For Tenor Instrument and Piano
In February 2011 The Peninsula Arts Contemporary Music Festival invited Nigel Morgan and Alice Fox to give the Festival Lecture alongside a performance of the Fifteen Images by the jazz pianist Matt Robinson. Simultaneously Alice Fox’s physical representation of Fifteen Images in textile-based media joined the Craftspace exhibition Taking Time: Making a Slow Revolution in Craft at Plymouth Museum. As part of Plymouth Museum’s programme surrounding Taking Time Nigel Morgan was commissioned by Craftspace and Peninsula Arts to create a Plymouth Version’ of Fifteen Images for two performers to premiere in the museum in the final week of the exhibition.
This new score has similarities with the composer’s extension of the solo piano suite The White Light of Wonder into a duo for piano and violin called A World of Miracles. Both scores are the result of algorithmic generation and have the intention not to be solo and accompaniment, but a thoroughly democratic duo. In Fifteen Images as a duo this is extended somewhat by the invitation to use the properties of Active Notation to enable an Open Form performance of the work to be realised. The duo performers are also invited to play some movements as solos, the tenor instrument part has been consistently written to sound complete as an instrumental solo.
To date there are two published versions – for tenor trombone and tenor saxophone in Bb. These are available as conventional PDF scores (with the solo part included in the study score) and versions suitable for laptop-based viewing, alternative score representations, and playlist organisation of movements using Active Notation.
The version for trombone and piano has been prepared for the trombonist Kieran McLeod and the pianist Matt Robinson. The tenor saxophone version has been prepared for saxophonist Andy Visser and pianist Sam Richards.
The Active Notation score builds upon the previously available online score for solo performer. Previously two laptops were used in performance – one being a ‘virtual’ music stand, the other being used to generate accompanying images. The new version of the electronic score, based on Active Notation 2011 architecture
allows the player to perform the piece with visuals from a single laptop. Additional players can also connect to the software via wireless network and have their route through the vrtual score co-ordinated by the group leader.
Active Notation 2011 score and images generated during performance.
Downloads
Fifteen Images for Piano and Tenor Trombone [pdf]
Fifteen Images for Piano and Tenor Saxophone in Bb [pdf]
Fifteen Images for Piano and Bassoon [pdf]
Extract from live performance by Matt Robinson & Kieran McLeod [mp3]
The latest Active Notation 2011 software is available upon request – please specify operating system (Windows, OSX, Linux) and the score you are interested in (solo piano, trombone, saxophone).