Music Finland Core

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One of the basic musical ideas for Vers le blanc (Towards White) is a chord changing into another chord so slowly, that the pitch changes are not audible as such; The piece is built of six glissandi — as long as the piece — which, by gliding to different directions in different speeds, produce all the time changing harmonic structures.The other musical parameters follow same kinds of slow processes; extremely exact rhythmic processes are created by controlling with algorithms the enveloppe of amplitude. The timbral transformations are created by, e.g., controlling the central frequencies for the formant regions with functions of time.Generally speaking the piece is a study about slow motion in musical language. Instead of dramatic changes or musical activity I am in this piece looking for slight timbral changes and (synthetic?) life behind my frozen chord.The piece was realized at Ircam, Paris, with CHANT program during the spring 1982 with the technical assistance of Jean-Baptiste Barrière and is dedicated for him.---For the performance:- The four loudspeakers should be placed around the audience (two in front, two behind), not too close.- Before starting the piece the room should be darkened completely (as much as possible).- The piece should be played with as high volume as possible.© Kaija Saariaho, ca. 1983Kaija Saariaho a réalisé Vers le blanc avec le programme Chant à l'issue d'un stage de six semaines à l'Ircam, au début de 1982. L’idée de départ était de travailler sur une transformation tellement lente qu'elle en deviendrait imperceptible. Pendant les quinze minutes que dure la pièce, un accord de trois sons se transforme graduellement en un autre accord.© Risto Nieminen, 1994© Ircam - Centre Georges-Pompidou, 1994(From Kaija Saariaho, Ircam 1995)

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Abbreviation	Instrument
Woodwind
acl	alto clarinet
afl	alto flute
arec	alto recorder
asax	alto saxophone
barsax	baritone saxophone
barhn	baritone horn
bcl	bass clarinet
bfl	bass flute
bob	bass oboe
bsax	bass saxophone
bsn	bassoon
cbsn	contrabassoon
cl	clarinet
ehn	English horn
fl	flute
hn	French horn
ob	oboe
pic	piccolo
rec	recorder
sax	saxophone
srec	soprano recorder
ssax	soprano saxophone
trec	tenor recorder
tsax	tenor saxophone
Brass
ahn	alto horn
atrb	altotrombone
barhn	baritone horn
btrb	bass trombone
cornet	cornet
euph	euphonium
fhn	flugelhorn
hn	French horn
tba	tuuba
thn	tenor horn
trb	trombone
trp	trumpet
Percussion
dr	drums
glock	glockenspiel
mar	marimba
perc	percussion
timp	timpani
vibr	vibraphone
xyl	xylophone
Strings
db	double bass
gamba	viola da gamba
str	strings
vla	viola
vlc	cello
vln	violin
Other
acc	accordion
cel	celesta
cemb	harpsichord
chords	chords
elbas	electric bass
elg	electric guitar
elorg	electric organ
elpno	electric piano
guit	guitar
harm	harmonium
hca	harmonica
hp	harp
instr	instrument
kantele	kantele
keyb	keyboard
live electr	live electronics
mand	mandolin
mel	melody
org	organ
pno	piano
synth	synthesizer
tape	tape
Vocal
alto	alto
baryt	baritone
basso	bass voice
ch	choir
chc	childrens choir
chf	female choir
chm	male choir
chx	mixed choir
cten	countertenor
mezzo	mezzo-soprano
sopr	soprano
speaker	speaker
ten	tenor
voc	vocal

Symphony orchestra
2222 4331 11 1, str = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, one other percussionist, harp and strings
Wind band
2252 3 423 21212 3 = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 5 clarinets, 2 bassoons - 3 saxophones - 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones - 2 cornets, alto horn, 2 tenor horns, baritone horn, 2 tubas - 3 percussionists
Big band
221 4 4, pno, guit, db, dr = 2 alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones, baritone saxophone, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, piano, guitar, double bass, drums
Additional codes
+	fl+pic = flutist doubles on piccolo
/	pno/org = can be played on either piano or organ
lib	ad libitum
obl	obligato
str	str: 65432 = specified number of string players
str min	str min: 65432 = at least 65432
str max	str max: 65432 = not more than 65432
solo	vln solo = violin is the solo instrument in a work not obviously for solo violin