Plaint & Echo - Jane Sheldon/Niki Johnson
About
In this short piece I wanted to explore the mimicry of the voice by two very different percussion timbres, propelled by my general interest in the transposition of sonic materials derived from the body. The piece consists of an audio score of a vocal plaint of 30 seconds duration, with the score performed first on a resonant vase struck in a water bowl (or, in this case, a kitchen sink!) and then performed a second time on bowed woodblock. The vase evokes a fairly clear imitation of the vocal contours in its own low register, while the bowed woodblock delivers only a very spare imprint of the original gestures.
Audio score
You can also download the audio score here.
Technique Explanation & Demonstration
Further reflections, drafts and cats
Some Reflections From Jane Sheldon: I began with the following audio score experiments, thinking we’d end up with something notated. But after creating a notated draft, it was clear that for a 30 second score (repeated), I could supply Niki with way more information if I went back to creating an audio score. For this piece the most important things to represent to Niki were expression and gestural contour. Notation can be frustratingly approximate where expression is concerned but an audio score can show the player the desired expressive substance very precisely. And it’s a particularly effective and simple tool for collaborating with just one player performing a single line of sound.
About Jane
Jane Sheldon is an Australian-American soprano and composer. Praised by the New York Times for singing “sublimely”, the Sydney Morning Herald for “a brilliant tour de force”, and The Washington Post for "a stunning performance", Jane has established an international reputation for performing highly specialized contemporary opera and art music for voice. She has appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Pinchgut Opera (AUS), Sound Icon (USA), Ekmeles (USA), Talea Ensemble (USA), the Australian String Quartet, and Sydney Chamber Opera (AUS), where she is an Artistic Associate. She has appeared at numerous international arts festivals including Lincoln Centre Festival, Jerusalem Sacred Music Festival, Prototype Festival and Sydney Festival. Jane is a doctoral candidate in composition at the University of Sydney under the supervision of Professor Liza Lim. Described as “riveting” (New York Times), Jane’s compositions focus on the body in altered or transformative states.
About Niki
Niki Johnson is an Australian contemporary percussionist. She is a Speak Percussion Bespoke Artist and performs with chamber ensembles such as Ensemble Offspring, Hourglass Ensemble and Synergy Percussion. She is a member of multiple improvisation ensembles including Throat Pleats and SICKO, and is involved in multi art collaborations with dancers, ceramicists, and animators. In these ensembles and collaborations Niki explores sound, relationships through collaboration, and theatre. She was a 2018 graduate of a Bachelor of Percussion Performance degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She has recorded percussion for Tapsapce Publications, Studios 301, Trackdown Fox studios, and the ABC. She performed in the 2018 Sydney Festival, was a festival artist in the 2019 Canberra International Music Festival, performed in Concertos on Fire at City Recital Hall, was a 2019 Hatched Academy artist for Ensemble Offspring, performs with DrummerQueens, and is a member of the experimental music committee theNOWnow.