NAALA - a text pro motion
by Harri Suilamo
Description
I composed the piece NAALA – a text pro motion in response to a commission from the University of Industrial Arts for a work to be performed at their first ever promotion ceremony, i.e. degree day for doctoral students, held on 4 June 1993. Since the University, in commissioning the piece, had been generously open-minded in letting me freely choose the instrumentation, genre and nature of the piece, I decided to not to compose anything overtly academic or grandiloquent. Instead, following the line taken by my recent work, I wrote a short and intense piece for a polychromatic instrumentation in which absolute (i.e. non-programmatical) music suggests to the listener one or more routes through a labyrinth saturated by various motoric energies (hence the subtitle pro motion). I applied some of the most subtle techniques at my disposal in shaping the detail and micro-level filigree. Ruptures appear in the free fantasia form, serving to generate friction: my choice to base this aspect of the piece unequivocally on non-causality was a conscious deed rather than an attempt to evade problems linked to the opposite attitude. The word "naala" of the title is an ancient Finnish word which continues to live on in some dialects. Its etymological tree includes ideas such as habit, fashion, behaviour, gestalt, form, stance...
© Harri Suilamo
Instrumentation cl+bcl, vlc, acc, pno, perc
Instrument codes
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 |
Coding for instrument ensembles and orchestras
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 |
Category Chamber Works
Premiere
Avanti! Chamber Orchestra (Heikki Nikula, clarinet, Lea Pekkala, cello, Marjut Tynkkynen, accordion, Naoko Ichihashi, piano, Riku Niemi, percussion), cond. Tapio Tuomela, Helsinki, June 4, 1993.
Commisioned by / dedications Commissioned by the University of Industrial Arts Helsinki for its first academic degree ceremony.
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