...sul ont to...sul tasto Cb. 2 izz. J J

12 12 Rabsong Shar Fl Ob. n n To Glock 25 J " j " " j 25 H. j j 25 S j (%) j Rab B " J " " j Cb. 25 J " J " " J arco

13 Rabsong Shar B. Cl. " j " "... Rolmo Cymbal Sus. Cym. hold cymbal horizantally, lay ith hard mallet " r " " l.v. hard mallet H. " # F resonant # #.. (%) % ord. on keys S #..., F song shar ord. # B " J " " j " r " " Cb. (sul G) F

14 1 Rabsong Shar Fl. b. n b F Ob.. b. " " "" R R n b B. Cl..... Glock ith ood Timbale-H ood J " J " " J " J " " R " " J " J " J " " J " J " " R " " J " J " j " " " J " " " " j " # " # " # " # H. # # # # # # # # S " " " R R R (%) ercussive, ith energy sha sha sha sha sha.. " R "" R " " R sha sha sha sha sha #. " R sha.. Rab # B ord.. # # J " J " " " J " " Cb. izz. j " J. " " J " "