放 - Fàng
work in ink and watercolour for cor anglais, violin, violoncello, harp, and piano
2016
7’
the music starts with conventional notation, becomes fluid in undulating modal forms, and finally breaks free from the staff where watercolour introduces gradation of hue
inspired by traditional Chinese calligraphy; in creating the modal shapes digitally, the calligraphic sense of discipline is exaggerated while its organic nature is tempered. after the release, this is reversed; the semiotic structure is discarded and intuition reigns in painting.
放 (Fàng) is the hànzì for ‘to release’ or ‘to liberate’, but also ‘to play’ (a sound recording)
original performance notes:
Duration
The approximate duration of the piece is ~7’, and how that time is distributed throughout the piece will vary from performance to performance, but to give a rough guide, each page could be thought to last one minute; this can vary, in that if the performers wish to take a slower or faster tempo at the beginning, it will lead to a proportionally slower or faster tempo at a later point, to make up the 7’.
Concept and Interpretation
The concept of the piece is primarily that of artistic freedom, specifically regarding counterpoint and its strict methods. The title character is the kanji Fàng, which means ‘to release’, ‘to set free’, or ‘to liberate’, but also ‘to play (a recording)’. The idea of counterpoint is referenced by way of a double staff (a grand staff of treble and bass clefs) being merged into a single one, with the ‘C’ line indicated between them. The music itself is represented (besides in the conventional notation) by a number of segmented, transforming lines, as though they were dense collections of notes. While interpretation of the lines could vary infinitely, below are some suggested methods.
Pitch – As the line can, at times, cover a large pitch area on the staff, methods for defining pitch can vary greatly. One could read a pitch route through the constant middle of the line (while choosing a width method for dynamics, for example (below)), or follow the outer contour(s) (upper or lower) of the line, taking the remainder of the line’s depth
(below or above, respectively) as an indication of dynamic. One could alternatively pick a chaotic route through the line with much varied pitch and dynamic.
Dynamic – The interpretation of dynamic will vary based on the pitch method chosen at any given point in the music, but the most common way to interpret the dynamic would be by the width of the line (wider being louder (or quieter) than thinner). One could also take the degree or severity of the curve to indicate dynamic. Other options would be to relate to the dynamics of the other instruments (either by listening or reading their part), or simply to choose dynamics arbitrarily.
Technique – All standard techniques are valid for use in the interpretation, and extended techniques are encouraged. Microtones are especially welcomed, as well as multiphonics (for example, on the cor anglais, strings, or piano if it is prepared). Scordatura and other tuning methods are acceptable, including quarter-tone tuning (on the piano or harp for example).
The proportional nature of the duration allows for lingering on certain areas of the line (slowing down or keeping a constant pitch, then speeding up at a different point to make up the time), if one wished to coincide a certain section (harmonically, if not otherwise) with what other instruments are playing, for a longer time, perhaps applying a particular technique at that point to accentuate the moment.
A little after halfway through the piece the line becomes free of the both the staff and its static ‘blackness’; the interpretation should change accordingly at this point to factor in these changes (pitch and dynamic become far less defined, and it is the point of release; a beginning to the ecstasy of long-sought freedom), but not in any other major way.