...

and keep the clay wet

for string quartet
Nikolaos-Laonikos Psimikakis-Chalkokondylis
...and keep the clay wet
for string quartet
Performance Instructions
Each system should last between 15 and ! seconds" unless otherwise stated. If there is an
accelerando or ritardando marking" the specified passage should last less or more than 15#!
respecti$ely.
Each performer performs their own part" starting together but not necessarily ending together.
%he score is only meant to be a guideline and is not to be taken literally& as the parts mo$e
indi$idually" the score is not a representation of the $ertical sonorities that occur by the playing of
the parts.
%he performers should listen carefully to what is being played when they are playing 'and when
they are not(. %hey should perform their part as if they are supposed to play e)actly what they are
playing" e)actly when they are playing it.
%he notation used 'in terms of rhythm( is more e$ocati$e than it is authoritati$e. *s there is a
different number of notes per system" the duration of the qua$er will $ary from system to system.
%he performers should feel free to add ornaments or e)pressions" such as bending the notes or
changing the timbre" especially on long notes.
%he spacing of the material on the page is relati$ely free + if the performer feels like playing a
piece of material sooner or later than is indicated in the score 'but still in a linear order( because of
something else that was played by someone else" then they should are free to do so.
%rills are always on the semitone abo$e" unless otherwise notated. ,on#$ibrato throughout 'unless
otherwise stated(.
-uration. about /0
%he trill is to be performed during the glissando.
%he arrow indicates mo$ing gradually from tremolando to normal
playing. *n arrow from a normal stem to a stem with tremolando
lines indicates the opposite.
1radually increased bow pressure" creating a scratch tone.
1radually decrease pressure on the fingers of the left hand
'like when playing harmonics(" so as to create a kind of ghost
tone.
2ircular bow mo$ement" from e).3% to e).3P
3% 4 sul tasto 3P 4 sul ponticello e).3% 4 e)tremely 3% e).3P 4 e)tremely 3P , 4 normale
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Programme ,ote
"..and keep the clay wet" is a very personal composition. In the past, I had been trying to avoid writing a
composition very personal (possibly avoiding taking the responsibility of writing something personal in fear of
having it heavily criticised and thus avoiding hurting my ego) by falling back to using methods external to music
with which I was familiar before taking up composition, such as mathematics, images, physics, poems, etc.
One of the aspects in which it is personal is that I have utilised folk music material from the three
cultures that I consider have played the biggest role in my life and in who I am today !reek (because of the
history), "nglish (because of the language) and #innish (because of the land). $he use of folk material is not
meant to be audible, but was used as a base upon which I could compose with what I consider the important
materials in this composition, which are extended techni%ues (such as increased bow pressure) and timbral
changes.
&ith this piece I wanted to create a more "raw" soundscape than the soundscape we are used to
listening to in a concert environment. &ithout claiming to be original or uni%ue in my approach to composing
such a piece, I primarily focus on creating such a soundscape for its own sake, to evoke a dance of wild sonic
instances that these extraordinarily sophisticated instruments are capable of producing, which have been tamed
for the sake of creating what 'at a particular time and place' is considered "socially acceptable music".
(omeone in the workshop mentioned that the piece has an "archaic" feeling to it, but I would take it further and
say that if I could use one word to describe the piece, I would use the word "primeval" or )feral*. +nease,
uncertainty and indeterminacy are also three words which describe the soundscape of this piece in a
compositional approach. ($hree words which are %uite distant from our everyday &estern middle,class lives,
where things are %uite safe, normal, predictable, determined for us, and we have a lot less to worry about than
our fellow human beings in remote parts of the world whose natural habitat we destroy so we can keep living
our ever,increasingly needy and consumer,oriented lives.)
"I feel ready, on yer toes ready, and I am tender to the motto -e .repared, because, prepared,
your future is like a sculpture, clay of tomorrow, moist in your palm. /ive like this, damp side out
to the world. It0s all I0d tell my kids1 live generously and keep the clay wet."
(2ay !riffiths, )3narchipelago*)
ii
Creative Commons by-sa 3.0
Commentary for ...and keep the clay wet
Nikolaos-Laonikos Psimikakis-Chalkokondylis
"..and keep the clay wet" is a very personal composition. In the past, I had been trying to avoid writing a personal
composition (possibly avoiding taking the responsibility o writing something personal in ear o having it heavily criticised
and th!s avoiding h!rting my ego" by alling back to !sing methods e#ternal to m!sic with which I was amiliar beore taking
!p composition, s!ch as mathematics, images, physics, poems, etc. to help me compose.
$he basic !nderlying pitch and rhythmic material I have !sed in the piece comes rom olk m!sic o the three c!lt!res
I consider have played the most important role in my lie, and in who I am today% &reek (beca!se o the history", 'nglish
(beca!se o the lang!age" and (innish (beca!se o the land".
$he !se o olk m!sic material was not intended to be a!dible in the inal res!lt - it rather provided a base material
which I co!ld mo!ld and shape with the !se o what I consider the important sonic materials o my composition. )y main
working materials are e#tended techni*!es s!ch as increased bow press!re, timbral changes (s!l pont, s!l tasto etc" or trills and
tremolos in !n!s!al combinations, which need pitches and rhythms to be applied on, b!t whose sonic res!lt does not
necessarily depend on the notes they are played on.
I admire the more ree interaction olk perormers have with their material, which is something I attempt to do in my
composition, albeit in a dierent way and in a s!bstantially dierent conte#t. 'very time the piece is played it is dierent, b!t
retains vario!s characteristic elements% m!ch like stories (which are dierent depending on who tells them, where, and to
whom - representing an emergent and more olk-like mindset" and m!ch !nlike histories (which are established, once and or
all, !nchanged, stated, there - representing an established and more control-obsessed and western mindset".
+ith this piece I wanted to create a more "raw" so!ndscape than the so!ndscape we are !sed to listening to in a
concert environment. ,bvio!sly, some o -.th-cent!ry and contemporary m!sic so!nds *!ite "raw" in the sense that the so!nds
prod!ced d!ring perormances o s!ch pieces are very remote rom the earlier classical tradition o the west, and have adopted
in their array o accepted "m!sical" so!nds a vast n!mber o what wo!ld simply be called "noise" in earlier days or other
conte#ts. /owever, I believe that in many occasions these so!ndscapes were the res!lt o other compositional processes or
attit!des in composition, and were not so m!ch e#plored or their own sake. +itho!t claiming to be !ni*!e in my approach to
composing s!ch a piece, I primarily oc!s on creating s!ch a so!ndscape or its own sake, to evoke a dance o wild sonic
instances that these e#traordinarily sophisticated instr!ments are capable o prod!cing, which we have tamed or the sake o
creating what 0at a partic!lar time and place0 is considered "socially acceptable m!sic". 1omeone in the workshop mentioned
that the piece has an "archaic" eeling to it, b!t I wo!ld take it !rther and say that i I co!ld !se one word to describe the piece,
I wo!ld !se the word "primeval" or 2eral3. Unease, uncertainty and indeterminacy are also three words which describe the
so!ndscape o this piece in a compositional approach. ($hree words which are *!ite distant rom o!r everyday +estern middle-
class lives, where things are *!ite sae, normal, predictable, determined or !s, and we have a lot less to worry abo!t than o!r
ellow h!man beings in remote parts o the world whose nat!ral habitat we destroy so we can keep living o!r ever-increasingly
needy and cons!mer-oriented lives."
"I feel ready, on yer toes ready, and I am tender to the motto Be Prepared, because, prepared, your future is like a
sculpture, clay of tomorrow, moist in your palm. Live like this, damp side out to the world. It's all I'd tell my kids live
!enerously and keep the clay wet."
"#ay $riffiths, %&narchipela!o'(
Post-workshop comments
In the workshop which took place in the irst week o term, I received some very help!l comments rom the string *!artet
which played this piece. $he material given to the players was intended to be played a lot more slowly, and had a lot less
e#tended techni*!es and more "clean" so!nding notes. /owever, it t!rned o!t that the character o the piece (which was the
more scratchy, ethereal and "weird" kind o so!ndscape" was more dist!rbed by the clean notes than I e#pected. In t!rn, they
s!ggested I sho!ld ill in the score with a lot more "weird" st! (in their words" so as to make s!re that the perormers know
what kind o atmosphere they sho!ld be creating in the piece, so when they are amiliar with the material and perorm it, they
will be more ree to act on the material (as it is asked in the perormance instr!ctions" in a way that will be aith!l to my
intentions. $he second time they perormed the piece, we decided to make each system a lot aster (twice the speed", and
almost eliminate any clean notes and add as m!ch 4cra5y4 and 4weird4 things they tho!ght wo!ld be appropriate. I m!ch
preerred that end res!lt, and I decided to !se the clean notes with the 0sometimes0 olk reminiscences as a decorative element
to the piece rather than as an e*!al and polarising element in the composition which is what they were in the beginning.
6nort!nately there is no recording o the workshop d!e to an error with the recording e*!ipment, b!t I believe a recording
wo!ldn4t be very representative o the composition anymore as it has changed signiicantly since the workshop.