OnDemand. Maxwell Davies, Peter. A Sad Paven for These Distracted Tymes. Chester Music Limited Part of the Music Sales Group

Transcription

1 OnDemand Maxwell Davies, Peter A Sad Paven for These Distracted Tymes Score for sale (North America): Score for sale (UK, Europe and other territories): Information about the work and materials for hire: Score begins on the next page. Chester Music Limited Part of the Music Sales Group

2 This work was commissioned by I Teatri, Reggio Emilia for the Seventh International String Quartet Competition (Premio Paulo Borciani) in Reggio Emilia, Italy, 12th 19th June Duration: c. 8 minutes Score and parts on sale Score Order No. CH68508 Parts Order No. CH68519 COMPOSER S NOTE These notes are designed to help advanced students prepare the quartet for performance. I beg the indulgence of prospective performers who find the contents self-evident and pedantic. The quartet is based on Thomas Tomkins keyboard work A Sad Paven for these distracted tymes, composed on 14th February 1649, two weeks after the execution of King Charles I. It is available in Volume 5 of Musica Britannica (Stainer and Bell, London, 1955). Except for one section towards the close, there are no key signatures. This is because the tonality/modality constantly changes, and there are at most times so many chromatic added notes that a key signature would necessitate even more accidentals. For correct tuning, however, it helps immeasurably to understand the underlying tonality of each phrase, and the structure and function of each chord in relation to a tonic. Common triads, even when somewhat hidden within a chord, may be tuned first, and any added notes then tuned in relation to these, ensuring that the harmonic sense is firmly in the ears of the players, and that harmonic progressions remain clear for listeners. Some detailed suggestions for the tuning of a sample passage (bars 56 59) are given at the end of this Note. The opening chord of the Tomkins Pavan, quoted in part towards the end of this work, is C minor. The chord in bar 1 prefigures this, and could well begin senza vibrato, in chest of viols fashion, with increasing vibrato in the second half of the bar leading to the following B minor chord in modern style, i.e. with normal vibrato. Similarly, the A minor chord of bar could start senza vibrato, and warm up in the second half of the bar towards the dominant ninth of A minor, which can have much vibrato. Ensure that the cello F in bar 4 is well tuned against the first violin Gs. It must parallel the viola F in bar 12, also against a Gs, this time in violin II. See also bar 16. (To tune bar 4, play the common triad first, then make sure the added F works with the Gs alone before trying all four voices together). In bar 8, ensure that the semiquaver (sixteenth note) of the 8 9 is exactly the same as the semiquaver of the 16 : similarly, throughout the work, ensure that such metrical relationships remain consistently exact. The viola and cello in bar 9 have a Scottish snap together : this is the climax of the five-bar phrase which starts in bar 5, and it should be delivered with theatrical panache. At letter B, let the music fold in on itself to a very inward-sounding dominant of A minor in bar 11. This passage, through to letter C, has an espressivo molto character where the dissonances of a second and their resolutions need to be well pointed, preparing listeners for the related but more intense passage between letter K and the end of the work. (Think of the dying fall in Purcell s fantasias). At letter C the first part of bar 18 must be rhythmically exact, with the cello B occurring a demisemiquaver (thirty-second note) before the first violin E. The cello triplet quavers (eighth notes) following two dotted semiquavers (sixteenth notes) may cause a problem at first. This and similar metric relationships should be natural and flowing, and may need some attention to avoid sounding forced or bumpy. The B major chord (with the cello written enharmonically for linear reasons) in bar 19 should be well tuned to make sense of the transition to Af major/minor in bar 20. This A f should sound very different from the surrounding A minor to establish its identity, give it a different colour. If you think of the Af enharmonically as G s (minor) the A minor dominant (with added notes) of bar 21 should emerge naturally and convincingly. At the end of this section, perhaps even exaggerate the dramatic dynamic contrasts in the two bars leading into letter D.

3 Between letters D and E are two five-bar phrases, the second being a modified repeat and a ghost or shadow of the first. Although this passage derives from the tonality and contour of the five bars between letters A and B, its rhythmic and dynamic contours are quite different, gently suggesting dance music. Watch the dovetailing of the violin parts and the lilt of the Scottish snaps. The cello pizzicati on common triads should be arpeggiated quickly, suggesting a lute. (N.B. in bar 5 the viola groups of semiquavers in the second part of the bar are not triplets!) Between letters E and F is a transition passage, which should seem to evaporate into the stratosphere, with no pause between bars 9 and 40. Between letters F and G are two phrases, the first of five bars and the second of four, with the longer bar 48 corresponding to bars 4 and 44 together. The viola part is the pivot around which the others move. The pause bar, 44, should form a dramatic interruption, but the Bartók pizzicati (violin II and cello) should not be too overpowering. The relationship of the diminished 5th should bind the two phrases make the D minor at bar 40, plus the diad C and D in bar 44 and the Af major at bar 46, plus the diad G f and A f at bar 48 eminently clear. At letter G the atmosphere should be calm: allow the transitional B major (with added A s ) to register before the intense largamente. Violin II is prominent in the second part of bar 5: the tuning of the last dotted crotchet (dotted quarter note) of this bar is particularly important if the passage is to succeed harmonically (E, Gs, B, plus the minor 9th over E, the F n ). Bar 55 is climactic: although the D major second inversion lasts only a semiquaver, give it space to register so that the next transitional chord over the cello Cn sounds logical. At letter H, the two four-bar phrases again centre around a viola tenor this whole passage must have poise and grace. The section between letters I and J has, again, two balancing five-bar phrases. In the first of these the line divided between viola and cello is the main voice. It starts liltingly, and with so many quick, added notes, 9 it could help focus tuning to keep in the inner ear the sound of a B major tonic chord. Watch that the bar is dynamically and rhythmically accurate, anticipating the strepitoso. Bar 69 et seq. should become ever more dramatic. Bar 7 cadences into 74 in F minor. In the eight-bar Adagio between letters J and K, the F minor is spelt mostly enharmonically (it is pulled towards A minor). It should be carefully paced so that its function as a transition (and a lead into the C minor chord at letter K ) can register fully. At letter K, where the Tomkins Pavan is quoted, the music should be in style, i.e. it should suggest the sound of a chest of viols, with all the voices basically equal, and with little or no vibrato. In the three bars before letter L the focus changes, with the figure from letter A emerging from Tomkins texture, first in the viola, then with violin I joining at bar 94. The passage from Letter L to the end forms the climax by inversion the still, emotional core of the work, which should be quietly the most intense and measured. It hovers between the C minor chord which starts Tomkins Pavan, and the A minor which is the main tonality of the new quartet. Thus there is an apparent resolution in bar 99 one way, which is then contradicted in the next bar and a half, with the final cello Ef leaving the matter unresolved. Give the last three bars breathing space to register as truly floating, with time almost suspended. P.M.D. Rehearsal suggestions for tuning in bars Harmonically, at the last quaver of bar 56, the Bn in violin II is the added note tune the chord first without it. In bar 57, last chord, it is the Dn in violin I which is the harmonic outsider. In bar 58, third quaver, it is the Dn in violin II: in the 5th chord it is the Bn in violin II, and the last quaver is a normal whole-tone chord. In bar 59, first quaver, it is the Af in violin II (minor second over viola G) which is the outsider : in the second chord, the F and Af in violin I and the G s in the cello are outside the E minor triad. In the third chord, the Dn in violin II is the added note, and in the last chord the F s in the violin II and cello. (For tuning purposes pizzicato passages are rehearsed ).

4 A SAD PAVEN for these distracted tymes Lento. = c. 60 Peter Maxwell Davies Violin I Violin II Viola Cello 5 A poco accel. 8 Andante. = c. 80 [.2.2] B Lento = c. 54 gliss. gliss. molto vib. Copyright 2004 Chester Music Ltd. CH68508 All rights reserved Printed in England

5 2 [2..2] 5 5: 25 poco tenuto a tempo D [2.2.]

6 6 4 () () 46 [2.] [2.2.] G Meno mosso = c [2.2.] [2.2.] pesante largamente pesante

7 7 5 [2.] sul sol rit. molto sul sol molto molto molto H Tempo giusto. = [2..2.] 59 [2..2.] [2..2.]

8 11 90 poco rit. 94 L A tempo [.2.2] poco sul do poco arpeggio lento e dolce Airon, Sanday, Orkney January 2004