TEMPOS & NOTES

Recordings

Please click the titles on the Rehearsal Schedule page for reference recordings/videos.

Here are audio-only files if you prefer:

• Kintsugi

• …there is yet beauty

Kintsugi Musician Notes

This music VERY beautiful, very delicate, and will take a LOT of preparation. In order for it to sound “free,” it’s important that we master all of the “logistics” BEFORE the first rehearsal, including rhythms, dynamics, fingerings and sounding pitches of harmonics.

Subdivisions are VERY important – make sure you’re always looking ahead to the next subdivision and are able to switch quickly between them. Often, you are doubling or part of another instrument, and lining up can only happen if everyone is counting the subdivisions correctly. The end result is very free, flexible sounding.

A score for practice purposes is available here. I highly recommend that at least principals look closely to see how your/your section’s part lines up with other instruments. The music will make much more sense to you more quickly if you follow along with your part and/or score before the first rehearsal. (In case you are interested, here is a version of the original piano trio version. Beautiful performance. I find it helpful for connecting with the gestural, improvisatory-“sounding” character she imagines.)

Harp and mallet percussion often line up closely. I highly recommend checking out the score. These instruments should be placed as closely together as possible.

For all instruments:

• Dynamics are very precise, and an important part of the piece.

• A circle at the beginning or end of a cresc. or dim. = niente

• Angled/Feathered beams mean start quickly and get slower (16th note beam to 8th note beam) or start slowly and get quicker (8th note beam to16th note beam) over the course of that beamed group. Play the correct number of notes, but it will be (by definition) an uneven/accel. or rit. rhythm.

• Grace notes are always fast and before the beat. These are like shakuhachi grace notes.

Flute

• mm. 7-8: Harmonic trill over fingered lower note

• Picc. Flz=flutter tongue

For strings:

• A diamond notehead means touch the string at that point

• A note with a circle above it means touch where it sounds: most often this means an octave harmonic; Occasionally it is the harmonic a 5th above the octave harmonic

• A Roman numeral indicates the string number; these are apparent most of the time. See below for clarifications of unmarked harmonics

• Square notehead= overpressure with bow, so the note ALMOST starts to crack/crunch

• Triangular notehead= a note as high as possible

• m. 83: stands 1-3 only – first three players on first three stands (players 1, 2, 3) play upper line; 2 three players on first three stands (players 2, 4, 6) play lower line. All others tacet to end

• ALL of these notes line up rhythmically with harp notes; none of them line up with other string sections; rhythmic accuracy is important

• Harmonics:

  • Often the harmonics are connecting with another part in the orchestra – make sure you know all fingerings/dynamics/rhythms

• A note in parentheses under a trill indicates the note to be trilled to. Alternate between the harmonic on the lower note and the harmonic fingered in the parentheses above that. (Often a 5th above)

• Trilling a Maj 2nd above means alternate between the harmonic on the lower note and the harmonic fingered a major second above that.

Vln I

• m. 4-9 Trill to harmonic Maj 2nd above notated note throughout (G on D string trills to A on D string); This continues with Major 2nd trill on all notes in m. 8-9.

• m. 16 (solo) bow ricochets from E string to G string with left hand gliss. at same time

• m. 20= div.; pickup to m. 26=unis.

• m. 33 on II: use open A, trill to fingered harmonic above

• m. 35 accel. Trill between harmonic and open string; Upper trill is between fingered D and E natural

• m. 39 non div. Start Bb on D string, add open A, keep gliss. on D string

• m. 66 switch between Maj 2nd trill and a trill to the open string at the B harmonic

• m. 72 vib.= vibrate harmonic

• mm. 82-end three players on top line, three players on bottom line. All others tacet to end (See note above)

• m. 97-102: trill between false harmonic and lower fingered note

• m. 100 Open D string, gradually bring the first finger in underneath on the gliss.

• m. 101 touch E on A string (ignore lower note)

• m. 103 touch D on A string (ignore lower note)

• m. 105 touch B on E string (ignore lower note)

Vln II

• m. 9 non divisi , octave harmonics on D and A string (later A and E string)

• m. 27-28 div., B unis.

• (B – part of harp gestures)

• m. 33 on II (ignore lower note)

• mm. 35-6 Div. wherever there are two notes

• m. 41 Switch to octave G string harmonic for the note on the 3rd beat. Trill with open G string throughout gliss.

• m. 53 trill between harmonic and the lower note

• m. 54 E on A string, change to harmonic on m. 55

• m. 63 div.

• m. 76 octave harmonic on E string

• nm. 83 upper touch G on D string (ignore lower note); lower div. = 8ve harmonic on A str.

• m. 100 touch A on E string (ignore lower note)

Viola

• m. 9, m. 11: Trill between these two natural harmonics

• m. 13 non divisi, trill between open strings and octave harmonics above

• m. 20 Gliss

• m. 46 Gliss

•  m. 54-56 div.; D unis.

• mm. 73-4 divisi

• m. 75 unis

• Rehearsal E, lower divisi: octave harmonic on D string.

• m. 101 octave harmonic on D string

• m. 104 to Octave harmonic on A string

Cello

• (Rehearsal B – part of harp gestures)

• See this video for cello solo bow pressure vibrato: https://youtu.be/G1d6qJtK3Zk?si=CWEABv1C78jq6SW1&t=82

• m. 40 Start at octave harmonic on G string gliss up and back to/from harmonic two octaves above open G always trilling between fingered note (wherever you are in the gliss.) and the open G string.

• m. 53 Octave harmonic on A string

• m. 57-67 finger the harmonic two octaves above the open string, trill to harmonic fingered a 5th above (It’s very high!)

• m. 60 trill between G harmonic and the D harmonic above

• m. 76 begin on harmonic two octaves above D string (niente dynamic); gliss back and forward to octave harmonic on D string., always trilling with open D string.

Bass

• div. – ½ pizz (rhythm), ½ arco (sustained note)