Melodie for Bridget Piccirilli

by Kyle Brown

This piece was written in 2021 for Bridget Piccirilli and was premiered virtually on YouTube. The piece can be obtained by contacting the composer at his website.

Setup

Necessary Equipment

Instructions

This piece does not use Max/MSP, but uses Ableton Live. There is a mixture of fixed media samples and live signal processing. The bassoon should be captured by a microphone and directed to Ableton Live through an audio interface. The output of the computer travels through the audio interface to stereo speakers. The setup is shown below.

The Ableton Live session is controlled through the number and letter keys on the keyboard. Number keys change the signal processing, and the letter keys trigger the fixed media files. The patch operator simply starts the piece by pressing the letter A for the first sound file.

Notation

Recordings

Difficulty

This piece is not technically very difficult. The tempo is quite slow and free. There are many grace notes, but the freedom makes it possible for most performers. The electronics are fairly straightforward, although finding a way for the bassoonist to perform it by themselves would be a bit more challenging. Overall, this piece could be a good option as a first electronic piece for an undergraduate student.

Style

This piece has a relatively neutral style. It does not have many of the hallmarks of the avant-garde style, yet it does not fall into a truly popular music style. Rather, it is a nice blend of the two. This piece should be accessible for most audiences.