Performance Instructions for ‘A Vocabulary Gatha for
Peter Rose’
The Gatha may be performed by a single performer or by a group
of any size. Each performer starts at any square & moves from there
to any adjacent one, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, & thence to
other squares. Each letter or group of letters (joined in any
direction(s)) may be spoken, sung, or played on a musical instrument.
All three ways of realizing the Gatha should occur in a performance.
Vocal possibilities include the speaking or singing of the letters’
individual sounds (as they are pronounced in any language known to
the performer), the letters’ English names (e.g., ‘oh’ or ‘tee’), any
syllables formed by letters adjacent in any direction(s), & whole
words.Any of these elements may be repeated ad lib .The name ‘Peter
Rose’ may be spoken or sung at any time, & the performer may then
jump to a square not adjacent to the last one realized. In singing, the
performer may either sing pitches assigned to letters for instrumental
realization (see below) or freely choose pitches in accord with the
performance situation. When playing an instrument, the performer
moves from square to square as above, but realizes each letter as an
instrumental tone, choosing the octave in which each tone is placed.
The letters occurring in the Gatha are realized as follows:
P is played as B or B flat/A sharp.
E"" "E " E flat/D sharp.
T "" "D" D flat/C sharp.
R "" "A " A flat/G sharp.
O"" "G" G flat/F sharp.
S"" "C" F.
The performer chooses between alternative pitches for each letter,
or trills or wavers between them, & connects tones consecutively or
simultaneously as their letters lie adjacent in any direction(s). Letter
tones may be repeated or reversed. Tones may be connected by
glissandi as well as being played discretely. Empty squares are
rendered as silences of any duration chosen by the performer.
Each performer must listen intently to all sounds audible, including
those produced by other performers (if any), by the audience, or by
elements in the environment. Performers must relate with these
sounds in producing their own, exercising sensitivity, tact, & courtesy,
so that every performance detail contributes to a total sound
sequence they would choose to hear.Virtuosity is strongly encouraged
Tongues, talk and technologies 229