Cadenza & Degradations

by Kyle Bruckmann

This piece was written in 2015 for Dana Jessen and features four prominent improvisation sections modeled after Dana Jessen and her playing. The piece can be obtained by contacting the composer at his website.

Setup

Necessary Equipment

Instructions

This piece does not require any signal processing, but it may be helpful to amplify the bassoon to have better control over the balance. The electronics part consists of a series of fixed media files to play at certain times in the piece. The files should be loaded into Qlab or Max and triggered with a foot pedal. The composer left the option up to the performer of which system they are more familiar with (Dana Jessen created a Qlab session). A setup diagram for this piece is shown below.

Notation

Recordings

This piece is published on Dana Jessen's album Carve with Innova Records.

Difficulty

This piece is very difficult from a technical standpoint. There are extreme leaps, very fast rhythms, glissandi, quarter tones, and multiphonics. The electronics part would not be too difficult once it was built, as there is no signal processing and the cues are spaced far apart. The technical demands put this piece out of reach for undergraduate students.

Style

This piece fits in the avant-garde style and features chromatic writing. It would likely be a difficult piece for audiences unaccustomed to avant-garde or atonal music.