Only Sound Remains. Full Score. Soosan Lolavar

Transcription

1 Only Sound Remains Full Score Soosan Lolavar

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3 iii Only Sound Remains was produced as part o the Stay Close project 2013/14. It was supported by Arts Council England, Jerwood Charitable Foundation and Iran Heritage Foundation.

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5 v Flute Clarinet in B! Ney Tenor trombone Tombak Harp Tar Soprano Kamanche Violin Viola Violoncello Double bass Duration: c. 20 minutes

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7 vii An Introduction to Iranian Music Radi and dastgah Radi ( row ) reers to the colete repertoire o Iranian classical music and consists o 400 short pieces (gusheh corner ) that are taught to a pupil by an ostad ( master ). For many centuries each ostad was likely to teach their own version o the gusheh built up over many years and thus there was great variation in their content. By the midnineteenth century, court musician Ali Akbar Farahan (110-55) began to ormalise the wide range o gusheh into the modern day radi. The modern radi is divided into twelve groups o modes, seven o these are called dastgah and ive are reerred to as avaz. Each dastgah/avaz and gusheh has its own title reerring to a person, a region or particular sentiment or quality o character it is thought to represent. Dastgah-e Shur Avaz-e Abuata Avaz-e Dashti Avaz-e Bayat-e Tork Avaz-e Ashari Dastgah-e Segah Dastgah-e Chahargah Dastgah-e Homayun Avaz-e Bayat-e Esahan Dastgah-e Nava Dastgah-e Mahur Dastgah-e Rast Panjgah Generally, gushehs at the beginning o the series are o a lower pitch, with pitch gradually rising as you move through the series. A single piece o music oten stays largely in one dastgah throughout and musicians must make a series o decisions which amount to exteorisation. Broadly speaking they must decide how many gushehs o that dastgah to play, in which order to play them, how to progress rom one to the next and how to embellish or vary their manner o perorming each one Instruments The piece uses a mixed ensemble o Western and Middle Eastern instruments. Below, some inormation is given on each o the Middle Eastern instruments.

8 viii Tar The Tar is a double-bellied, six-string lute with three sets o double strings. Each pair o strings is tuned in unison, the irst two in plain steel, the third in wound copper. These strings are tuned in ourths (C4, G3, C3) with one extra bass string (wound in copper and tuned to G2) that runs outside the ingerboard and passes over an extension o the nut. There are also two pairs o shorter syathetic strings whose tuning is variable according to the piece to be played and with the perormer's tastes. The ingerboard has twenty-ive to twenty-eight adjustable gut rets. Its range is about two and a hal octaves, and it is played with a small brass plectrum. The word t!r means string in Farsi, thus it is claimed that the tar is the root o the names o instruments including the Persian setar, Indian sitar and Western guitar. Kamanche Kamancheh - - is a our-string upright iddle also reerred to as a spike-iddle. The soundbox is made o mulberry wood and the soundbox is covered by a skin membrane. It is played sitting down held like a cello though it is about the length o a viola. The end-pin can rest on the knee or thigh while seated in a chair. It has our strings that are tuned in 4ths, to D4, A4, D5, A5. The tension in the bow is not ixed and is controlled by the player during the perormance. The player also rotates the instrument in order to move rom high to low strings.

9 ix Ney The ney eatures in Iranian, Turkish, Azerbaijani and Arabic music traditions. It is an end-blown lute, consisting o a piece o hollow cane or reed. Turkish and Arab neys normally have 7 holes, 6 in ront and one thumb-hole in the back. The typical Iranian ney has 6 holes, one o which is on the back. The ney has been played continuously or 4,500 5,000 years, making it one o the oldest musical instruments still in use. The interval between the holes is a semitone, although microtones (and broader pitch inlections) are achieved via partial hole covering, changes o embouchure, or positioning the angle o the instrument. The ney has a range o about a 9 th and has the ability to play notes contained in one dastgah at a time. Thereore, it is common or players to use a range o neys in order to reach urther pitches and play in a variety o dastgah Tombak Tombak is a drum carved rom solid wood and covered at the wide end with cal or goat skin. It is held horizontally across the player's lap and is played with both hands. The elaborate inger technique consists o various rolling and snapping styles, which allow or a great variety o sounds. Voice The voice plays a particularly iortant role in Iranian music since it is the meaning o lyrics oten derived rom medieval mystic poets Saadi ( ), Rumi ( ) and Haez ( ) that is the key ocus o attention.

10 x A key characteristic o Persian vocal style is a type o warbling called tahrir - - which is used as an ornament or trill and is similar to the Swiss yodel. There are various types, including tahrir bolbuli so called because it echoes the sound o a nightingale. The tahrir ornament is used in long, melismatic phrases and normally alls at the end o the phrase. Microtones Iranian music makes extensive use o microtones, generally reerred to as koron. Below is the notated tonality o Dastgah-e Chahargah with the koron sign at notes A and D. Koron denotes a lowering o the interval by a microtone. This microtone is variable according to which dastgah it appears in, the particular gusheh being played, the pitch o the note and the direction by which it is approached. The koron should not be considered a quarter-tone, this is an attet to align it with a system o equal teerament that is entirely irrelevant to the Iranian music tradition.

11 xi Perormance instructions Tonality The piece uses microtones throughout. While recognising that microtones in Iranian music are lexible and not equivalent to the Western quarter-tone, or ease o playing by Western musicians, this pieces uses the notation o a quarter tone. The Western musicians should listen careully to their Middle Eastern counterparts and try to emulate the microtone sound that they produce. In the score, the sign:, a microtone/quarter sharp. denotes a microtone/quarter lat and the sign: The piece uses Iranian dastgah as its tonal basis. The 1 st, 2 nd and 5 th movements are in the mode o Homayoun while the 3 rd movement is in the mode o Segah. Irovisation The piece eatures irovisation by the Middle Eastern instrumentalists. This is notated in the score with a large arrow through the middle o the stave. A blue arrow denotes a player irovising as a soloist and a green arrow denotes a player irovising as accoaniment. The second movement is a voice and kamanche duet. The soprano line is notated while the kamanche part is shown with a blue arrow denoting soloist irovisation. An estimated length o the bar is given in boxed text below the solo line. Irovisation in the original perormance was developed by the ollowing musicians: Ney Louai Alhenawi Tombak Fariborz Kiannejad Tar Jamal Samavati Kamanche Adib Rostami Third movement This movement uses an Iranian rhythmic cycle in 13, which is notated as alternating bars o 6/ and 7/. Bars 4, 6, 122 and 14 are grouped as: as indicated in the score

12 xii Voice Tremelo lines in the voice part, depicted below and ound in bar 142 o the 5 th movement, denote the tahrir technique (see above or explanation). Harp The strings o A should be tuned up a quarter-tone to give the notes o A. The strings o D and E should be tuned according to the graphics below. Lyrics The lyrical content o the second movement is derived rom the ollowing section o the 1966 poem It is Only Sound that Remains by Forough Farrokhzad ( ): Sound, sound, only sound, The sound o the liid wish o water to low, The sound o the alling o starlight on the layer o earth s emininity, The sound o the binding o meaning s sperm And the expansion o the shared mind o love. Sound, sound, sound, only sound remains.

13 xiii In the score, lyrics are written in Farsi with English transliteration. The ollowing pronunciation rules apply: â the a in start a the a in clap i the ee in eel e the e in egg kh the j in the Spanish jamón

14 xiv Biography Soosan Lolavar is a British-Iranian cooser, sound artist and educator who works in both electronic and acoustic sound, and across the genres o concert music, conteorary dance, installation, ilm, animation and theatre. Her work has been perormed at the Royal Festival Hall, VA, National Maritime Museum, ICA, Chisenhale Gallery, LSE New Academic Building, Blackheath Concert Halls, Jacqueline Du Pré Music Centre, Bonnie Bird Theatre, Circus Space and broadcast on BBC Radio 3. In 2013 she was selected as one o two Embedded coosers in residence at the Southbank Centre, with the aim o writing a piece or the newly reurbished organ that will orm part o the Pull Out All the Stops Festival in March and April In 2012 she won the John Halord Prize or Coosition awarded by Ian Pace and was selected as part o the Adopt a Cooser scheme unded by PRS or Music Foundation and run by Making Music, in partnership with Sound and Music and BBC Radio 3. She holds degrees in Social and Political Sciences (University o Cambridge), Musicology (University o Oxord) and Coosition (Trinity Laban Conservatoire o Music and Dance) and her research interests include the politics o gender and sexuality, post-colonialism and the music industry and postmodernism in electronic musics. She has worked as an Assistant Lecturer at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, leading a course on music, gender and sexuality and at City Lit Adult Education college where she teaches: music appreciation; music analysis and criticism; and opera appreciation or beginners.

15 xv Programme Note Only Sound Remains is inspired by the works o two conteorary Iranian emale poets. It takes its title and lyrical content rom the 1966 poem It is Only Sound that Remains by Forough Farrokhzad ( ). The title o each o the ive movements is taken rom the 1967 poem Wild Mountain Plant by Jaleh Esahani ( ). I am a wild mountain plant, not a tulip in a vase. Do not take me to senseless estivities. I am used to the coldness o the rough rocks. Do not take me home. My birthplace is the mountain. Once I grew under a rock. Once I will be buried under a rock. My rough nature is the nest o grie. I am separated rom coatriots and home. My heart does not shed happiness. There is no jubilation in me. Do not expect me to be resh, scented and colourul. I am but the ury o heartache. I am a wild mountain plant waiting or spring. Stroking me with aection makes me weep. Do not make me weep. Only Sound Remains combines elements o both Iranian and Western classical music in order to explore new musical territory or both traditions. The tonal basis o the piece is derived rom two Iranian dastgah oten described as modes but unctioning more as melody types called Homayoun and Segah. These melody types require all musicians to play luctuating microtones, reerred to as koron, which are unused in Western musics. Similarly, the piece uses as source material two gusheh established melodic ragments within a particular dastgah that are used as the basis or exteorization. A dance-like melody called Reng-e Farah eatures in the 5th movement, initially as a tar solo, while Jamedaran provides the source material or the ast moving tutti passage in the same section. The piece also makes use o structural conventions, techniques and textures more common to Western classical music styles. Only Sound Remains is a work in ive movements, reely combining notated, seminotated and irovised sections. It makes use o a wide variety o instrumental timbres, thus expanding beyond the notion o melody and decoration which is the ocus o Iranian music, and eloys a range o ensemble textures, disrupting the established solo and accoaniment orm in much traditional Iranian work. Beyond the technical aspects o the piece, Only Sound Remains is a very personal relection on both my experiences over the past 10

16 xvi months o Stay Close and my own British-Iranian heritage. I have been deeply inspired by my work with musicians in Iran and members o the Farsi- speaking community in the UK. Through these two research phases I have discovered a orm o creativity in both Iran and the UK that reely combines Iranian and Western musical ideas as well as taking traditional orms and updating them in the context o a conteorary work. On a personal level, Stay Close was born as part o a wider process o rebuilding my relationship with Iran, through which the coosing process stands as a tool or asking and answering questions about my Iranian identity. This practice-as-sel- exploration process has been enlightening and will no doubt extend ar beyond the culmination o this project. Soosan Lolavar, London (April, 2014)

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19 Transposed score Flute 4 Rhythmic and animated q = 75 I. I Am A Wild Mountain Plant Soosan Lolavar (b. 197) Ney 4 Clarinet in Bb Tenor Trombone Tombak { Harp J Œ Ó J Œ Ó Ó Œ J / 4 j Œ Ó j Œ Ó Ó Œ j 4 j Œ Ó. j Œ Ó Ó Œ. j. EbF G Ab BbCbD j 4 Œ Ó j Œ Ó Ó Œ j Tar Soprano 4 J Œ Ó J Œ Ó Ó Œ J 4 Kamanche Violin Rhythmic and animated q = 75 pizz. 4 j Œ Ó j Œ Ó Ó Œ j 4 Viola B 4 Violoncello 4 solo i j B j ij ij j B i j ij ij ij i j B j ij ij <B ij B j Contrabass 4 pizz. j Œ Ó j Ó Soosan Lolavar 2014 arco pizz. B Œ j

20 2 Fl. 5 Ney Cl. j Œ Ó Ó Œ. j. Tbn... J Œ Ó Ó Œ J / j Œ Ó Ó Œ j { Hp. j Œ Ó Ó Œ j Tar J Œ Ó Ó Œ J Sop. Kam. j Œ Ó Ó Œ j Vln. B solo B i j ij i j i j i j B ij i j i j <B B ij <B j Œ B i j j i j j ij j r Œ B i j j i j j B <B ij j Œ Ó Œ B arco Œ

21 Fl. A 3 Ney Cl. j Œ Ó Ó Œ. j. Tbn. /.. J Œ Ó Ó Œ J j Œ Ó Ó Œ j { Hp. j Œ Ó Ó Œ j Tar Sop. J Œ Ó Ó Œ J Kam. A j Œ Ó Ó Œ j Vln. solo i j j i j ij ij ij ij ij ij i j j ij B B i j j Œ i j i j r Œ ij B ij j <B B ij i j j j Œ i j B i j r Œ ij B ij j Œ Œ i j B <B r j Œ Ó pizz. arco j Œ Ó Ó B r

22 4 Fl. 11 Ney Cl. j Œ Ó. j Œ. Ó Tbn... J Œ Ó J Œ Ó / j Œ Ó j Œ Ó { Hp. j Œ Ó j Œ Ó Tar J Œ Ó J Œ Ó Sop. Kam. j Œ Ó j Œ Ó Vln. Œ ij ij i j r i j j i j R ij ij Œ i j Ó ij i j B B i j j Œ i j j ij ij Œ B ij j i j <B Œ i j B Œ ij B R i j R ij J Œ B i j j ij i j j Œ B i j <B ij j Ó ij B ij ij i j B <B i j <B ij J Œ pizz. j Œ Ó j Œ Ó

23 Fl. 15 B 5 Ney Ó Œ r Œ Cl. j Œ Ó. j Œ Ó Ó Œ. j. Tbn.... J Œ Ó J Œ Ó Ó Œ J / j Œ Ó j Œ Ó Ó Œ j { Hp. j Œ Ó j Œ Ó Ó Œ j Tar Sop. Kam. J Œ Ó J Œ Ó Ó Œ J B j Œ Ó j Œ Ó Ó Œ j Vln. solo ij i j J i j J ij i j i j i j i j i j J i j i j J B j Œ Ó j Œ Ó Ó Œ j

24 1 II. The Coldness o the Rough Rocks No teo, always guided by soloists, molto rubato solo, molto rubato e ad lib. Sop. 1 U m U U U B p U Ú U se - dâ se - dâ c. -12'' c. -12'' c. -12'' c. -12'' Kam. No teo, always guided by soloists, molto rubato U U Ú arco, solo, molto rubato e ad lib. U Vln. white noise *, sul G ^ U U U Y Y Y Œ norm., sul pont., sul G ou B white noise*, sul G ^ U U U U Y Y Y Y white noise *, sul D ^ U U U U Y Y Y Y solo arco, sul tasto, sul G ^ ou ou ou ou w W W w * Daen strings and play directly on the bridge to create a white noise sound with no tone. ^ Bow reely but avoid changing bow at barline throughout

25 Sop. 5 U U U U 4 Ú B j j j Œ <B se - dâ se - m dâ p H Furtively q = Kam. c. -12'' c. -12'' Ú U H Furtively q = 60 4 Ú Vln. U o ou o o W w 4 w w B U Y U Y 4 Y Y U Y U Y 4 Y Y U o ou o gliss. o W w 4 w bw gliss.

26 20 Sop. No teo Furtively q = 60 U U 5 U Ú 4 Ú B j se - dâ se m - - dâ Kam. No teo Furtively q = 60 U c. -15'' c. -15'' 4 Ú Vln. U o ou o W W 4 W B norm., sul tasto U U W W 4 W = Sop. U U norm. Y Y 4 W U o ou o gliss. o o gliss. o W W 4 bw No teo m 11 U U U U Ú B j j tan - hâ se - dâ sul tasto 4 Kam. No teo c. -15'' c. -15'' U 4 Vln. U W o ou W 4 B U W U W 4 U U W W 4 U W o ou W 4

27 Vln. I Furtively q = o o o begin o slide to sul tasto + W W W W 21 B 4 begin slide to ord. + (ord.) W W W W begin slide to ord. + (ord.) gliss. gliss. begin slide to sul pont. 4 W bw w W 4 o o o o W W W W = + All slides between bowing techniques should occur gradually, taking the whole length o the bar to colete. Vln. 17 (sul tasto) begin slide to ord. o W o o o o W w w gliss. bw (ord.) w o gliss. B (ord.) begin slide to sul pont. (sul pont.) begin slide to ord. (ord.) begin slide to sul pont. (sul pont.) begin slide to ord. W W W W (sul pont.) begin slide to ord. (ord.) begin slide to sul tasto W W W W = Vln. 21 (sul tasto) begin slide to ord. + (ord.) begin slide to sul pont. (sul pont.) begin slide to ord. (ord.) begin slide to sul tasto W W W W o W W o W o B (ord.) W W o W o (sul tasto) W W W (sul tasto) W W W

28 27 Cl. 1 Gently q. = j j III. My Birthplace is the Mountain Tbn J J / EbF G Ab BbC D { Hp ΠB j ΠΠB ΠB j ΠB ΠB j ΠΠB J J J J J J l.v. sere j j j J j j m throughout Sop. p p p b J j b J oh oh Gently q. = 72 6 pizz j Πj Πj Πm 6 pizz j ΠJ ΠΠj Πm

29 2 Fl. Cl j m j Tbn / { Hp Œ B j Œ B J J Œ B j Œ Œ B J J Œ B j J Œ B J j J j j j J Sop. p p p <b j b J j j Œ j Œ j Œ oh J Œ j Œ J Œ

30 Fl. 13 L j 29 Ney Cl j / { Hp Œ B j Œ Œ B J J Œ B j Œ B J J Œ B j Œ Œ B J J j j j J j j Sop. p b J j oh L j Œ j Œ j Œ j Œ J Œ j Œ = Ney / { Hp Œ B j Œ B J J B j Œ Œ J J Œ B j Œ J Œ B J Œ j J j j j J j Œ j Œ j Œ J Œ j Œ J Œ

31 30 Ney / { Hp Œ B J j Œ B J J j Œ B j B j Œ J J Œ J j j j J j j j Œ j Œ j Œ j Œ J Œ j Œ = Ney 31 M / { Hp Œ B j Œ B 7 6 B j J J Œ J J Œ B j Œ B J J Œ j J j j j J M arco, sul A gliss. gliss j B Œ O BBO O O J O O b J O O Œ sul D arco, molto sul tasto J Œ J J Œ

32 44 IV. I Am But The Fury o Heartache 1 / 3 4 c. 2:00' attacca

33 45 Fl Presto q = 130 B B b b J b V. Do Not Make Me Weep Ney 3 4 B B b b J b Cl. 3 4 # B B# J / 3 4 Kam. 3 4 Presto q = 130 ree bowing, ollow slurs as a guide B B b b J b Vln. 3 4 ree bowing, ollow slurs as a guide B B b b b J B 3 4 ree bowing, ollow slurs as a guide B B b b b J 3 4 ree bowing, ollow slurs as a guide B B b b J b

34 46 Fl. 6 b J B B Œ U Ney b J B B Œ Cl. # J # B B# Œ Tar Kam. Vln. / Ó soli B B U soli b B B J B b J B B Œ pizz. b j B B Œ Œ Œ Œ J pizz. b j B B Œ Œ Œ Œ J pizz. Œ Œ Œ J = Tar Kam. 12 / b J b b b B J b J b b b B J B Œ Œ Ó b Ó b Œ Ó Œ B Œ Œ Œ Ó b Ó b Œ Ó Œ B Œ Œ Œ Ó b Ó b Œ Ó Œ B Œ

35 Fl. Ney Cl. 1 V Œ Œ Œ / B B b b b J B B b b J b # B B# # J 47 Tar Kam. Vln. = Fl. Ney Cl. Kam. Vln. B Ó V B B b b J b B B Œ b b b J B arco Œ B B b b J b arco Œ B B b b b J 23 b b W J B B solo b b B B J B #J B B# / W b b J B B b b J B B pizz. B b b j B B Ó pizz. b b j B B Ó Ó

36 4 Ney 2 B b b J b b J / B Ó J Œ Œ Œ Œ b Œ Œ b Œ Ó Ó Œ Œ Œ Œ b Œ Œ b Œ Ó J = Ney Kam. Vln. = Kam. Vln. 34 B B Œ / B Œ B 40 / Ó J Œ Œ Œ Œ b Œ Œ b Œ Ó X b b J B B Ó b b solo J B B B b b Ó Ó B b J b B b J b arco Œ B Ó B b b J arco Œ B Ó B b b J B b b j B B Ó j B B Ó X

37 45 / 49 Vln. B b b B solo Œ Œ B b b Œ B b = Fl. Ney Cl. 51 Y B B b b J B B b b J # B B# J Tar / B B b b J Vln. = <b b B Œ B Œ <b B j Œ B Y Fl. Ney Cl. 57 b b J B b b J B # # B J B Œ B Œ solo B# / Tar b b J B B Œ

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