From Sketch to Score to Song #2: 4 and 20 Blackbirds
I did indeed use the Organelle instrument pictured here to experiment with extensions of the symmetric scale, and you can even make out some of my notes to that effect.
This would be my second committed non-12-TET piece. It actually started with studying ways of extending the symmetric scale (Messiaen’s 2nd mode of limited transposition), first in 12-TET, and then, since there are even more ways of conceiving of symmetric scales in tunings with finer gradations, I made the leap to using quarter tones.
There’s actually a kind of musical joke in the middle section of the piece. But like all bad jokes I don’t really expect anyone to get it without explanation. So I’ll just go ahead and give it away here. As I noted, symmetric scales and Messiaen’s own researches thereof started me off on the journey that resulted in this piece. By far the most famous of Messiaen’s music to use his 2nd mode of limited transposition is his first piano prelude, also known as “La Colombe” (“The Dove”). That piece is marked by chords in the C# symmetric scale, chords which very evocatively convey the flight of a dove, and so which might be called the “dove chords”. In homage to Messiaen and in acknowledgement of my debt to him, smack dab in the middle of the piece (a development section of sorts), I quote the dove chords and then transform them into my special C 3/4-sharp symmetric scale. Over those, I also transform the melody from the grotesque renaissance song, “Sing a Song of Sixpence”. If you’re familiar with that abysmal song, you may recognize then the title of my piece as being lifted from its lyrics. 4+20 I also take to denote the ultra-chromaticism of 24-TET. And maybe stoners will get a trip from it, too. Gotta play to multiple audiences!
Solo guitar sketch of “4 and 20 Blackbirds”:
Score version:
Unlike my previous 24-TET piece, “The Tangible Tangerine”, this score is fairly complete and mostly accurate—with the exception, that is, of not explicitly mentioning the unorthodox percussion I intended to use and which I say more about below.
Recorded version:
Two things about the sounds in this piece:
I relied heavily on UVI Falcon, which is like a dream come true for sound design, particularly the ability to turn one kind of sample-based oscillator into another, say, a multi-sampled instrument into an IRCAM multi-granular instrument (though the latter can be very CPU-intensive even while UVI Falcon is generally a lot lighter on the computer than a number of other major samplers).
All the percussion is made up of sampled extended technique sounds from all of the other instruments in the score. So, for instance, snare sounds are clarinet key clacks, cymbals sounds are flute aeolian playing, tom sounds are body knocks on the classical guitar, and the bass drum sounds are trombone pedal tones.
Look for the complete version of this and other songs on a forthcoming album.
