David Saperstein Six Solos for Unaccompanied Vibraphone (Score)
Product Description
Music by David Saperstein
Engraved and Edited by Peter Jarvis
Six Solos for Unaccompanied Vibraphone
Includes: Vibraphone Solo, Vibraphone Solo II, Vibraphone Solo III, Vibraphone Solo IV, Vibraphone Solo V, and Vibraphone Solo VI
(Score)
Six Solos for Unaccompanied Vibraphone – David Saperstein (2000-2011)
Performance Notes:
1. Accidentals, once introduced into a measure, apply to one register only, and remain in effect until cancelled by a natural or until the bar line. Additional accidentals are sometimes added as a precaution.
2. Four mallets are required, and the choice of specific types of mallets is left to the performer, in accordance with individual preferences and the acoustical conditions of the performance space.
3. With the exception of when the pedal clears the sound, let all notes vibrate throughout.
4. The duration of the six pieces together is approximately 22’49”
5. The durations of the individual pieces are: Vibraphone Solo - 2’05” Vibraphone Solo II - 3’49” Vibraphone Solo III - 7’41” Vibraphone Solo IV - 1’42” Vibraphone Solo V - 45” Vibraphone Solo VI - 6’26”
Program Notes: (All notes by David Saperstein)
Vibraphone Solo, composed in August of 2000, is dedicated to Peter Jarvis. This composition is of brief duration and is in four sections, with the third section contrasting very markedly with the other sections. The opening of the work features a very specific group of tones – C, B and G – being sounded repeatedly. The second section is more fluid, with the same notes repeated in triplets. The third section, in marked contrast, is very free flowing, using much rubato, and with melodic lines with very extreme leaps. The final section is very similar to the opening section. Mr. Jarvis gave the first performance of this work on February 25, 2002 at William Paterson University.
Vibraphone Solo II was composed in August 2009, commissioned by Calabrese Brothers Music, LLC, and dedicated to Peter Jarvis. In this brief work, which has a duration of approximately 4 minutes, two modes of expression, one typified by slow, single sustained tones, and the other, by more rapid patterns of double stops and single non-sustained tones, vie for the listener’s attention. The sustained tones begin with intervals of perfect fourths and fifths. The non-sustained tones start out primarily using minor thirds. These two expressive elements continue in dialogue, with contrasts in dynamics and changes of intervallic nature, as the work progresses. Eventually the faster patterns of tones give way to the slow sustained music, which becomes more repetitive, suggesting the music of a carillon, as the work closes.
Vibraphone Solo III, composed in the Spring of 2010, explores a different sound world than does Vibraphone Solo II and some of the works I composed in 2009 and 2010, because it features prominently the interval of the whole step and pitches selected from the whole-tone scale. Vibraphone Solo III is the third solo in a set of six unaccompanied vibraphone solos, all of which can be played independently of one another, or together as one multi-movement work. Vibraphone Solo III is one of the longest of the six. Rhythmically, it explores a similar duality to Vibraphone Solo II, with its interplay between slow and fast passages, and between long sustained notes and those of short duration. Silences also play a key role in the work.
Vibraphone Solo IV was composed in August of 2010 on a trip to Ghana. It is the fourth solo in a set of six unaccompanied vibraphone solos, all of which can be played independently of one another, or together as one multi-movement work. Vibraphone Solo IV is influenced by the experience of visiting a very unique, very vibrant culture, one very much in synch with our American traditions of democracy. The opening of the work is somewhat reminiscent of the first of the six solos, with a reiterated 4-note chord, built on the same note, D. As the work progresses, a pitch progression built around half-step relationships develops. This piece is one of the briefest of the set of six, and is barely two minutes in length.
Vibraphone Solo V was composed in September of 2010. It is the fifth solo in a set of six unaccompanied vibraphone solos, each of which can be performed separately from one another. Similar to Vibraphone Solo IV, it is a brief work, with a duration of less than one minute. When played by itself, the brief duration of this piece makes it perfect for presentation on contemporary music concerts featuring short works, such as “15 Minutes of Fame” put on by The Composer’s Voice. When all six solos are played together, Vibraphone Solo V resembles the penultimate movement of a Bach-like suite. Except for the last of the solos, which is dedicated to the memory of Milton Babbitt, all the other solos are dedicated to Peter Jarvis, my friend of many years, whose talents and energy I most admire, whose musical judgment I trust and respect, and who is the consummate composer, conductor, performer, editor, teacher and engraver.
Vibraphone Solo VI was written in June 2011 in response to a call for scores from Robert Morris and Benjamin Boretz, the editors of Perspectives of New Music, for works dedicated to the memory of Milton Babbitt, who passed away at the beginning of 2011. The score bears the dedication, “In Memory of Milton Babbitt, Composer, Author, Teacher, Friend.” In this work, a similar process takes place as in Vibraphone Solo II, where there is a duality between long, slowly moving passages and short sections of fast-paced music. In Vibraphone Solo II, the slow passages win out in the end, but in this piece, it is difficult to say which element reigns supreme.
Biographical Information:
David Saperstein: David Saperstein was born in Brooklyn and grew up on Long Island and in New Jersey. His first musical studies were at home with his father. His first formal studies in Musical Composition were with Jacob Druckman at the Juilliard Pre-College Division. He continued his musical studies at Princeton University, where he was a student of Milton Babbitt, and at Brandeis University, with Martin Boykan. An award winner at an early age, David was one of the youngest winners of the BMI Awards to Student Composers, and is a seven-time winner of the ASCAP Standard Award. He was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in Musical Composition and was an Associate Fellow at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood. A former member of the music faculty at Brooklyn College, Mr. Saperstein’s music has been heard in the United States as well as abroad, with performances taking place at such venues as Alice Tully Hall, Town Hall, Symphony Space and the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City, the American Academy and Villa La Pariola (the American Ambassador’s Residence) in Rome, Villa Schiffanoia in Florence, the Arnold Schoenberg Institute in Los Angeles, and at many colleges and conservatories around the country. The performers who have played Mr. Saperstein’s music include the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble and New Jersey New Music Ensemble, under the direction of Peter Jarvis and Raymond DesRoches, the Purchase Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Dominic Donato, Speculum Musicae, the Group for Contemporary Music, and the Composers Guild of New Jersey. Mr. Saperstein’s Antiphonies for Percussion is recorded on a Nonesuch CD.
Peter Jarvis: Peter Jarvis is a percussionist, conductor, drummer, composer, educator, copyist and print music editor. As a freelance musician he has performed as a soloist, chamber player and conductor with many highly distinguished ensembles in the United States and abroad; primarily in New York in Ne w Jersey. As conductor he has appeared with the Saint Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, The New Jersey Percussion Ensemble, and several other groups. He has appeared as guest conductor on the San Francisco Symphony’s New and Unusual Music Series. The New York Times has said about Jarvis's conducting: ". . . [He] did full justice to its rhythmic complexities; Mr. Jarvis and his forces richly deserved the standing ovation they received." As copyist he has worked on the music of Leonard Bernstein, Milton Babbitt, Elliott Carter, Ned Rorem, George Walker and several dozen other American and International composers. His work is in the catalog of many major music publishers, including CF Peters, Boosey and Hawks, Theodore Presser, Shirmers, etc. Jarvis teaches music at Connecticut College and William Paterson University, his teaching responsibilities include academic classes, percussion lessons, coaching/conducting chamber music directing New Music Concerts and the New Music Series at William Paterson University where he is Director of New Music. His compositions are published by Calabrese Brothers Music, LLC and he is a member of BMI.
Engraved and Edited by Peter Jarvis
Six Solos for Unaccompanied Vibraphone
Includes: Vibraphone Solo, Vibraphone Solo II, Vibraphone Solo III, Vibraphone Solo IV, Vibraphone Solo V, and Vibraphone Solo VI
(Score)
Six Solos for Unaccompanied Vibraphone – David Saperstein (2000-2011)
Performance Notes:
1. Accidentals, once introduced into a measure, apply to one register only, and remain in effect until cancelled by a natural or until the bar line. Additional accidentals are sometimes added as a precaution.
2. Four mallets are required, and the choice of specific types of mallets is left to the performer, in accordance with individual preferences and the acoustical conditions of the performance space.
3. With the exception of when the pedal clears the sound, let all notes vibrate throughout.
4. The duration of the six pieces together is approximately 22’49”
5. The durations of the individual pieces are: Vibraphone Solo - 2’05” Vibraphone Solo II - 3’49” Vibraphone Solo III - 7’41” Vibraphone Solo IV - 1’42” Vibraphone Solo V - 45” Vibraphone Solo VI - 6’26”
Program Notes: (All notes by David Saperstein)
Vibraphone Solo, composed in August of 2000, is dedicated to Peter Jarvis. This composition is of brief duration and is in four sections, with the third section contrasting very markedly with the other sections. The opening of the work features a very specific group of tones – C, B and G – being sounded repeatedly. The second section is more fluid, with the same notes repeated in triplets. The third section, in marked contrast, is very free flowing, using much rubato, and with melodic lines with very extreme leaps. The final section is very similar to the opening section. Mr. Jarvis gave the first performance of this work on February 25, 2002 at William Paterson University.
Vibraphone Solo II was composed in August 2009, commissioned by Calabrese Brothers Music, LLC, and dedicated to Peter Jarvis. In this brief work, which has a duration of approximately 4 minutes, two modes of expression, one typified by slow, single sustained tones, and the other, by more rapid patterns of double stops and single non-sustained tones, vie for the listener’s attention. The sustained tones begin with intervals of perfect fourths and fifths. The non-sustained tones start out primarily using minor thirds. These two expressive elements continue in dialogue, with contrasts in dynamics and changes of intervallic nature, as the work progresses. Eventually the faster patterns of tones give way to the slow sustained music, which becomes more repetitive, suggesting the music of a carillon, as the work closes.
Vibraphone Solo III, composed in the Spring of 2010, explores a different sound world than does Vibraphone Solo II and some of the works I composed in 2009 and 2010, because it features prominently the interval of the whole step and pitches selected from the whole-tone scale. Vibraphone Solo III is the third solo in a set of six unaccompanied vibraphone solos, all of which can be played independently of one another, or together as one multi-movement work. Vibraphone Solo III is one of the longest of the six. Rhythmically, it explores a similar duality to Vibraphone Solo II, with its interplay between slow and fast passages, and between long sustained notes and those of short duration. Silences also play a key role in the work.
Vibraphone Solo IV was composed in August of 2010 on a trip to Ghana. It is the fourth solo in a set of six unaccompanied vibraphone solos, all of which can be played independently of one another, or together as one multi-movement work. Vibraphone Solo IV is influenced by the experience of visiting a very unique, very vibrant culture, one very much in synch with our American traditions of democracy. The opening of the work is somewhat reminiscent of the first of the six solos, with a reiterated 4-note chord, built on the same note, D. As the work progresses, a pitch progression built around half-step relationships develops. This piece is one of the briefest of the set of six, and is barely two minutes in length.
Vibraphone Solo V was composed in September of 2010. It is the fifth solo in a set of six unaccompanied vibraphone solos, each of which can be performed separately from one another. Similar to Vibraphone Solo IV, it is a brief work, with a duration of less than one minute. When played by itself, the brief duration of this piece makes it perfect for presentation on contemporary music concerts featuring short works, such as “15 Minutes of Fame” put on by The Composer’s Voice. When all six solos are played together, Vibraphone Solo V resembles the penultimate movement of a Bach-like suite. Except for the last of the solos, which is dedicated to the memory of Milton Babbitt, all the other solos are dedicated to Peter Jarvis, my friend of many years, whose talents and energy I most admire, whose musical judgment I trust and respect, and who is the consummate composer, conductor, performer, editor, teacher and engraver.
Vibraphone Solo VI was written in June 2011 in response to a call for scores from Robert Morris and Benjamin Boretz, the editors of Perspectives of New Music, for works dedicated to the memory of Milton Babbitt, who passed away at the beginning of 2011. The score bears the dedication, “In Memory of Milton Babbitt, Composer, Author, Teacher, Friend.” In this work, a similar process takes place as in Vibraphone Solo II, where there is a duality between long, slowly moving passages and short sections of fast-paced music. In Vibraphone Solo II, the slow passages win out in the end, but in this piece, it is difficult to say which element reigns supreme.
Biographical Information:
David Saperstein: David Saperstein was born in Brooklyn and grew up on Long Island and in New Jersey. His first musical studies were at home with his father. His first formal studies in Musical Composition were with Jacob Druckman at the Juilliard Pre-College Division. He continued his musical studies at Princeton University, where he was a student of Milton Babbitt, and at Brandeis University, with Martin Boykan. An award winner at an early age, David was one of the youngest winners of the BMI Awards to Student Composers, and is a seven-time winner of the ASCAP Standard Award. He was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in Musical Composition and was an Associate Fellow at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood. A former member of the music faculty at Brooklyn College, Mr. Saperstein’s music has been heard in the United States as well as abroad, with performances taking place at such venues as Alice Tully Hall, Town Hall, Symphony Space and the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City, the American Academy and Villa La Pariola (the American Ambassador’s Residence) in Rome, Villa Schiffanoia in Florence, the Arnold Schoenberg Institute in Los Angeles, and at many colleges and conservatories around the country. The performers who have played Mr. Saperstein’s music include the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble and New Jersey New Music Ensemble, under the direction of Peter Jarvis and Raymond DesRoches, the Purchase Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Dominic Donato, Speculum Musicae, the Group for Contemporary Music, and the Composers Guild of New Jersey. Mr. Saperstein’s Antiphonies for Percussion is recorded on a Nonesuch CD.
Peter Jarvis: Peter Jarvis is a percussionist, conductor, drummer, composer, educator, copyist and print music editor. As a freelance musician he has performed as a soloist, chamber player and conductor with many highly distinguished ensembles in the United States and abroad; primarily in New York in Ne w Jersey. As conductor he has appeared with the Saint Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, The New Jersey Percussion Ensemble, and several other groups. He has appeared as guest conductor on the San Francisco Symphony’s New and Unusual Music Series. The New York Times has said about Jarvis's conducting: ". . . [He] did full justice to its rhythmic complexities; Mr. Jarvis and his forces richly deserved the standing ovation they received." As copyist he has worked on the music of Leonard Bernstein, Milton Babbitt, Elliott Carter, Ned Rorem, George Walker and several dozen other American and International composers. His work is in the catalog of many major music publishers, including CF Peters, Boosey and Hawks, Theodore Presser, Shirmers, etc. Jarvis teaches music at Connecticut College and William Paterson University, his teaching responsibilities include academic classes, percussion lessons, coaching/conducting chamber music directing New Music Concerts and the New Music Series at William Paterson University where he is Director of New Music. His compositions are published by Calabrese Brothers Music, LLC and he is a member of BMI.
