N° 1110
Eve Beglarian
Robin Redbreast
for voice, piccolo, and electronics
EVBVD MUSIC
468 Sixth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
www.evbvd.com
Robin Redbreast for voice, piccolo, and electronics
Notes to the Performers:
The low E drone has a resonant filter that mirrors the vowels of the
text. If you listen for that, it will help you line up with the CD. (The
first part of the piece is the hardest in this respect.) I have also
supplied a copy of the CD with a half note click so you can work
with a metronome until you are comfortable.
The jay squawk is a seven bar loop that starts at the downbeat of
m. 57 and again at m. 64, which will help the piccolo enter
correctly. The other electronic sounds (transformations of the jay
squawks) are working with a sixteenth note pulse and many of the
accents in the CD part line up with piccolo accents in this part of
the piece. (The piccolo music here warps a robin song.)
By the time you get to "whistle", the vowel filters on the drone are
really audible. The singer can play with his alignment with the CD.
Don't worry about being absolutely strict: communicating the text
is always more important than rhythmic precision or conventional
vocal beauty (i.e. the low register stuff should be as close to
spoken as feels comfortable, and the high register stuff should be
clear and naked.) Similarly, the piccolo hits at the end of the piece
should be violent, even to the point of obliterating the text.
The piccolo notation at the end of the piece follows Artaud's
Present Day Flutes.
*****
Program Note:
Robin Redbreast was commissioned by the Guggenheim Museum
for an evening of songs celebrating the poetry of Stanley Kunitz.
Thanks to flutist Margaret Lancaster for her ideas, suggestions, and
support while I was writing the piece. Thanks to the Holby family
(especially Grethe, Barrett, Robin and Will) for the use of their
house in Vermont, where I wrote it. Robin Redbreast is dedicated
to my mother, Joyce, who taught me how to tell the birds.
Robin Redbreast
It was the dingiest bird
you ever saw, all the color
washed from him, as if
he had been standing in the rain,
friendless and stiff and cold,
since Eden went wrong.
In the house marked For Sale,
where nobody made a sound
in the room where I lived
with an empty page, I had heard
the squawking of the jays
under the wild persimmons
tormenting him.
So I scooped him up
after they knocked him down,
in league with that ounce of heart
pounding in my palm
that dumb beak gaping.
Poor thing! Poor foolish life!
without sense enough to stop
running in desperate circles,
needing my lucky help
to toss him back into his element.
But when I held him high,
fear clutched my hand,
for through the hole in his head,
cut whistle-clean . . .
through the old dried wound
between his eyes
where the hunter’s brand
had tunneled out his wit . . .
I caught the cold flash of the blue
unappeasable sky.
robin redbreast
words by stanley kunitz
music by eve beglarian
q»¡™•
!
&c
piccolo
[E drone begins]
Vc
vox
8
!
8
!
&
V
!
V #˙.
Œ
washed
!
Œ #˙
w
22
˙.
Vw
P
30
w
"
Ó
e - ver
was
the
Ó
!
Œ
#˙.
all
w
#œ
as
w
j
œ #œ ˙
Ó
friend - less,
-
Œ ‰ œ
since
#˙
E
he had been
3
© 2003 by Eve Beglarian [ASCAP]
˙.
went
Œ
w
#˙
Œ
˙
stand - ing
œ #œ œ
in
w
Ó
˙
w
Ó
the rain,
w
and
j
œ œ œ œ #˙.
den
w
co - lor
!
w
-
bird
#œ ˙.
w
˙
Ó
˙
gi - est
w
stiff,
w
3
#œ œ œ œ
if
Œ
w
w
‰ œ. #œ Ó.
w
the
w
Ó.
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Ó
œ
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3
din
w
saw,
w
!
j
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w
w
w
!
3
œ
p It
from him,
&w
!
timbral trill (start from nothing); vary speed of trill ad lib.
also do some lip glisses (no more than a semitone up or down)
œ œ Ó
22
V˙
!
w
15
30
!
Œ #œ œ œ #˙
15
&w
!
!
you
& w
!
#w
cold,
w
-̇
wrong.
˙.
Œ
37
&w
w
!
37
V
Œ
Ó
3
lived
˙
56
˙
had
œ
˙
no - bo - dy made
-̇
ment
œ Ó.
˙ ˙
3
V œ
scooped
Œ #œ œ œ Œ œ Œ nœ
œ œ œ #œ
!
[jay squawk]
‰ œ- .
Ó.
ing
Œ ‰
3
Œ #œ œ Œ
him up
œ‰ œ
œ
.
Œ Œ
3
œ œ œ
af - ter they
emp - ty
in
Ó
page,
un - der the
fp
#
Œ
œ
the room where I
!
!
Ó
Œ
j
#œ œ œ œ ‰ œ
wild
3
per -sim -mons
3
Œ ‰ œ
knocked
Œ
-4-
Œ
Ó
œ
œ
So
I
F (rouse
yourself)
>
œ
‰ . œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œb œb œ ‰ ‰ .
#œ ‰ 3 œ
him
tor -
# >œ
>œ
b
œ
# ‰ œ ‰ ‰ œ ‰ œ # ‰. œ
!
Œ
˙
PI
birdlike (sempre staccato); accents as loud (and unaccented as soft) as possible
>œ œ ‰ # œ œ >œ
3
3
Œ Œ j œ #œ w
œ œ
>œ œ
j
œ œ
3
!
3
3
‰. œ ‰.
œ Ó.
œ
3
‰3
j
œ œ œ ˙
œ Ó.
3
˙
Œ Ó.
w
>œ
Ó
him.
# >œ # œ # œ œ ‰
68
Ó
Sale,
w
sound
w
3
w
˙.
w
the squawk - ing of the jays
!
-
˙
w
œ
œ
For
a
with an
Œ3 j
œ œ
marked
Œ Œ3 j Œ
œ œ
œ œ œ ˙
w
!
w
3
[jay squawk]
heard
63
&
‰3
w
V Œ Œ #˙
œ
68
the house
where
49
V
Œ
œ
w
Ó
&w
63
œ
w
49
&
3
w
all we hear are intermittent key clicks (the remnants of the timbral trill),
and the slightest air going through the tube of the instrument
V˙
V
j
œ œ œ
In
&w
Ø
42
42
w
down,
Œ
Œ
œ
3
in
œ
league
œ
f
3
œ œ
p
with that
72
&
#œ
œ
#œ
œ #b œ œ œ ‰n >œ # œ œ # œ œ œ œ >œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ # œ ‰ . œ œ b œ b œ œ b œ n œ # œ n œ # ‰ .œ œ ‰ œ # œ œ œ œ
œ3
VŒ
72
&
&
of
>.
‰#œ
>˙
76
80
ounce
dumb
‰. œ
VÓ
80
P
Ó
Poor
& Ó.
-
-
-
œ œ3œ œ
J J
ing
œ ‰ œ‰
3
3
in my
palm
that
!
œ#
Œ.
!
Ó
# >œ
œ‰
>
œ œ œ #‰.bœ
Œ Œ
Œ # œj œ œj Ó
˙
thing!
VŒ œ Ó
Œ
3
3
Poor
!
j
Œ œ œ
F with-out
Ó
3
life!
fool
-
ish
3
j
œ #œ ‰ œ œ ‰ œ
3
sense
3
e - nough
3
‰
to
>œ œ >œ œ b œ b œ œ n œ # œ # >œ >œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
>
>
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ # œ ‰œ œ œ œ
œœ
œ ‰ œ b œ œ ‰ . ‰ .‰ # ‰ œ œ œ # œ œ œ
‰ # # ‰ œœœ
3
V #œ œ œ œ œ Œ
89
-
3
ing.
Ó
3
85
&
œ
œ >œ œ œ >œ œ œ >œ œ œ œ œ œ >œ œ # œ # b >œ b œ # œ œ b œ œ œ # œ n œ # >œ # ‰ . n œ # œ œ œ œ # œ œ # œ œ n œ œ œ œ
#
‰
85
89
fpound
>
> œ
œ œ œ ‰ œ œ ‰ œ >œ b >œ b œ # ‰ #‰ >œ b >œ ‰ n œ #
Ó ˙
˙
œ œ
J
3
gap
Œ Œ.
3
Œ # œj œ ‰ # œ Ó .
Ó
#
Œ Œ
œ
#œ
‰ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ b œ # œ # ‰ b œ ## œ ‰ œ n œ œ œ œ # œ œ
3
beak
œœœœœœœ
Œ
heart
‰ œ œ # >œ ‰‰ . >œ ‰ >œ œ œ œ œ # œ # >œ #
76
V
3
3
3
Œ œJ œ ‰ ‰ # œ Œ
Œ Œ
Œ
3
stop run -ning
in desp
j
œ ‰ # œ œj œ ‰ œ œ œ
3
-
'rate
3
cir-cles,
3
3
need - ing
-5-
j j
œ # œj œ œ œ œ
3
3
my luck - y
3
help
3
‰ œ # œ œ œj œ ‰ j œ
œ œ
3
3
to toss him back
3
in
-
to
œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ # ‰ . œ b œ b œ œ œ b >œ >œ >œ # œ >œ n œ œ œ ‰ œ b œ
nœ
.
.
.
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰.
‰.
#
Œ
Œ
&
p
f
93
œ œ #œ
93
V œ
his
Œ
Ó.
!
œ
P But
e - le - ment.
œ œ3 œ œ 3 œ
J
Œ
when I held
him
œ
œ œ #œ nœ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ
œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ # œ œ œ œ bœ bœ œ bœ ‰
‰
Œ
Œ
Œ Œ
&
97
Vœ
97
101
&
101
V
105
&
Œ
Œ
Œ
Œ
œ‰
>œ
109
V
œ
‰ œ œ # œ bœ
Œ
j
œ œ
Œ.
˙.
#w
Ó.
œ œ bœ bœ œ œ bœ nœ
Ó
œ
hole
#œ
Œ
˙.
stle - clean
!
!
Œ
Ó.
œ
3
œ
J
through
.
the
-6-
œ
œ
œ# œ
in
his
3
˙
œ
Ó.
Œ
œ
through
>˙ .
œ
œ ‰ ‰ . n œ œ œ # œ ˙ ..
·
ƒ
3
w
œ ‰ œ
‰
#œ
head,
!
œ œ
my
œ
‰. œ bœ ‰ nœ ‰ œ
for
#œ œœ œœ œ œœ‰ œ
œ3œ
J
clutched
b œ >œ >œ b œ œ # œ . n œ œ
‰
‰
œ #‰
‰.
!
the
>w
w
·
œ3œ
J
fear
œ3œ Ó
J
‰ œ#‰ œ#
V œ
&
˙
hand,
105
109
Œ
high,
# >œ œ œ
œ
!
˙
# ˙- .
cut
w
3
!
#˙
whi
˙.
-
-
!
-
œ‰œ
3
old
dried
wound
be -
!
115
&
œ #œ
V J
œ œ ˙
J
V Ó.
œ
3
115
Ó
!
&
&
145
V
Ó.
Œ
˙
!
Œ
caught
˙
{12 A 3
Œ
the
˙.
w
the
blue
·
·
w
˙
peas
-
-
-
ab
˙.
-
the
#œ
hun
ter’s
3
Œ # œj œ œj œ ‰ Œ
Ó
˙
had
-
!
3
tun
-
!
le
>w
w
ƒ
w
P
ww
··
œ ˙.
˙
·
Ó
˙
sky.
-7-
Ó.
œ
·
$
˙
Ó
f
œ
-
-
-
˙
{ 12 3 5
Ó
·
un
Œ
neled
whistle tones through the
harmonic series ad. lib.
flash
·
3
I.
Ó
·
˙
$
œ 3 ‰ œ Œ ‰3œ
!
cold
·
œ
where
!
wit
!
·
p
!
œ Œ3œ
J
#œ Ó.
!
!
134
145
Ó
!
his
134
V
Ó.
eyes
#œ Œ
out
141
œ
œ ‰ Ó.
Ó
V #˙
VŒ
!
brand
127
&
w
his
121
ww
{1 2 3
3
tween
141
>w
w
ƒ
p of
˙.
-
ap
-
-
·
·
·
·
w
w
w
œ
Ó.
-