Availability
Score, parts and electronic files on special sale from the Hire Library
Programme Notes
This is an arrangement by Richard Jones of the track Blackfriars from Anna Meredith's 2016 album, Varmints. It was arranged for the Ligeti Quartet and appears on their album Nuc which was released in April 2023 by the Mercury KX label. Performers may wish to refer to this recording for clarifying the information below.
PERFORMANCE INSTRUCTIONS
Harmonic glissandi and flurries of notes (cue size noteheads) should feel fleeting and effortless,
with priority given to regular noteheads and harmonic clarity.
sul pont. / legno tratto (fragile sound) - Very background, within the sound-world of battuto bow strokes.
crini battuto - Bouncing vertically with hair of the bow, no sideways movement.
Should create a feathery, percussive sound with clear pitches.
poco legno ad lib. - Turn the bow so that some wood is audible in the bounce.
Alternatively, a flat bow with a harder hit, so the wood sounds through the hair.
Adjust at performer's discretion and with dynamic.
reduce LH pressure to dampen - Left hand fingers go to half pressure so pitches become indistinct.
increase LH pressure to un-dampen - Start with left hand half pressure and increase to normal pressure so pitches sound.
TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS
This arrangement of Blackfriars should always be performed with the electronic track.
The electronic materials needed for performance are:
Blackfriars - Click Track (IEMs only)
Blackfriars - Electronics STEREO 4824
Using a DAW (such as Ableton Live), the Click Track and the Stereo Bounce should be aligned,
with the Click Track sent to the quartet, and the Stereo Bounce sent to Front-of-House.
The quartet hear the Click Track via in-ear monitors (IEMs)/headphones.
A headphone amp (such as the Behringer MicroAMP HA400) is required to send the click output to all 4 players.
For a good balance between track and live quartet, it is recommended that the quartet is amplified, but this is not essential.
The track should be mixed so that it lightly supports the live quartet, rather than being too much of a feature in itself.
For rehearsing/practice, a bounce of the Electronics with Click Track is also supplied:
Blackfriars - Electronics with Click (Rehearsal only)