Jiří Kadeřábek
Saki's Irony
for classical singer
pop singer
accompanist(s)
and soundtrack
2009
score
I had been interested in the idea of putting together classical and pop singing for a long time, figuring out how to realize it meaningfully. Until
once, I wanted to add some lyrics to a pop tune, at that time sketched purely musically except a phrase "open window, said" at the end of each
refrain. While searching for books and articles including that mysterious sentence, I came across the Saki's famous story "The Open Window".
Suddenly, the concept of the piece came to light. The tune itself became one of the piece's sections and took on more excerpts from the Saki's
text. The musical material for the rest of the piece was taken from recordings of my favorite operas, which I cut, mixed and deformed
variously. In this way I got the soundtrack as well as an inspiration for the classical singer's part. Both the soundtrack and classical singer
represent the stability and certainty of the niece as well as Mrs. Sappleton, two central characters of the Saki's story. Whereas the pop singer, at
first reading a review on "The Open Window" and later singing the tune, represents the instability and uncertainty of Mr. Nuttel, the last central
character of the story. However, in the end the classical singer's expression turns, just like Saki surprisingly concludes the story, after a quite
extensive niece's monologue, with "romance at short notice was her speciality." Incidentally, for me it was for the first time I involved the
audience in the performance. Whether it wants or not, in the very end it puts the finishing touches to the piece's form.
Commissioned by
Spring Festival, The Hague, The Netherlands
Premiere
April 21, 2009. Kees Van Baarenzaal, The Hague, The Netherlands, Maarja Purga/classical singer, Jiří Kadeřábek/pop singer,
Sander Breure/guitar, voice, Thomas Aldrich/accordion, voice
Instrumentation
Classical singer
Most suitably mezzo-soprano, in case of male singer in
appropriate octave transposition
Amplified at the end of the piece, as indicated in the diagram
and the score (microphone use instruction), the amplified
sound should come from the front loudspeakers only
While singing, the singer is slowly removing as indicated in
the diagram, otherwise stays motionless.
Pop singer
Most suitably bass, in another case singing in a natural and
convenient octave transposition
Amplified and slightly reverbed, the sound should come from
the front loudspeakers only
The dynamics should be appropriately balanced, so that the
speaking voice is leading but not covering the classical singer's
as well as soundtrack's tones and sounds too much
Accompanist(s) - Guit/Pno/Accord/Bass etc
Can be the same person as the pop singer but it's desirable to
make the accompaniment richer and add some backing vocals
Playing and eventually singing in a simple pop style, the initial
rhythm is indicated in the score
Amplified and slightly reverbed, the sound should come from
the front loudspeakers only
Soundtrack
4 channels, reproduced in the corners of the hall
The dynamics should be appropriately balanced, so that the
soundtrack doesn't cover either singing or speech
Lighting
A separate light spot on each singer from the beginning of the piece
Accompanist(s) light spot should be switched on just for his/her/their playing and
switched off after that
In this moment (after the song), also the pop singer's light spot should be switched off
so that only the classical singer remains visible
Classical singer's light spot is switched off immediately after the very end of the piece
(the orchestral bang), so that there is a complete dark for a few seconds then
duration ca. 13 min
Saki's Irony
Jiří Kadeřábek, 2009
4
4
Classical Singer
(Mezzo-soprano)
Pop Singer
(Baritone)
Accompanist(s)
track01
Soundtrack
ª
q»§º
Class
ƒ
4 b˙
&4
Tra
-
œœœ
ge-dy
œ Œ Ó






Œ b˙.
Tra
-
p
œ bœ ˙
ge - dy
P
ª
Ó #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ Ó
3
y
3
5
4
speak
Hugh Hector Munro, who wrote under the pseudonym Saki, is well known
naturally not only as a master of the short story form, but also for the irony with which
his stories are imbued.
Pop
Acmp.
00:56 (the second orchestral bang)
Track
8
Class
5
& 4 #œ
F
#œ 4 ˙
J‰ 4
liss.
slow g
just
˙
hap -
p
Œ Œ #œ ˙
˙.
pened
three
w
˙.
Œ


3
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ 43 œ # œ Œ 44
e
"The Open Window," Saki's most frequently anthologized story, is an excellent example of Saki's use of irony.
The events of the story itself are ironic in their own right.
Pop
Acmp.
Track
ª
Class
4
& 4 #˙.
three
Pop
Acmp.
Track
ª
Œ
˙.
years
Œ ˙.
a
-
œ
go
w
F
However, Saki increases the ironic amplitude of the story
by making the reader a victim of the very same hoax that
Vera perpetrates on Mr. Nuttel.
q»§º
ƒ̇
4 .
4
Class
Ne
-
9
œ
˙
ver
Ó




Pop
Acmp.
03:44 (the second orchestral bang)
Track
ª
Class
Pop
Acmp.
Track
&
ª







Ó
f
b˙
They
œ bœ bœ F
œ Œ
ne - ver
Ó
˙
they
œ b œ slow gl
iss.
ne - ver
p
œ

The story centers around a practical joke played by fifteen-year-old
Vera on a pompous man, Framton Nuttel, who is undergoing a
“nerve cure.”
10
Class
F
p
& b œ b œ b œ œ slow g
‡.
liss
came

Ó
˙
they
˙
˙
ne
-
œ œ ˙
ver came

Œ b˙.
back
w
F
Ó
‰ b œ œ glissœ.
came back

œ
back
slow g
liss.
œ

She fabricates a tale of the tragic disappearance of her uncle and cousins, exactly three years ago, and of her aunt, who nevertheless faithfully awaits their
return each day. The “ghosts” come home, singing „Bertie, why do you bound“ and Nuttel makes a “headlong retreat” from this “haunted” house.
Pop
Acmp.
Track
ª
Class
Pop
Acmp.
Track
&
p
w
came
ª
˙.
back
Œ
11
q»¡¡™
œ
Class
.. J
Pop
‰
Œ
Ó

D
A
D
F
.. ’ ’  ’’’  ’’’  ’’’  ’
[2.said]
A
Acmp.
-
-
-
-
-
-

Track
Ó
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- simile- ad lib. A D A D
07:00 (the fourth repetition of the motive)
F
Œ ‰ œj
A D
A
-
D
A
D
1.Her
2.Hey
-
A
ª
D
ª
Class
Pop
? #œ Œ Ó
Œ
œ #œ œ œ œ
A
Track
#œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ #œ #œ
œ œ #œ œ.
œ œ œ
Œ Œ ‰ # Jœ # œ Œ Ó
œ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
eyes
hey
Acmp.
(For the second verse, adjust the tones to the lyrics
appropriately throughout the song)
o - pen - win - dow and
here we are my dear
D
A
D
A
D
A
D
Mis - ter Nut - tel, la - dy of fif - teen
fair - ly mud - dy but most of its dry
A
D
A
D
her
hey
E
A
E
A
eyes
hey
D
G
D
o - pen win - dow and
who was that man who
G
D
G
D
co-ming
bol - ted
G
12
U
Class
Pop
Acmp.
Track
? ˙
Œ ‰ # Jœ
œ ˙
Œ
~~~~~~~~~~
back
out
F#m
as
as.we
B
al - ways
came up
B
F#m

’’ ’’  ’  ’  ’  ’ ’
E
A
D
E
q.»º
œ œ œ
œ œ
J ‰ ‰ Œ

6 Œ.
8

6 F’ ‰ ’ ’ ‰ ’
8
Œ
Ber-tie
Ber-tie
~~~~~~
why
why
simile ad lib.
do you
do you
ª
Class
Pop
?
ª
œ œ
J
Am
Track
œ ‰‰œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ Œ.
Œ. ‰  œ
œ œ
œ
œ
œ ‰
‰
(The second verse lyrics are to be quickly spoken here)
œ
œ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
bound
bound
Acmp.
œ œ œ
ne - ver
al -ways
did
did
that was the
that was the
dread-ful part of it
dread-ful part of it
Dm
some - times on
could on - ly
quiet
eve - nings
like
this
talk.about.his ilnesses.and dashed off without.a.word of.good bye
Am
13
Class
Pop
œ
œ
? ‰ œ #œ œ ‰ œ
Track
œ.
œ.
‰
œ
œ
œ œ œ œ œœ
Œ.
Œ. ‰
œ œ
œ
do you know
do you know
some - times
some times
F
they walked just
they walked just
as they used to do
as they used to do
Am
she broke off
one would think
ª
? Œ. ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ
J
Track

œ. #œ.
œœ
J
œ. œ. œ.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you
I hope you
Acmp.
œ œ‰‰
J
with a lit - tle shud - der
he has seen a ghost
Dm
ª
Class
Pop
œ œ œ #œ œ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
do you know
do you know
Acmp.
œ œ
J
do not mind at all
do not mind at all
E
o - pen
o - pen
win-dow
win-dow
œ. œ.
..
’ . ’ . ’ . ’ . ..
immediately after the song
track02
14
43
Class
Pop
q»§º
P
‡
w
slo
F
#œ 4 ˙
J‰ 4
˙
gl
.
iss
p
Œ
˙.
hap - pened
Acmp.
00:20 (immediately after the laughing)
Track
ª
Class
& Œ #œ ˙
three years
Pop
Acmp.
Track
ª
œ . œj ˙
a - go
˙.
Œ


Ó
Ḟ
they
p
iss.
œ
œ b œ slow gl
ne - ver

F
p
b œ b œ b œ œ slow g
‡.
liss
came

Ó
œœ œ
ne-ver came
15
Class
&˙
˙
back
˙
P
Œ ‰ j œ œ œ
œ
Poor
P
œ œ œ œ œ. œ. œ. œ. j
‰ J ‰ œ ˙ ‰ œj œ œ œ œ œ
œ bœ
j œ
œ œ œ
œ ‰ œ
3
aunt al-ways thinks that they will come back
3
some - day
they
and
the
lit-tle brown spa-niel
microphone
œ ‰
speak
rhythmicaly
that was
Pop
Acmp.
Track
ª
Class
Pop
Acmp.
Track
&
ª
Œ Ó
lost with them
P
F
œ
œ
œ
b œ œ œj ‰ Œ Ó
œ œ bœ
and
walk
3
in at that win - dow
microphone
œ
œ
just as
F. . . P speak
˙ œ œ œ  ‰ rhythmicaly
J
a a as
they
used to do.
microphone
.  a halfr voice
œ
j
5
.
Œ Œ ‰ œ 4 œ œ ˙ ‰  œ 44
œ
sing in
That
is why
the
16
4
&4 œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œœœ œ
3
Class
win - dow
is
kept
o - pen
e -ve-ry
œ
j
œ œ œ œ
e - vening till
it
is
quite
j
œ
dusk.
whisper
dramatically Do you know, sometimes on still, quiet evenings
like this, I almost get a creepy feeling that they
will all walk in through that - window!
immediately
after the speech
Pop
Acmp.
track03
Track