Music Finland Core

* Title

Additional title

Description

What if a piece of contemporary music would, perhaps like in science fiction, become self-aware and speak to us? (Of course in science fiction, merely for dramaturgical reasons or as an allegory of ourselves on this planet, it would start to expand and threathen our existence.)Now there is one such a work, as my self-aware (2011) does in fact start to address the audience, perhaps a bit like the ape in Franz Kafka's short story "A Report to an Academy" (as opposed to some sci-fi dystopia). This happens in the middle section of the work, after the enigmatic, mosaic-like first section, and before the extended coda focusing on difference tones, the reaction of our nervous system to certain high intervals that start to buzz in our ears as pitches that do not really exist (or do they?).In the first section, lasting almost half of the work's duration, I firstly tackled my own fear of writing for the piano. I have previously been working extensively on noise and microtones, and quite obviously that's quite a challenge here. But if a composer thinks the sounding material is what he or she wants to say, then the composer is not an artist, and has nothing to say. So, I challenged myself to a little piano solo. The accordionist joins in properly only after a minute or so. Key elements in the first section are: using different dynamics between the pianists hands both as timbre and as illusions of microtonality (the softer notes colour the louder ones), linking and contasting of material and the instruments (processual mosaic), making the listener subconsciously familiar with the "speaking music" of the second section (transcriptions of speech), and focusing on some of the sounds we normally might close our ears to as side-effects (like the pedalling on the piano or the noise of accordion's buttons).Then, in the second section the piece suddenly starts to speak in a poetic yet slightly arrogant and challenging manner:Aren't I here to be a mirror?So you can see your world anew.To make you listen what's actually there.Thus making you conscious of how you listen.Or used to, before you met me.I hope you notice something new.Realize, that it wasn't like you thought it was, or would be.Are you then sure you don't carry with you any other such false assumptions you're not aware of?A reading of the text was used as a basic material for the section, transcribed after audio analysis for the instruments and their players.I composed self-aware during the rainy days of July/August 2011 in Berlin for Duo Oneplusone (Timo Kinnunen & Anna Veismane), while being kindly supported by the Arts Council of Finland.© 2011 Jarkko Hartikainen

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