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Café au lait was written to a commission from the Turku Music Festival in 2006. Its melodic and rhythmic elements owe something to the African material which I collected while in residence at Villa Karo in Benin in December 2005 and January 2006. There are features here of the music played by the Noël Saizonou ensemble (Timporata, Tipinti and Abalacodje), but also of the church bells and birdsong around Villa Karo.In the surrounding village of Grand Popo, the bell of the Catholic church tolls the same note, D, every weekday morning at 6.30. (I have included this in the piece as a direct quote.) Some twenty minutes later, a bird begins to sing; I named it la-fa-ti after its characteristic melodic figure. Many other local birds also favoured the whole-tone scale. The motif la-fa-ti can be found in my latest opera, Käärmeen hetki (The Hour of the Serpent), which was fresh in my mind while I was in Africa, even though snakes were a rarity in Grand Popo.One of the most spectacular scenic elements in Grand Popo is the Bay of Guinea, the open ocean washing up on a sandy beach that stretches to eternity. Swimming on this beach is not recommended because of the treacherous currents. Undaunted, I went swimming every day, and local experts ascribed my ability to do this to the protection of Mami Wata, one of the principal gods of voodoo.The title of the piece came from a guide at Pendjari nature reserve. He recommended that European people should marry African people, because such a union will produce beautiful “café au lait children”. The piano has the main role in the piece. Because the melodic material of western African music favours the pentatonic scale that can be played on the black keys of the piano, I needed to fill out the material with some white keys.© Mikko Heiniö 2006(translation by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi)Café au lait syntyi Turun musiikkijuhlien tilauksesta vuonna 2006. Teoksen melodiset ja rytmiset elementit juontavat osittain siitä afrikkalaisesta materiaalista, jota keräsin asuessani Villa Karossa, Beninissä joulukuussa 2005 ja tammikuussa 2006. Yhtäältä mukana on aineksia Noël Saizonou ryhmän soittamasta musiikista (Timporata, Tipinti ja Abalacodje), toisaalta Villa Karon ympäristön kirkonkelloja ja laululintuja. Ympäröivässä kylässä, Grand Popossa, katolisen kirkon kello soittaa samaa d-säveltä joka arkiaamu klo 6.30. (Tämä sarja on siirtynyt sävellykseeni identtisenä.) Parikymmentä minuuttia myöhemmin aloittaa tietty laululintu, jota — sen keskeisen sävelaiheen mukaan — kutsuin nimellä "La-fa-si". Monet muutkin paikalliset linnut suosivat kokosävelasteikkoa. Sävelaihe la-fa-si esiintyy tuoreessa oopperassani Käärmeen hetki (2005), joka vielä Afrikassakin kummitteli mielessäni, vaikka Grand Popossa käärmeitä näkyy vain satunnaisesti.Grand Popon suurenmoisimpiin elementteihin kuuluu Guinean lahden meri, joka taukoamatta hyökyy silmän kantamattomiin ulottuvalle hiekkarannalle. Vaarallisten merivirtojen vuoksi uimista ei suositella. Uin kuitenkin päivittäin, mikä paikallisten asiantuntijoiden mukaan sattui olemaan mahdollista siksi, että minua suojeli Mami Wata, yksi voodoon tärkeimmistä jumalista.Idean kappaleen nimestä sain Pendjarin luonnonpuiston oppaalta. Hän suositteli, että eurooppalaisten pitäisi naida afrikkalaisia, sillä siitä seuraa kauniita "maitokahvi-lapsia". Sävellyksen keskiössä on piano. Koska länsiafrikkalainen melodiikka noudattaa etupäässä sitä pentatoniikkaa, jota kutsutaan "mustien koskettimien asteikoksi", sitä onkin pitänyt täydentää valkoisilla koskettimilla.© Mikko Heiniö 2006

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Movements

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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

Café au lait (82./2006)