| Instrumentation |
Flute, Flute piccolo, Clarinet, Trombone basso, Euphonium, Horn, Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba, Glockenspiel, Timpani, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Percussion |
| Description |
Rolf Gehlhaar
ARCHIMEDES’ FULCRUM for wind orchestra 2016 ca 7’
Instruments & staves: Piccolo
Flutes 1 & 2
Clarinets in Bb 1
Clarinets in Bb 2 & 3
Bass Clarinet
Alto Saxophone 1 & 2
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
French Horn 1 in F
French Horn 2 & 3
Trumpet 1
Trumpets 2 & 3
Cornets 1 & 2
Trombone 1 & 2
Bass Trombone
Euphonium 1 & 2
Tuba in Eb
Tuba in Bb
Timpani (F – g)
Percussion 1 – drum kit (bongos, var. tomtoms, snare, var. cymbals, kick drum) Percussion 2 – Glockenspiel & Xylophone
Percussion 3 – Bass Drum with superball, & tubular bell (B nat.) & Vibraslap
Notes for the the conductor & instrumentalists
The score is transposed
Piccolo/Flutes
meas. 9 - 12 : the ‘whistling of harmonics’ is notated approximately, and is to be improvised, ad libitum. The same applies to meas. 120 – 126.
Percussion 2, Xylophone
meas. 28 – 29 : the player gently drags the ends of some bamboo chimes over the natural keys to make them jangle; meas 30: play with mallet, ordinario!
Percussion 3, Bass Drum
The player uses a special drum stick consisting of a slender stick to which a superball has been attached. To create the desired sound – a ‘continuous singing’ of the drum - the player slowly drags the superball across the skin of the drum, applying as much pressure on the stick as is required to make the drum respond.
The ‘Bell’ chord, meas. 45 – 84 (B.1 – B.14)
This chord must be rehearsed independently of whatever else is being played at the same time. It consist of pitches that form a subharmonic spectrum, one which closely resembles the spectrum of a large bell. In order for it to sound correctly, the individual instruments must be dynamically well balanced with one another, the sharpness of the trombone correct, the attack on the cymbal and drums not
too loud, and the attack on the tubular bell (B natural) not too strong. The overall dynamic curve of the Bell is as follows:
B.1 : strong
B. 2 – B.6 : somewhat softer
B.6 - B.9 : poco à poco cresc.
B.10 : peak loudness
B.11 – B.14 : poco à poco dim. (the Bell recedes) B.14 : gentle but firm
General Notes
a graphic representation of original sketch of form and composition |