Music Finland Core

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Instruments 1. soprano recorder, garklein, bass recorder in F 2. tenor recorder, bass recorder in F 3. tenor recorder, bass recorder in C 4. alto recorder, sub-contrabass recorder in F ”Meren päällä ohuempaa is a three-movement work for 
Renaissance recoder quartet. During the compositional process I was 
simultaniously writing music for Yle Radio Theathre audio drama Urian kirje (Letter to Uriah). I used the Bravade
 recorder quartet as a performer in both projects. That resulted the two
 works being musically and conceptually closely connected to each other. The audio drama focused on the desteny of a refugee ship at the Gulf 
of Botnia during the second world war. The different aspects of water 
sounds were in focus in the radio play audio track, which we worked on 
together with Tiina Luoma, the audio engeneer of Yle. 
Our long list of desired sounds included bubbles, whoosh, hiss and 
different kinds of wave sounds, which were reproduced with Renaissance 
recorders. One sound whish was enigmatically expressed as ”meren päällä ohuempaa?” (thinner above the sea?). Eventually, it gave the name and inspiration for both the third movement of the quartet and for the whole piece. Meren päällä ohuempaa reflects my current musical interests;
 I focus on timbre, musical colour and their gradual evolving and 
changing. Several extended instrumental techniques are applied in the 
piece, such as different kinds of mouth noises, glissandos, labium 
vibrato, multiphonics and the combination of singing and playing. The 
use of special techniques is not a value in itself for me, but rather a 
result of the combination of the musical goals and the resources of the 
instruments and players at my disposal. In the case of Bravade and 
Renaissance recorders I was impressed with the candid attitude of the 
four musicians and their willingness of try out new things. The 
instruments, on the other hand, were full of possibilities with their 
wide range of dynamics, abundance of multiphonics and the beautifully 
resonating just intervals of meantone tuning.” Olli Virtaperko, March 2016

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