Wedge

Four Flutes (+alto)

Arranged for the Emissary Quartet
-

-
2012/13
Duration: 4
Peter Kramer
 Program Note

Wedge takes its name from a microtonal tremolo that opens outwards during the first section of the piece.
Surrounding this migrating tremolo is a growing complexity of grace note and gesturally intricate secondary
materials. The layering of these materials and the performers ability to grapple simultaneously with the fabric of
the piece creates an inconsistent condition and wedge-inspired balancing act. The idea of a wedge is dynamic
throughout the piece, functioning as an episode marker and grounds for development within the material
outlined above. Each performer reads from the same line of music throughout Wedge as in a canon, forming a
composite and thickly textured sound. Through staggered breathing the players sustain the same line of music,
never playing exactly together, rather playing in front of or behind each other producing a sort of ghosting
effect. Wedge concludes with a coda featuring mirror-shaped gestures, and material from the first section that is
subsequently treated as quasi un-pitched and sonically obscure. Wedge was composed for three flautists from
the Oberlin Conservatory: Hannah Hammel, Candy Chang, and Joseph Monticello.
!
wsolo # to 15
4
as sustained as possible at all costs! Take a short pause at the fermata)
as essential the texture of the piece as the notated material, stagger

RO W R W

15 15
simile

w # w 4#
>> >(bend
> > pitch up)
Technical and Performance Considerations

W
#w
R W

4
# 15
Each player reads from the same line (same score) of music. The material throughout the piece is to be sustained

w 15
among the 3 players; their breaths should be staggered in order to achieve this affect. Each player DOES NOT
simile

n

4
play in time with one another; they should rather individually drift apart in tempi during the entirety of the piece

(bend pitch up)

4
creating a ghosting effect, players should find themselves beginning a new system before another player
>reaches
> > that same point. Boxes>at>the beginning of systems denote points of synchronicity. Players should also
#

R O W R
15
mind systems where they DO NOT PLAY for example (m.5 *flutes II, III only)
simile

n b nw bw 12
(bend pitch up)

4
Each system has 3 layers the middle stave, indicates the tremolo or main melodic material, the lower stave

4
# A box at the beginning of a system indicates that all players start that system together, which means
(sometimes blank) concerns ornamental material, and above these staves are the tone-quality and dynamic
indications.

that a player may find themselves waiting for the others to catch up to begin a boxed system. At the end of each

> >> >>

12
system there will be either a short fermata (breath) or attacca at no time should there be significant pauses
between systems, the player should always strive to elide their material and entrances from one system to

4
n

R W R O W R
another.
n n
b
> >> >>

# Rn n O W b R nw bw
Air-tone: almost all air and no pitch, blow air over the top of the embouchure.

& n

O R W Wnw 12
Full-tone: normal pitched playing.

b bw
4
"fff"
"ff" pp "ff"

3
Closed embouchure: cover the embouchure completely, the result being a completely tone-less and
n n n

1
4

12
wind-like sound.
b
3 3



4
n-.n - n

34
ram: triangular note heads are found
Tongue b only in m.16.
attaca

(closed embouchure

"ff"O R
"ff"toneless)
pp
Key click: found in m.14 and mm.26-30
"fff" pp "ff"
W R "fff" W W
completely
"ff"
?pp

Note: all overblown gestures are executed with a full-tone pitch, they are overblown as high as possible, only in
pp "ff"
R R W W 3
3
mm.26-29 are jet-whistles (overblowing through the flute with a completely closed embouchure).

O
34 - 4
3

Note on Dynamics

b14
(cut off sound suddenly)

-.
All dynamics are indicated through 3
the use of the air-tone, full-tone 3

gliss.
4
and closed embouchure signs outlined

-
-.
above. A line from one embouchure technique to another indicates a change toward the new technique, a

3
bracket before an embouchure technique indicates an immediate change to that technique. Over the course of
att
14 34 4
the first section dynamic registers shift very slowly, this should be brought out carefully in the performance.

& allalways

together!

attaca

Players should be mindful that a certain dynamic associated with an embouchure technique is not static;

4
rather it (the dynamic) is increasing or decreasing in intensity. Regard the diagram below. Over the course of
mm.1-16 the air tone gestures are growing softer while the full-tone pitched material is growing louder, this

o) (closed embouchure
should be brought out in the performance. The Coda section does not utilize the same dynamic process as the
(closed embouchure
opening section.
completely toneless)
completely toneless)

Copyright 2013
poco cresc.
(cut off sound suddenly)
14
(cut off sound suddenly)
? n # 14
4

#
nb
n
b
4
all together! all together!
14 14
Dynamic register shift, (dynamics) connected to embouchure techniques over the course of mm.1-16

9
4
 Microtonal Fingerings
The following is a list of the microtonal fingerings found in the
score; there are two fingerings for the C double quarter sharp.
The fingerings are taken from Robert Dicks book The Other Flute.

&
&&

&

8 8 8

&&

&& & &

28 28 28

&& &
8 8 8 8

&&& &

45 45 45

&& &

28 28 28 28

&&& &

45 45 45 45

&&& &
Agitato : q =70
Insatiable / Unnerving Wedge
For Four Flutes (+alto)
(overblow as high as possible, sharp attack and sharp decay. a box at the
beginning of a measure denotes that all flutes start the downbeat together) Peter Kramer (b.1989)
>fi > >>> >>
sffz
ppp ppp "fff"
O W R W O R W
"fff" "fff"

&
16
4 #w^ w #w w #w w # 114


(1'')

16 nb 114
fingering :

& 4
(repeat each note ad lib.) (bend pitch down)
b n

(breathe freely: each inhalation and exhalation is as essential to the texture as the notated material, stagger
breaths in order to keep the tremolo as sustained as possible at all costs! Take a short pause at the fermata,
individualy the flute material should always be eliding from system to system "bar to bar")

sffz fi
>> >> >>>

O W RO W R W
114 #w^ w w # 15
2

& #w
4

11 15
simile

#
(bend pitch up)

4 4
n
&

sffz >fi> >>> >>

O W R W R O W R
15 # # n n b nw 12
3
^ bw
& 4
4

4
&
15 bn
n n n
b 12
4

pp "ff" pp "fff" pp "ff"
R W R O R W W
"ff"

12 34
4

4 b
3 3 3

& gliss. .
- -
>
12 34
attacca

4
&
flute I (play) (closed embouchure
flute II, III, IV (tacet) completely toneless)

R
pp poco cresc.
(cut off sound suddenly!)
34 14
5
n #
& - b b n n b

4

3 14
all together!

& 4 4
6 9

flute II, III (play)

flute I, IV (tacet) Copyright 2013
 * all flutes begin together when a box is present

2 sffz >fi > > >> >>

p p p

O W R O W R O W R
"f" "f" "f"

14 w 34
6

n
^ nw n n nw
& 4 nw #

& 14 n ## 34
attacca

4
n n
n b

flutes I-IV (play)

R
p poco cresc.
(cut off sound suddenly!)

34 n b 13
7
#
& -
# b n n b n b n
4

& 43 6 9
13
4
flutes II-IV (play)
flute I (tacet)

sffz >fi> >>>

"mp/mf" mp/mf "mp/mf" mp/mf
O W R O W R
(same dynamic)

13 n nw n n n n n 34
8
^
&
nw
4
(two times total) 2

13 34
attacca

&
b
4
n
n n b

1. flutes I-III (play through m.8 as written) flute IV (tacet)

2. flutes II-IV (repeat m.8 backwards, performing the dynamics, gracenotes
and gracenote repetitions, overblow when finished, then precede to m.9 remember
to elide) flute I (tacet)

R
mp/mf poco cresc.
n
34 13
(cut off sound suddenly!)

9
n n n
& n- b b b n b n n 4

3 13
all together!

& 4 4
6 7

flutes I, III (play)

flute II, IV (tacet)

(mind the fermata as long
as it takes to expell all air)
sffz >fi > > (expell all air!) (breathe here)
ppp
O W
"fff"
.
13 44

w w # #Y nY
10 "ffff"
^
&4 #w #w

&13 44
b
(key click, loud and aggresive!) attacca

flutes I-IV (play)

4
 R
fff poco cresc.
3
9

n> n n ~~~~
44 b n b n n nn n b 16
11

& '
b n # n b n n nb n b n
4

4 16
all together!

& 4 4
6 9

flutes I, II (play)
flute III, IV (tacet) FLUTE IV (SWICH TO ALTO)

(tounge-ram)
"fff"
>..
fi
>.
(simile) >. >.
sffz

O W (very airy)
ppp

16 # #
12

& 4 #w^ #w # #w nw #w nw
3
16
attacca

&
4 n1
n1
#1
n1
1. flutes II-IV (play m.16 as written)
2. flute IV (play only the tongue rams as they are spatially arranged) flute I-III (tacet)
3. flute I, II, IV (play only the tongue rams as they are spatially arranged) flute III (tacet)

44
(8'' not too long)

13

44
attacca


flutes I-IV (tacet)

R
fff

#

44 > b ~~~~ n
n# n
54
14

n n n n #
n b n n
b
& b n n n b

& 4
4 6 7
R
9 9
54 attacca

flute I (play)
flutes II-IV (tacet) FLUTE IV (SWICH TO C FLUTE)

ffff
n
~~~~ # n
54 n ~~~~
b n n b 44
15
b n n b n n
& n b n n n # n

& 4
5 9 6 7 9
44 attacca

flutes I, II (play, don't forget to elide!) sfffffz

flute III, IV (tacet)
ffff fffff

n

~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~
44 44

b
16
n n b n n b
& > # b n

b
b n n # # n n

& 4
4 9 9 9 9
44 attacca / all together!

flutes I-IV (play, elide entrances!)

4Coda: q=50
Sustaining / Free
pppp ffff
O R
O . flutes I-IV (play) (as fast as possible)

n w- w.t. >
44 n% 44
9
17

&
b b
4 n 4
(whistle-tone, as stable as possible, closed embouchure, finger the lower pitch) attacca
b
& 4 n # b
4
(breathe freely: each inhalation in the Coda should be as imperceptible
as possible, try to keep the w.t. sustaining with few breaks in the line)
fff
O R
ppp

O. (simile)

w- w.t. > 9

44 n% 44
18

&
b b
4 n 4
attacca
b
4 n # b
&
4
pp ff
O R
O .
b w- w.t. >
44 b% 44
9
19

&
b b
4 n 4
flute I-III (play attacca
b
& 4 n # b
4
flute IV (tacet) FLUTE IV (SWICH TO ALTO FLUTE)

p
f
O R
O .

b w- w.t. >
44 b% 34
9
20

&
b b
4 n 3
flute I, II (play)
attacca
flute III, IV (tacet)
b b
& 4 n #
4
"mp/mf" mp/mf

O . O R (as fast as possible)

n - w.t. >
34 nE 34
21

&
b
3 34
all together!
n
4
& n b n n b b b n
flute I (play) 9 9
flutes II-IV (tacet)
 sffz
. (jet-whistle, sharp/immediate attack and quick decay)

5
(throughout mm.26-32 all flutes should play/arrive
on the downbeats of each measure together)

34 n>. 54
22

&

3 J
b b n 5
4
attacca

4
& b
n. . . . . . . . . #. . . n. . n .
. . . .
"fff" (key-click, played short and staccato, pitch should be somewhat clear,
repeat the keyclicks 4 times, do not repeat the jetwhistle)

1-4. flutes I-IV (play) FLUTE IV (PLAY LOW B FINGERINGS ONE OCTAVE HIGHER)
sffz
.

(jet-whistle, gradual attack and slow decay, there

54 b> 54
23 should be a second smaller repercussion "echo")

&

5 b. # #. n b. n n 5
attacca

& 4
. .

. . . n . #. . n. . . n. . b. . . 4
. . .
"fff" 1/2. flute IV (play) flutes I-III (tacet)
3/4. flutes I, III (play) flute II, IV (tacet)

p (everyone breath together,

R
"f"
.
and continue to m.31)

54
54
24

& n
>
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
& 5 5
4 n
(trill/finger the D-key for a keyclicking sound, while fingering the F natural) 4
"fff" 1/2. flutes I, II (play) flute III, IV (tacet)
3/4. flutes II-IV (play) flute I (tacet)

fffff
,
"ff" pp
W R
(very short breath)

54 44
25

nw
n%
&
n -
(overblow as gradually and as clearly as possible,

54 44
extremely dramatic, gliss. through the harmonic series) attacca

&
flutes I-IV (play) FLUTE IV (PLAY LOW G HERE)

R
ppppp "ppppp"

nw (as stable as possible, expell all air)

,
(breathe)

44
26

& n%

(fin)

44
(do not re-take breath)

&
flutes I-IV (play)