UCLA Contemporary Music Score Collection Title Continuous Blossom Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1k58w54d Author Mills, Michael Publication Date 2020 eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Continuous Blossom For Piano Trio Michael Mills Notation Noteheads and Stems All Players Diamond note heads indicate harmonics. For strings, all harmonics are natural harmonics unless accompanied by the touched interval of an artificial harmonic. For the pianist, they will press on the string on or near labeled partials to create the harmonic sound* Piano Only X note heads indicate for the pianist to strike the string(s) in the area in front of the hammers with their fingers, using skin Triangle note heads indicate for the pianist to strike the string(s) in the area in front of the hammers with their fingers, using their nails Open note heads occur in the reduced staff and indicate the desired sounding pitch* Open slashed note heads occur in the reduced staff and indicate a pitch closest to the desired tone* Open rectangle note heads occur in the reduced staff and indicate the general area in which a harmonic cluster should sound* Flat top noteheads indicate for the pianist to create sound by pressing their fingers on the strings behind the dampers of the notated pitches and pulling off. The sound is created by the release as opposed to a striking motion. This will be extremely soft Crooked stems indicate the pianist to run their nail down the string. A reduced staff is sometimes placed above to indicate the desired harmonic caused by this (hitting this exactly and *Explained further in the Piano Harmonics section consistently is very difficult. The scratching sound is the primary focus, it is okay if the harmonics are not achieved with this technique) Lines All players: Solid Arrows indicate the progression from one performance direction to another Tremolos with a single or double line are to be played in time. Three lines should be played unmeasured and as quickly as possible Strings only: Trills are always played with the big note indicating the primary pitch from which the performer starts the trill. The note that the performer will trill to is always placed after the primary note in parenthesis. Accidentals are remarked for ease of reading Glissandi are marked with solid lines connecting noteheads. Glissandi should occur over the duration of the first note the line is attached to except when notes are tied to show meter or clarify the location of other performance directions. In this exception, the tied notes that the glissando line goes through will have their noteheads removed and their durations considered part of the overarching glissando Piano only: Dashed Arrows indicate a gradual change in the quality of strike from the pianist ABBreviations Strings s.p. = sul ponticello s.t. = sul tasto m.s.p. = molto sul ponticello m.s.t. = molto sul tasto norm. = normal Bow ad liB. = bow placement is to the discretion of the performer until otherwise notated Piano fr. = front md. = middle Bk. = back pedal ad liB. = use of the pedal is at the discretion of the performer until otherwise notated Piano Harmonics When the piano harmonic is created in the typical manner, both a reduced staff (to indicate desired sound pitch) and finger positioning are offered. It appears as follows: Shows desired pitches (larger noteheads have more importance) The boxed figure indicates the partial to be struck. The location on the staff is a relative hand placement Shows which keys to be struck Indicates that the staff will now show relative hand placement on the strings instead of a standard cleff: Higher on the staff correlates to reaching further along the strings and lower on the staff indicates a closer proximity to the hammers You are a flower, but you are not delicate. ~ Compassionate ~ ~ Considerate ~ Yes. But you are not delicate. You are a flower, but not because of your beauty… …and you are beautiful… what banal comparison could even begin to illustrate the shades with which you paint? You are a flower, but you are not dainty. ~ Charming ~ ~ Clever ~ Of course. But you are not dainty. You are a flower, but not because of your radiance... … and you are radiant… what words are there among us that have the depth to illuminate the light your life creates - But I say - You are a flower because you blossom… …and blossom… …and blossom… - Every day - - Every moment - And when it seems impossible for all the petals of your person to form a more perfect bloom, I am consistently, completely, confoundedly amazed by the flower that is you. Score Continuous Blossom Michael Mills Beautiful even when dissonant; strong even when fragile q = 80 Violin & 4 ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ Cello B 4 ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ø md. π ? 4 ∑ ∑ ∑ ‘ ‘ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ Piano fr. md. ? 4 @ @ @ 4 ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ø slowly add pedal π ° 1 m.s.t. s.p. m.s.p. s.p. 7 3 j & ∑ ∑ ∑ #w œ œ #œ ˙ œæ œ.. #œ ˙ w ø > π ß> ß m.s.t. s.p. m.s.p. s.p. > > B ∑ ∑ ∑ w ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ø æ π ß ß 7 ø ? ‘ ‘ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ & fr. md. ? ‘ ‘ ø ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Copyright © 2019 Michael Mills F 2 Continuous Blossom 14 norm. s.t. m.s.p. norm. 3 3 j & w œ œ #œ ˙æ wO Ó ‰ #œ œæ > > p π ß ∏ F ( π ) ß norm. s.t. m.s.p. O B w œ >œ œ >œ œ # w æ ∑ p π ß ∏ F √ f 14 œ^ ? & Ó Œ ∑ ∑ ∑ fr. ? ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ‘ ‘ ‘ ø¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ s.p. m.s.p. m.s.t. 18 > > ˙ œ.. œ œ & œæ #œ œæ œæ.. œ ˙ œ œ w æ > > æ æ ø ß p ß ß p ß norm. m.s.p. m.s.t. >œ ˙ >˙ œ œ >œ w > B Œ ‰. R & ˙ œ œ æ æ æø ( π ) ß pß ß p ß 18 H & √ (md.) F ø ^ p F p œ ? j ? ¿@ @ — — — ¿ ‰ Œ Ó & Ó Œ ∑ ◊ md. ? @ @ @ @ ‘ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ——— ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ‘ >>> p F p Continuous Blossom 3 2 s.p. norm. m.s.p. 22 œ >œ >œ œ ˙ œ. œ œ ˙ w ˙ æ æ æ æ Ó & ø P ß ß π f π F s.p. norm. m.s.p. >. B & œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ ˙ w ˙ Ó æ æ æ æ ø P ß π f π F 22 F p P ∏ q e e q ? Œ ∑ ∑ ∑ — . ¿ — . ¿ > > ◊ fr. @ @ @ @ ? ‘ ‘ ‘ ¿ #ø¿ F p 26 norm. œ œ ˙ œ^ œ..œ^ œ.. #œ œ ˙ œ œ œ #œ & ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ..œ œ.. > > ∏ ß p ß P f p f ß norm. ^ ^ > > B #˙ œ œ œ ˙ œ #œ ˙ œ œœ ˙˙ ˙ ˙ #œ œ..œ œ.. J3 œ œ..œ œ.. ∏ ß p ß f p f ß √ 26 p f F ˙^ ? æ j ? ∑ œ œ ‰ Ó & Ó ∑ ∑ md. fr. md. bk. ? —@ @ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ @ @ @ —@ —@ —@ —@ #— ¿ ¿ #¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ‘ #¿ #— — — — F p π F 4 Continuous Blossom m.s.p. norm. 3 s.t. s.p. 31 #œ ˙ œ > #œ ˙ >œ œ œ œ ‚ ‚ ‚. ‚ J >˙ & Œ 3 ‰ Ó ∏ ƒ π f ( π )ß m.s.p. norm. s.t. s.p. > > > ˙ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ > B Ó J ‰ ‚ ‚ ‚. ‚ Ó Œ ‰ ≈ ≈#œ 3 3 3 R ∏ ƒ π f ( π ) ß (bk.) fr. md. 31 f ƒ ∏ P + + + + + + + + ß^ ? @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ #œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ R ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ◊ (fr.) ? ∑ ∑ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ a¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ #¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ π norm. s.p. 35 ‚ ‚ ‚.. >‚ ‚. >‚ ‚ ‚ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ & 3 Ó Œ Œ Ó æ ø ø ø f p p ß ß norm. s.p. œ œ œ œ ˙ B ‚ ‚ ‚ >‚ >‚ ‚ 3 æ Ó Œ Œ Ó ø ø ø 35 f p p ß ß & #H H √ √ P^ F p P p f p #œ p f p ˙^ ? ? ? Œ & Œ Ó ∑ Œ & ¿@ ¿@ — ¿ — ¿ (◊) ◊ md. ? ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Continuous Blossom 5 39 m.s.p. > J > ∑ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ ˜ œ œ. œ œ œ #œ & J 3 J π P ß f P f ß m.s.p. > B ∑ & ‰ #œ œ œ œ œ w w J 3 J π P ß f 39 ∏ f ∏ ? Œ Ó ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ @ @ @ —@ @ @ @ ¿@ ◊ fr. md. ? ¿@ @ @ @ —@ @ @ @ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ¿@ ‘ #¿ #— #¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ P f m.s.t. m.s.p. 43 w ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ X & 3 @ @ @ ∑ p ƒ m.s.t. m.s.p. w ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ∑ ? X & 3 @ @ @ p ƒ fr. 43 ¿ — — — — — — — — ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ? ¿¿ —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ X Pfr. md. ƒ p ^ œœ ? ¿@ @ @ @ —@ —@ —@ —@ —@ —@ —@ Œ œ X #¿ #— — — — #— — — * ° 6 Continuous Blossom ~10 seconds 16th note figures are played in time but where they occur is based on 4 spatial appearance measure begins when bow ad lib. cellist starts 16th notes ‚ ‚ X ‚ ‚ 4 ∑ 3 & @ @ @ @ 4 4 P p p π out of time bow ad lib. > Ÿ~~~~~~~~~ ?X (# œ ) 4 3 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 4 œ œ œ œ œ œ 4 > > > @ œ œ œ œ@ P F p P f continue playing 16ths in time md. fr. 47 ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ?X 4 Ó R 3 @ 4 @ @ ø 4 π ?X ∑ 4 ∑ 43 ~12 seconds 49 3 X 3 & 4 Œ Œ ‰ œO œO œOœOœOœOœOœO ‚æ ‚æ 4 f p p π ? 3 X 3 4 @ @ @ @ 4 49 œ œ œ œ π H H # #H #H ? 3 #H #H #H #H #H #H #H ˙ ˙ nH 3 4 X & 4 9.21 3 5.11 ? 3 R 4 X 4 P fP ∏ ? 3 3 4 X 4 ‚. ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚‚ ◊ > Continuous Blossom 7 5 measure begins when ~10 seconds measure begins when pianist hits chord pianist hits chord Ÿ~ Ÿ~ Ÿ~~~~ Ÿ~ Ÿ~Ÿ~ œŸ~~ œ œ & 43 ∑ X œ (œ) œ(œ ) #œ(œ) œ œ(œ) œ(œ) œ (œ) (œ) 41 X æ æ æ æ æ p F π p f P ? 3 œ œ 1 4 ∑ X @ @ 4 ∑ X p P 51 md.