Lilac and Snapdragon

for flute and fixed media

Background:

It was spring when my violist friend, Elizabeth Boyce, asked if I was interested in writing a piece for unaccompanied viola. Searching for inspiration, I asked what her favorite flowers were and she replied, “lilacs and snapdragons.” This piece is inspired by the life cycle of these flowers, from germination to seedling to flowering to pollination and back again. Once the unaccompanied viola version was finished, I felt that the piece would also lend itself well to a flute and fixed media arrangement. Perform this piece with the same sense of ethereal magic and mystery that attracts a bee to a flower. 

Performance:

            Because of Lilac and Snapdragon’s organic, pastoral inspiration, the first five measures should be played with as much natural rubato as the fixed media track will allow. Starting at m. 6, the tempo picks up speed and the music takes on a more rhythmic quality. The accented upbeats should be played with abandon, in sync with the fixed media flute part in the backing track. Cracking these accented notes is a natural occurrence and perhaps adds to the overall flavor of the work, but pay attention to intonation and rhythm with the fixed flute part. Notated note bends should be played by sliding the finger off of the necessary open-holed key, but when this is not possible, use lip bends. 

Equipment:

To perform Lilac and Snapdragon, this is the basic equipment you will need:

·      A computer to play the fixed media file from.

·      A set of speakers connected to the computer directed towards the audience and, if necessary, a monitor speaker directed back at the performer. Many of the works for flute and fixed media on this album do not require a click track if the performer is able to hear the fixed media file well enough.

To control the balance between the fixed media and live flute in addition to adding live reverb, the live flute may be amplified. I find that micing the live flute helps it blend better with fixed media sounds. To accomplish this, I would recommend the following setup:

·      A computer to play the fixed media file from. Optionally, one could use a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) to add live reverb to the flute microphone input. 

·      Dynamic microphone (this choice will be explained in the following section) and microphone stand.

·      XLR cable with male and female ends. 

·      An audio interface or mixer connecting the computer, microphone input, and speaker output. One of the least expensive options for a basic audio interface with one XLR analog input and one Dual RCA stereo analog output is the Behringer U-Phoria UM2 USB Audio Interface. Audio interfaces range in quality and varying quantities of available inputs and outputs; choose one that fits your goal functionality. You could also use the Mackie Mix12FX 12-channel Compact Mixer with Effects described in Chapter 4, which comes with even more live performance versatility and the ability to easily add live effects/reverb right on the mixer.

·      A set of speakers connected to the computer directed towards the audience and, if necessary, a monitor speaker directed back at the performer.