Santa Baby

sonic procrastination

Carl_Bettendorf//conductor
Miranda_Cuckson//violin
Mariel_Roberts//cello
Barry_Crawford//flute/alto_flute
Benjamin_Fingland//clarinet/bass_clarinet
Michael_Zuber//bassoon
Benjamin_Herrington//trombone

little_pieces_on_bedness

lachen.sink

Composed by Zak Hap

TAK ensemble:
LAURA COCKS  |  FLUTE
LIAM KINSON  |  CLARINET
CHARLOTTE MUNDY  |  VOICE
MARINA KIFFERSTEIN  |  VIOLIN
ELLERY TRAFFORD  |  PERCUSSION

Performed on December 12, 2015 at Symphony Space, NYC. 

Program notes of the performance: 
a little called Pauline was written out of a fascination with the poetry of Gertrude Stein, a key figure in the Modernist Literature movement. One of Stein's seminal collection of poems, "Tender Buttons," tries to "create a word relationship between the word and the things seen." From this book comes the fragment "a little called Pauline" which has been set in this piece. Similar to Stein, I found myself trying to create a relationship, but this time between the sound of the spoken word and its inherent musical qualities. Through the course of this work, I explore this relationship through the use of timbral associations, text painting, texture correlations, and stylistic juxtaposition. An important source of inspiration throughout writing this work has been practice of reciting poetry. As a semi-frequent audience member of poetry readings, I have found myself regularly baffled by the musicality exhibited by poets. Their work and intuition exploring the space between syntax, sound, and meaning provided the framework in which I approached writing with the text for "a little called Pauline."

Text by Gertrude Stein from Tender Buttons: 

A little called anything shows shudders. 

Come and say what prints all day. A whole few watermelon. There is no pope. 

No cut in pennies and little dressing and choose wide soles and little spats really little spices. 

A little lace makes boils. This is not true. 

Gracious of gracious and a stamp a blue green white bow a blue green lean, lean on the top. 

If it is absurd then it is leadish and nearly set in where there is a tight head. 

A peaceful life to arise her, noon and moon and moon. A letter a cold sleeve a blanket a shaving house and nearly the best and regular window. 

Nearer in fairy sea, nearer and farther, show white has lime in sight, show a stitch of ten. Count, count more so that thicker and thicker is leaning. 

I hope she has her cow. Bidding a wedding, widening received treading, little leading mention nothing. 

Cough out cough out in the leather and really feather it is not for. 

Please could, please could, jam it not plus more sit in when.

a little called pauline

**clouds of flute and tuba sounds**

a "non-euclidean alpine adventure" through the brilliance and noisiness of the fragmented realities of flute and tuba.

by Zak Hap

Zakhap

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