This work requires an amplified clarinet connected to a pitch transposer + reverb unit with 5 programmable presets, preferably the DigiTech TSR-24.
Moderately difficult.
This concert video is a video-art-music centennial celebration of the Brooklyn Bridge. On May 24, 1983, the span was closed to motor traffic to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Dancers, musicians, and actors performed on and around the bridge all day; that evening, there was a grand fireworks display. This work features processed images of those events.
The music is for solo clarinet with an accompaniment that draws upon various old swing-band recordings. These were cut up into small soundfiles and combined and altered using SoundHack and other software. One such alteration is known as convolution, in which common frequencies are reinforced while others are suppressed. This works interestingly as a way to project a “ghost” of one piece of music onto a totally different piece.
The work was commissioned by clarinetist F. Gerard Errante.
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CLICK BELOW FOR MP4 MOVIE
OPEN PDF FILE OF PERFORMANCE SCORE (150 KB)
A PDF file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to view or print. The file may appear jagged on your computer screen but will appear smooth when printed.
Musician-Programmer David Sabine of Keyano College has created a SuperCollider patch to control the audio processing of this piece. Complete instructions and the patch code may be found on the Swing Bridge page of his web site.
CLARINETISTS WHO PERFORM “SWING BRIDGE”
Mary A. Druhan
F. Gerard Errante
Lisa McKinney
Thomas Parchman
Allison Storochuk
Robert Zelickman
CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Production, Direction, Video, Image Processing, Music, Editing: Reynold Weidenaar
16mm Camera: Meryl Bronstein and Tom Lawrence
Image Processing Technician: Hank Rudolph
Clarinet, Composite Version: F. Gerard Errante
On-line Editor: Nils Nichols
Production assistance provided by the Experimental Television Center, which is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and private contributions.
Production made possible with assistance from William Paterson University and the Standby Program at Windsor Video.
Commissioned by and Dedicated to Clarinetist F. Gerard Errante.
Copyright © 1997 by Magnetic Music Publishing Co. (ASCAP)
