iris ter schiphorst

Brief description on the New Music database

In Iris ter Schiphorst's "Klangrätsel", the players are challenged to perform instrumental and (sometimes simultaneously) spoken/sung musical and/or theatrical actions. The localisation of the mostly soundless actions on the instrument and the corresponding simultaneous vocal actions will certainly be exciting for the audience. Humorous, exciting and atmospheric moments can certainly be expected here and it will be a pleasure to work on, play and experience this piece with experimental ensembles.

Notation

In terms of notation, the work is very clear and easy to read. All playing techniques are clearly explained in the preface, which also contains all the necessary instructions for realising the work in a very comprehensible manner.

Requirements

• In terms of instrumental technique, this work is elementary.

• Advanced playing techniques are the basis of the work. Classical playing techniques hardly play a role.

• Vocally, the work requires a courageous approach to the experimental use of the voice and the ability to confidently form unusual and clearly defined sounds and abstract syllable sequences with the voice and to keep them available on stage in front of an audience.

• Theatrically, it demands actions derived from the "classical movements" in the handling of the instrument.

• Metrically, the work is simple, clear and easy to grasp.

• Rhythmically, the material is clear, easy to follow and immediately catchy.

• Dynamically, the work demands courage to go to extremes when using the voice, as well as subtlety and colour in the quieter passages.

• A well-rehearsed ensemble or sufficient rehearsal time and a conductor with a good overview and clear signalling are required for the ensemble playing (see didactic notes).

Didactic notes and recommendations

• The target groups for this piece are children's and amateur orchestras. String classes could also benefit greatly from working with it.

• The use of very elementary actions on the instrument makes it possible to concentrate on the accuracy of rhythmic and dynamic interplay and thus to focus on the players' ability to express themselves through the equally elementary (and therefore easily accessible) actions with the voice.

• Experience has shown that vocal and/or theatrical actions facilitate the development and coordination of more complex, complementary rhythmic patterns in ensembles. The first rehearsals should probably be dedicated to the notation of the extended playing techniques. As these are the same for the whole orchestra, this can be done very well with the whole orchestra without vocal rehearsals at the beginning.

• It would certainly be very good to always perform all the actions in the group, so that even less courageous players are always motivated and supported by the group.

• Care should be taken with some actions with the bow (striking through the air) so that nothing gets broken if the children and young people are a little wilder.

• Intensively practising the disciplined use of seemingly playful material will be a real challenge for some practitioners. However, both the tonal expression and the impression on the audience will be very strong and can therefore be seen as a worthwhile goal for the work invested.

• In this piece, the orchestra is very dependent on a conductor who can give clear cues and impulses, as well as being able to act and motivate dynamically and energetically.

 

From the legend

This piece is about seeing and hearing. Who is playing the sound I see? Which instrument? Who hears the sound I play?

In "Klangrätsel" there is almost never any 'real' playing. Almost all noises and sounds are triggered by the voice or other objects, but almost never by the string instruments themselves.

The string movements of the strings are therefore never heard, they are only feigned. However, this illusion must look completely real. To do this, all the strings are completely muted with the left hand; the fingers grip all the strings very close to the end of the fingerboard. The right hand = bow hand is used to bow on the fingers of the left hand so that no sound or noise can be heard at all, but it looks to the audience as if the strings are 'really' being bowed.
The upstroke and downstroke signs refer to the right hand = the bow hand, which is bowing on the fingers of the left hand. There are therefore only visible but no audible bow movements (bow strokes).

Almost all sounds are made with the voice. Sometimes one group strokes and another group makes a sound with their voice. Sometimes the players have to do both, i.e. make inaudible bowing movements at the same time as the vocal sounds.

The sounds with the voice should be barely perceptible visually so that it is not clear where they are coming from (so don't open your mouth too clearly!).
All sounds with the voice are produced soundlessly, i.e. without pitch. They are often whispered sibilants. Sometimes vowels are also indicated alongside the consonants, but these may also sound completely toneless, i.e. only whispered in a breath.

The three lines of the score refer to 'registers' of the notated vocal sounds, as all the whispered and sibilant sounds should be roughly differentiated into 'rather high', 'medium' and 'rather low'.
Sometimes the voice sounds should glissandate from a rather high register to a rather low one, of course only implied, because everything is toneless. (The piece should sound very quiet and very mysterious!!)

The vocal noises are marked in red in the score. Where the players have to perform both string movements and whispering sibilants, the note heads of the upstrokes or downstrokes are notated in black and the whispering sounds in red underneath.

The dynamics of course only refer to the voice sounds, because you can't hear the bowing on the fingers anyway.

- The viola needs a pencil.
- The cello needs a mobile phone. During the rehearsal period, this mobile phone was used to record a longer sound that fits the piece and was played very very quietly at the corresponding point in the score.
played back very quietly. (This could be traffic noise, for example, or the opening and closing of a zip, rain, a pop song, etc.). ).
- The double bass player needs a thin pencil and four marbles. He has a bucket of water next to his seat. The pencil is to be used to tremolo between the strings behind the bridge.

The following 'real' sounds are added:
- 'real' pizz (double bass);
- pizz behind the bridge (on the string on which it sounds best);
- pizz with the fingernail on the bridge (a 'rattling noise');
- arco on the tailpiece (cello), try it out until you hear a loud moaning sound;
- strike the bow quickly from top to bottom through the air = air noise;
- tap the wood of the instrument with the pencil (not with the tip, of course!);
- mobile phone noise (see above);
- whistling' once (as if you wanted to call your dog).

see also the New Music database

and preview of the sheet music