Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Michael Pisaro
List of Contents
Performance instructions
1 for two musicians (overlapping long tones)
2 for two musicians (dividing a duration two ways)
3 for two musicians (exchanging scale)
4 for two musicians (tuning a fifth)
5 for two musicians (overlapping eighths)
6 for orchestra or ensemble (tuning decrescendo)
7 for two musicians (two radios)
8 for two musicians (open/close window)
9 for one woodwind (low sound, long/short)
10 for one musician (long high and low sounds)
11 for one woodwind (major 2nd)
12 for one musician (4 short sounds repeated)
13 for one woodwind, muted brass or bowed string (blues)
14 for one musician (2 eighths and a space)
15 for clarinet (two high notes)
16 for flute (short high sound)
17 for flute (low perfect 4th)
18 for flute (repeated scale)
19 for one musician (portable record player and a record)
20 for piano (two chords, transposed)
21 for one musician (one sound for the duration)
22 for two musicians (4 sounds, 5 minutes)
23 for one musician (a high sound 3 times)
24 for Bb clarinet (concert ‘g’, repeated eleven times)
25 for guitar (revoiced chord)
The rate of pulse, when music notation is given, is quarter note equals ca. 50 - 60, unless otherwise
indicated.
Where there is no clef, the exact choice of pitch has been left to the performer, within the given
limitations.
The pieces from the collection may be performed in three ways listed below.
1.) As individual pieces, ideally arranged as separate events (not closely preceded or followed by other music; perhaps
as short concert-length works).
Pieces from the Perception series, by the same composer, might be combined with performances of this work.
Thanks to Carlo Inderhees, Antoine Beuger and Kunsu Shim for their suggestions, knowing or not.
Michael Pisaro
Evanston, 1999 — 2000
2
2 for two musicians
Divide a duration of any length into a number of parts of equal length and alternate sound and silence,
the process carried out independently by the two players. A sustained, soft sound on any pitch or noise.
3 for two musicians
Scales should be played at the same pitch level by both players, but may
be transposed to a comfortable register.
(Long Pause)
(etc.)
2
6 for an orchestra or ensemble of any kind
Pause.
Pause.
Throughout, a single, privately audible, but publicly inaudible sound is sustained by one instrument, or a group of
instruments (2nd violins?) — this sound ends when the orchestra finally stops tuning.
7 for two musicians with radios
One radio is tuned to one frequency (which may or may not be a specific station). The frequency may be determined
by chance or choice. When the piece begins, the radio is turned on at a normal volume. Over the course of the three
minutes duration of the work, the volume of the radio is lowered to nothing (i.e., the lowest volume setting).
The other radio is tuned to the same frequency. As the piece begins this radio is turned on, already set to the lowest
volume setting (i.e., no audible sound). Over the course of the three minutes, the volume is turned up to the same
level at which the first radio began. The radio is turned off at the end of the piece.
8 for two musicians
Musician 1 opens a window.
Low register,
Soft — like humming,
First note repeated; third tone a Major 2nd higher —
the whole repeated four times.
(Major 2nd)
4
4
10 for one musician
2
4
13 for woodwind, muted brass or bowed string instrument
Middle register,
Soft — like humming —
repeated three times,
before and after a long pause.
(Minor 3rd)
4 pause
4
14 for one musician
Low register,
soft — like talking to yourself,
repeated eight times,
followed by a long pause,
one more repetition,
and another pause.
4
4
mp (1 - 8)
ppp (9)
15 for clarinet
High register,
two notes a major second apart,
as soft as possible,
played twice,
followed by a long pause,
and then once again.
16 for flute
to Normisa
(ca. 60 times)
(ca. 60 times)
soft, gentle
The performer plays a short recording (2 to 3 minutes) on a portable record player (i.e., using a record, not a tape or
compact disc) at low volume.
20 for piano
The two chords are played very softly and repeated once.
There is a long pause between the two pairs of chords.
= ca. 30
(pause)
21 for one musician
There are two sections, each of which is two minutes long. They are separated by one minute of silence.
Each player plays one very soft, relatively long sound in each section. The sounds chosen by the players should be
very similar (if using pitch, the same pitch).
Before the performance each player determines the beginning time of the sound independently using chance
procedures.
The musician finds something which makes a very small, very high, ringing sound.
Though the sounds should be separated in time, the exact timing is determined by the performer.
24 for clarinet (Bb)
to Laurence Crane
4
4
mp (1 - 7)
pause
ppp (8 - 11)
25 for guitar
Fourth and third strings tuned down 31 cents —
seventh partials of E and A respectively.
Each two bar succession of three note chords is played four times,
with a long pause between them.
Sounds are soft, but clearly audible.
4 times
4 1
XII open
2
5
4
4 VII XII
3
6
7
VII VII
4 times
2
open VII
7 3
7
V VII
5 6
VII
open