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Lucas Sequence no. 6

Performers’ Notes

 

 

 

I. Notes on this Composition

 

The works Horizontal Para-Fibonacci Sequence no. 8 and Fibonacci Sequence no. 7 are for 8 and 7 violins respectively. They might be performed on the same concert as this work, but preferably with an unrelated work or long pauses in between.

 

In this work, the seven violinists play the first 7 terms of the Lucas sequence

{2, 1, 3, 4, 7, 11, 18}. Each player plays one note. This composition is only 1.3398 seconds long.

 

 

II. Selection of the Instruments

 

The instruments used in the performance of this work should all have a similar sound; there should be no instrument that stands out in the group.

 

 

III. Environment

 

The performers are to be situated in front of the audience according to a number line as such:

 

 

Player one should be on the left side and player seven on the right.  Places should be marked on the stage. A piece of string 20 inches long can be used to ensure the accurate placement of these marks.

 

The posture of the musicians must be identical; the f-holes on the instruments should all be pointed in the same direction. A director should oversee and critique the posture of the musicians.

 

The work is intended to be performed in rooms or small halls, but it can just as well be performed outside. Performances in large halls and other spaces with relatively long decay times are not desirable.

 

 

IV. Tuning of the Violins

 

This work uses scordatura tuning. String II is tuned on each violin according to the chart below:

 

Player 1 – 427.523966 Hz

Player 2 – 431.000000 Hz

Player 3 – 434.504297 Hz

Player 4 – 438.037085 Hz  

Player 5 – 448.808730 Hz  

Player 6 – 463.584084 Hz

Player 7 – 490.621024 Hz

 

The instruments are to be tuned directly before the performance. The performers should tune the instruments pizzicato and at their indicated dynamic level in the score.

 

Tuning tracks and click tracks can be found at the following web adress:

../../catalogue/b66.htm. Personalized click tracks are available from the composer on request.

 

 

V. Performance of the Work

 

This work uses graph notation. The players should familiarize themselves with the works Lucas Sequence nos. 1 – 5, also available for download at caseymongoven.com. The players should study the scores, and familiarize themselves with the notation.

 

The players should work to try to match the other players’ pizzicato technique as exactly as possible.

 

This work is to be executed with the use of a click track, as mentioned above. Several methods are acceptable; the performers can use an earplug in their right ear, a metronome with a blinking light or a conductor. If a conductor is used, he should use a metronome and try to stand (or sit) in a position that does not distort the audience’s spatial perception of the instruments. He should give the beat and nothing else.

 

The composite rhythm of the work is comparable to straight eighth notes. Each player’s note should last exactly as long as one unit; it should start as the previous pitch ends and end as the next pitch starts (excluding the first and last pitch).

 

By far the most difficult part of performing this work is the balancing of the dynamic levels. The performers will need to visualize the number line as having 18 different dynamic levels (1-18):

The arrow above indicates a gradual, linear change of dynamic between forte and piano. Exact dynamic levels are not given in traditional notation for the inner parts (players 2 through 6), as they lie in between these marks. The players are to use the additive property of the Fibonacci sequence to balance the dynamic levels:

 

Each equal size bracket represents an equal difference in dynamic level between the two voices indicated. Each bracket should be considered individually in rehearsal; each dynamic difference needs to be compared and balanced. The difference in dynamic level between player 1 and player 2’s part must be the same as the difference between player 2 and 3’s, and 3 and 4’s. The difference between player 1 and 4’s dynamic level should be the same as the difference between 4 and 5’s. The difference between player 3 and player 5’s dynamic level should match the difference in dynamics between player 5 and 6’s parts, and so on…

 

Rehearsals should be held in which all that is practiced is the balancing of the dynamic levels. The players should rehearse in the same place where the work is to be performed several times. A director should critique the ensemble. The players should internalize their exact dynamic levels in rehearsal, and practice playing that note exactly the same each time. They should rely less on listening to the dynamics of other players in the performance than concentrating on their own dynamic level from rehearsal.