唄-媒-培  (BAI-BAI-BAI) (2019-21)

Scores

The handwritten score is the one received from Harada. Here, several of the pitches are wrong, as we realized that many of the suggested preparations had to be dedicated to other pitches/strings. The digitally engraved score is the one I made afterwards, with the correct pitches. This however still serves best as a “personal working score”, and a final published score does still not exist.

Technical Info

Special requirements for concert programming and instrument:

• A grand piano preferably just for this work, due to extensive de-tuning (20 strings) and many preparations.

Use of microtonal techniques

• Non-unison string course scordatura (Fig. 1, bottom staff (see further below))
  audio example 1: bar 30-52

  audio example 2: bar 27-29
  Note that the volume of one string is considerably softer than of two or three strings.

  All these pitches/keys have their trichord string course adjusted as such (from left to right) :
  1st string: -33 cents
  2nd string: 0 cent change
  3rd string: +33 cents

  In bar 30-52 (audio example 1), we find a section almost exclusively dedicated to the de-tuned middle range.
  It should be mentioned that the pianist is also asked to sing – extremely softly – blending another microtonal and slightly unstable line into the chords.
  In my “personal working score”, the notes of the voice were colored dark blue.

  In addition to the timbre the 3 strings create together, Harada sometimes also asks for only one string to be heard at the time, thus needing to mute the remaining strings by hand, such as in bar 27-29 (audio example 2). (She writes “M” mute, but this is not to be confused with the “M” for multiphonics.)

• Piano harmonics (Fig. 1, the 3rd staff)
  These are natural harmonics to be marked on bass strings with yarn or sim., but touched with finger or sim. The very high harmonics are “high random pitches”.
• Piano multiphonics (Fig. 1, the 2nd staff)
  One may find nice multiphonic sounds on both sides of the 4th harmonic. Mark with yarn and touch with a finger.
• Prepared piano
  A little tack-it right in front of the agraffes, creates a dry, muted sound (Fig. 1, top staff).
  A dry, yet different sound comes when it is placed on the middle of the string (Fig. 1, 4th staff),
  and there are also preparations with objects that result in more microtonal sounds (Fig. 1, 5th staff).
  1 2 3
  ⬆︎ Fig. 1 ⬆︎
  
  I have added some video demonstrations that I made during the early phase of our collaboration, and one may find them by clicking the red circles.
  4

  5

  6
  ⬆︎ Fig. 2 ⬆︎:
  A comment on video 4:
  Luckily, not all pianos have the stress bars placed as shown in this demonstration! Touching harmonic and multiphonic nodes on both sides of this metal bar, may become terribly demanding at a higher speed.

  The same extract, but from the CD recording which was made in 2023, can be heard in the 'Remarks' chapter.

• Glissandi along strings (when a corresponing key is pressed)
  In bar 104, a string glissando is called for (fig. 3), and in bar 146 there is supposed to be a (wide) vibrato on a low string (fig. 4).
  7

  ⬆︎ Fig. 3 ⬆︎

  8

  ⬆︎ Fig. 4 ⬆︎
  
  
  audio example 3

  Harada had suggested to realize the glissando with a tuning hammer, but we soon chose rather to use a hard cylinder-shaped object to roll some centimeters along the string with a good amount of pressure.

  The piano used for the CD-recording, didn’t have enough space to realize this on the B3 strings, so we agreed to transpose it to B2. (audio example 3)

  For bar 146, a ball made of glass was used.