Carl: MA: No-Sound Is Not No Sound
Expected to ship in 1-2 weeks.
- Composer: Robert Carl (1954-)
- Format: Score & Set of Parts
- Instrumentation: Cello, Violin, Clarinet, Flute, Shakuhachi
- Work: MA: No-sound Is Not No Sound (2024)
- ISMN:
- Size: 8.9 x 12.0 inches
Description
Composer's Note:
The concept of Ma in Japanese aesthetics, and in particular music, suggests the space before and after a note sounds. It is "emptiness", but not a void. Rather, it is a space to be filled.
I went to Japan several years ago for a few months, and part of my project was meeting with many composers, asking them the question of what is Ma. I got beautiful answers, none exactly the same.
And that seemed appropriate. Ma is something one feels; even the description I have given above hopelessly limits it.
This work evolves slowly, defining a space that the instruments inhabit, and begin to fill. A space for sounds to emerge from, and to resonate within. The shakuhachi, an instrument dear to me (that I play after a fashion), embodies the human breath as few other instruments do.
The title, with its triple-negative, suggests that silence is not necessarily "silent". It is empty but full of potential. and so I think of this ensemble becoming a slowly pulsating, breathing entity. It is a living space for meditation, moving gradually outward and upward.
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Choral Score
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Set of Parts
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Solo Part with Piano Reduction
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A small (think choral size) copy of the complete score meant for studying, and not playing. They make great add-ons when learning concertos and small chamber works.
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Carl: MA: No-Sound Is Not No Sound
