Yukiko Watanabe

House of Sphere (2023)

for Violoncello and 10 hole C-major diatonic harmonica
YUKIKO WATANABE (2023)

House of Sphere for Violoncello and 10 hole C-major diatonic harmonica

[Program Note]
Music has always been linked to human transportation, from ancient times when people rode horses and drove cars, to the present day with trains, planes, and the internet allowing us to travel faster than ever.
Many types of music convey a sense of speed, but this is not the same as the tempo in musical expression. Structured music always has tempo attached to it, moving it forward with a certain force from beginning
to end. This composition, titled "House of Sphere," was inspired by Daisuke Nagaoka's "The Sphere House", which moves a little bit every day as people go about their lives, similar to a pendulum's motion.
This work includes a long melody as a foundation, with small repetitions created by the motion of a swing. Although the repetitions have small destinations, the motion ends before reaching them,
expressing the experience of seeing a slightly changing view over time in daily life, without any specific goal in mind.

[Description]

SCORE I:
Begin with triadic melody performed by cello's flageolet and harmonica (10 hole C-major diatonic). Play the cello with careful attention to timbre, aiming to blend the sound
seamlessly with the harmonica. *) The pitch for the harmonica is shown as right

Use a holder to secure the harmonica around your neck for hands-free playing. *)
Exhaling CEGCEGCEGC
Cover the harmonica's air hole with a thin handkerchief if it is too loud.
Inhaling DGBDFABDFA
Start with the cello's "part a" and gradually insert "part b", then "c and d" as the music progresses. Each section may be repeated as many
times as desired by the performer.

The harmonica gradually becomes softer throughout the entire piece.

The tremolo refers to the relative speed and gradually slows down in both "Section a" and "Section b". Never play the tremolo rhythmically!

SCORE I and SCORE II:

"Section c and d" written in SCORE I can be played with arco but also occasionally played in pizzicato. Begin with a large notehead and insert smaller notes with each repetition.

SCORE II has eight groups of fragments based on two different pitches. The fragment enclosed in squares with slightly larger notehead can be played seamlessly from the notes
in SCORE I. To perform, start from this one in small squares, and play several another fragments within the same alphabet, then return to SCORE I.

Each fragment can be repeated as many times as desired, but performers should keep in mind the goal of playing as many fragments as possible.

The performance time is expected to be at least 10 minutes to around 30 minutes. Once all the fragments have been played, the work is over. But if the performance time is shorter,
it is not necessary to play all the fragments.

Each fragment is indicated by a square with rounded corners that represents an element that changes with each repetition.The dotted bar lines indicate that a slight tempo rubato
can be used between measures, similar to the feeling of briefly pausing at the far end of a pendulum's swing. The dotted line crescendo indicates that the dynamics should change
with each repetition. Some fragments have no changing elements, and if there are no such indications, the fragment should be repeated the same way each time.
The performer may choose one or multiple fragments and may connect them or add small rests or fermatas between them.

SCORE II:
**) Dynamics for each note: always crescendo from nothing, and decrescendo to nothing, unless otherwise noted. Diamond-shaped notes should produce overtones as clearly as possible,
and black diamonds should produce slightly more overtones. Both flageolets should always be played in the sul ponticello position.

***) Maintain a calm and non-emotional approach for SCOREI, while SCOREII should have a gentle and rhythmic motion like a swinging pendulum.
When returning to SCOREI, be careful not to disrupt the flow and motion established in SCOREII!
 SCORE I

House of Sphere for Violoncello and 10 hole C-major diatonic harmonica

     
   
Senza misura, lento semplicemente

 

     
     
  
    


Vc.


 
a

        
sempre

   
 
   
  
 
   
 
 
b

     
           
       
pizz./arco

   
        
D

 
D G A B

  
A E


c

   
H C E

  
E H

       
   
  
     
 
B
  
   
B D C

     
 
d B A G F F
F G F
H
  
SCORE II
***)

House of Sphere (2023)

 = ca.40 - 45
  ()
 ( )   
 
    

( ) ( )


  
: :
IV III
**)

 
    
Slow-

      
Bowing

      
II III

      
   
: :



sempre

 
     
1/2 crini

 
    

     
    

   
 
c.l. tratto III

 
  :
crini

   
. II
arm
lly h
dua
g ra



 
half harmonics

      
:    :

   

      
A :
    :
B
 
          
   
   
D
  
 
IV I

 
   
     
  
In this two bars, dynamics should change with bow pressure, not bow speed.

 :         
I
II

 
 
 
      
a tempo


poco accel.

 
2cm

     
slow-glissando in repetition gradually

  
 

7th/I 6th/I


    
4cm .


a rm
.h


: m
: : :


nor
seagull gliss.

  
    
 :     
   
   
:

 
        I 

   
I

 
II


  
(I)

      

 
: :
 
C IV
     
      

2＋ 3

    
        
I
8 16

IV
 


 
   
Slow glissando (change position slightly with each repetition)




          
6th/I 3


rit.

         
6th/I 8

: :




        
           
         a melody as freely
8th/I

 
arioso (Play with written overtones like

 
 
   
5th/I as some old song.)
.   

～
   
:

   

3 3 3

 

 
 
:

  → 
6th/I

  :            F★  
?

: 
  

s.p.
7th/IV


      
? 6th/IV
: 


E  F  

G   ( )
 
       
     
( )
H
 

:
II 
:


II

    

        
 
II III II
:

         
     
     
    
 :               
I II

     
II


III

    
  

  
   
    
 

:

   

            
I

  
II


: : :
II II III
III
I II