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Cool Air for string quartet is not really programme music, but certain features of it (such as trembling trills and tremolos and the howling glissandos ) may nevertheless evoke assosiations with a description of nature. There is something cool, abstemious and icy about the mood, and the harmonies are very punged and tense. What is more, the piece contains a wealth of chords with seconds and fourths such as Lutoslawski termed as "icy".Constructed on the chaconne principle, Cool Air consists of ten movements performed without a break. The chordal progression on which the variations are based is not presented as such. Occupying a special position is the first variation, the material of which is returned to on several occasions, in the form of a polyrhytmic variation, for example. Many of the movements are written in polyfonic style, and there are direct Baroque allusions in the fugue and the movement in rocking Sicilian rhythms (and of course the overall form, a chaconne). Adding a completly different element are the blues and tango at the end. Along the way the music also stops to listen to the glissandos, trills and tremolos - the movements of cool air.© Juho Miettinen 2004(Tampere Biennale)Jousikvartetille sävelletty Cool Air (Viileää ilmaa) ei ole varsinaisesti ohjelmallista musiikkia, mutta jotkin sävellyksen piirteet - vaikkapa värisevät trillit ja tremolot tai vonkuvat glissandot - saattavat silti herättää ajatuksia jonkinlaisesta luontokuvasta. Sävellyksen tunnelmassa on jotakin viileää, pidättyvää, hyistä ja harmoniat ovat varsin kirpeitä ja jännittyneitä. Sitä paitsi sävellys sisältää runsaasti sekunti- ja kvarttipitoisia sointuja, joiden kaltaisia Lutoslawski kutsuu omassa musiikissaan termillä "icy chord".Cool Air on muotoperiaatteeltaan chaconne ja koostuu kymmenestä keskeytyksettä soitettavasta osasta. Variaatioiden lähtökohtana olevaa sointusarjaa ei sellaisenaan kuulla. Erityisasemaan nousee ensimmäinen variaatio, jonka materiaaliin palataan myöhemmin useaan otteeseen, mm. polyrytmisen muunnelman muodossa. Useat osat on kirjoitettu polyfoniseen tyyliin, ja suoranaisia viittauksia barokkiin ovat fuuga sekä siciliannen rytmissä keinuva osa (sekä tietenkin kokonaismuoto chaconne sinänsä). Jotakin aivan muuta kokonaisuuteen tuovat puolestaan sävellyksen loppupuolella kuultavat blues ja tango. Matkan varrella pysähdytään myös hieman kuuntelemaan glissandoja, trillejä ja tremoloita - viileän ilman liikkeitä.© Juho Miettinen 2004

Year of composing

Arranger

Movements

Availability

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