-
TRUE REMEMBRANCE
NOTES TO THE ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE
- "Why is a clarinet playing the voice part?"
I had arranged for a very talented soprano to sing
my vocal part. She, however, became quite sick the
weekend before the concert and was replaced with
a friend of mine, a clarinetist, on very short notice.
- Songs one, two, five, and six are performed live.
Songs three and four are digitally realized.
RYAN/SATOMI
INDEX
Song Title - Page - Timecode
Prelude - Page 5 (0:00, Live)
Platonic Song - Page 8 (2:47, Live)
Lullaby - Page 12 (4:26, Digital)
Agony - Page 18 (7:15, Digital)
All Stories - Page 28 (11:00, Live)
Conclusion - Page 30 (13:45, Live)
-
2
ON TRUE REMEMBRANCE
True Remembrance is the title of a novel written by Shiba Satomi
in 2006, later
translated by the English localization group 'insani' in 2008,
and read by the composer in
2010. It is a short but dense story, full of lively and vibrant
characters.
This piece deals with a very specific part of the story.
ON THE PLOT
Blackiris, the protagonist, learns that he, among others, has
the ability to remove the
memories of close friends. The government, dealing with an
unexplainable epidemic
of suicide, sees his abilities as a way to avert the mysterious
deathsand steals him away
from sedentary life, and his lover, Maria.
Maria, overcome with grief, becomes suicidal over the
dissapearance of Blackiris, and
the government, in response, purges her memories of him, sending
her into a meandering,
purposeless bliss.
Blackiris, in the meanwhile, becomes a memory-killer -
Mnemonicide - of the highest caliber.
He is assigned a patient named La, a quiet unassuming girl with
white hair. She herself
is a Mnemonicide of terrifying potential, removing memories
through her namesake - song.
This fact she keeps from Blackiris, as well as the details of
her own depression.
Upon hearing about the fate of Maria and La's past, Blackiris is
sent into an inpenetrable
and deep sadness.
La decides to try to heal Blackiris using the only method she
knows.
This piece describes the moment in the story where La attempts
to seal the memories of Blackiris.
She, in doing so reveals the true source of her own depression -
she removes the memories
and agonies of others by taking them upon herself.
Blackiris briefly relives his memories, trying to resist the
temptation of La's song.
-
3
ON THE LYRICS
Lyrics in this song cycle are taken, with permission, from the
author. The style of speech and overall
tone of the novel's characters was greatly taken into
account.
The lyrics of ALL STORIES are drawn verbatim from insani's
translation of the opening paragraph of
the novel. Words to the CONCLUSION come from parts of the end of
the novel.
The lyrics are written from the perspective of Blackiris.
ON PERFORMANCE PRACTICE
It is requested of the vocalist that wide, exaggerated vibrato
generally be kept to a minimum.
The complex rhythms found in the second and fifth songs are not
meant to be followed literally.
The intended effect is that of quasi-parlando - speech rhythms
that faintly coorspond to the meter.
Hard consanants and other harsh sounds should be rounded.
Composed March 2011, Los Angeles. Revised November 2011.
Duration approx. 16'30''.
For M.L.
-
4
TEXT:
II. PLATONIC SONG
Hello La,
Do you remember me, black iris'd, standing in the doorway?
Do you remember me? I remember you.
I remember the naive boy, sickly and alone,
But how much fun we had!
A day that we thought wouldn't end.
Has he forgotten us?
III. LULLABY
Why do I cry?
Not for what you've remembered,
But for what you've forgotten.
IV. AGONY
Hello La, do you remember me?
Were you not my ward? Or was I yours?
To sleep forever, to sleep forever -
Agony!
Please forgive me!
V. ALL STORIES
All stories have two great truths:
First, they begin in many ways that are all, more or less, the
same.
Second, they all have an end.
Fortunately, all great truths are lies,
So here's everything that happens in between.
VI. CONCLUSION: TRUE REMEMBRANCE
Quiet the sleep of the children who keep
shadows clutched in the warmth of a dream.
This is my true remembrance.
-
© Edward Ryan 2011
Sostenuto (q=100)
pp
Sostenuto (q=100)
8
13
mf pp
SHIBA SATOMI
TRUE REMEMBRANCE
EDWARD RYAN
I. PRELUDE: THE NAMELESS CITY OF MEMORIES
5
-
Ah
pp poco crec.
Ah Ah
pp n20
ppp
Ah
pp
Ah Ah
27
pp
Ah
ppp n34
6
-
poco rall. a tempo 41
mf
poco rall. a tempo
49
pp
53
mf pp
attacca
7
-
Hel
pp
lo
affectionately,
quasi parlando
- La,
Poco animato (q=100)60
ppp
Poco animato (q=100)
Do you re mem- ber- me? Black
with growing urgency
i ris'd,- still, stand ing- there
64
at the door way- Ah
pp f pp67
mf ppp
II. PLATONIC SONG
3
3
8
-
Hel lo- La, Do you re mem- ber- me? I re -
72
pp
mem
f
ber- you,
p
re
pp
mem
echo
- ber- you.
76
pppecho
I
poco stringendo
re mem- ber- the nai
f
ve- boy, sick
mp
ly
poco fuoco
and a
81
poco stringendo
3
3 3 3
9
-
lone, but
a tempo
how much we laughed!
mf86
pp
Has
ppp
he for got- ten- us? Has
quasi niente
he for -
92
ppp
got ten
p
- - - - us?
n97
ppp
33
10
-
100
attacca
11
-
Agitato (q=100)104
pp p
Agitato (q=100)
Why
p mf pp108
pp
do
p
I cry?
f pp113
p ppp
III. LULLABY
3
3 3
3
3
3
3
3
12
-
Not
pp
be cause- of
molto crec.
what you re mem
f
- ber,- -
p118
f
re
p
mem
ff
- ber,
p
- - re
ppcon vivo
mem
122
ff pp
p
- ber, re mem- ber,
mf
-
pp126
3
3
3
13
-
re
mf
mem- ber,-
pp
Ah
129
accel.132
mp
accel.
re
mf
mem- ber,- re mem- -
(q=133)135
f
(q=133)
3
3 3
14
-
ber, re
f
mem
con forza
- ber!-
ff137
ff
re
p echoing
mem- ber,- ah,
pp
La,
rall.
140
p pp
rall.
f nModerato (q=100)
145
f martelé p normale
Moderato (q=100)
3 3 3 3 3 3
3 3 3 3
3 3
3
3 3
15
-
Why
p mf pp
do
p
I cry?
f150
pp n
Not
dolce
be cause-
156
ppp n
of what you re mem
mf
- ber,-
f pp161
ppp mf
3
3
3
3
16
-
but what you've for
ppp
got- ten.- -
npoco rall.
167
pp
poco rall.
attacca
3
17
-
Presto (q=190, e=380)173
ppp poco a poco crec.
Presto (q=190, e=380)
176
pp
179
pmf
IV. AGONY
18
-
182
sub. p molto cresc. ff
185
Ossia.
ff mp pp
He
p
llo,- La
189
ppp
sub. mp
19
-
La?
193
ppp197
Were
p
you
201
mppp
pp
20
-
not my ward?
mf
or was
205
mp
I yours?
f
Ah!
with abandona tempo (q.=126)209
f
a tempo (q.=126)
sfz
To sleep for ev- er,-
213
3
21
-
Ah! To sleep, sleep,
216
sleep, sleep!
ff219
ff mp
Ah,
pp n poco rall.223
pp mp pp
poco rall.
3
22
-
To
ppp
sleep
Calmato (h=60)230
ppp
Calmato (h=60)
To sleep for ev
pp
- er,-
237
A
ppp
go- ny!- Ah!
Grave (h=32)rall.244
p ppp
Grave (h=32)rall.
23
-
naccel. Tempo primo (q=190, e=380)250
ppp poco a poco cresc.
accel. Tempo primo (q=190, e=380)
256
pp
260
pmf
24
-
262
sub. p molto crec. ff
Please
faccel. Piú mosso (q=220)
265
ff ff ff pp
accel. Piú mosso (q=220)
for give- me,
270
sub. mp
sub. mp
sub. mp
25
-
La
p ff274
Na,
mf capriciously, childishly
na, na, na, na na na na na na na,
f
ah! Ah,
mp278
mf
na na na na na na na na,
f
ah! Na, na, na, na, na!
282
f
26
-
Ah!
ffthreateningly
Ah!
ff
Ah!
ff
Ah
ff
Ah!
286
ff
Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah, Ma ri- a!-
rall.291
sffz
rall.
Molto meno mosso (q=70) rall.298
pp
Molto meno mosso (q=70) rall.
attacca
27
-
All
pp
sto ries
mf p
have
pp
all sto
mf
ries have great truths,
ppLento (q=50)
305
Lento (q=50)
First,
p
they be gin- in ma ny- ways that all,
mf311
pp
p
more
mf
or less, are the same.
p317
semplice
V. ALL STORIES
28
-
Se
p
cond,- they all have an end.
pp
for tu- nate- ly, all,
ppp
all, all
322
pp
pp
all
mp f
all great truths
ppp
are lies.
n327
mp pp ppp
So,
ppp
here's
molto calmato, quasi-parlando
what hap pens in be tween.
nrall.333
rall.
attacca
risoluto
3
29
-
Qui
mp
et
pp
- Qui
p
et
pp
- the
Con moto (q=55)337
pp
p
ppp
pppCon moto (q=55)
sleep of the chil dren- who keep sha dows-
poco rall. Adagio (q=50)343
mp pp
poco rall. Adagio (q=50)
clutched in the warmth of a dream.
n
Qui
ppp
et
n
-
351
ppp pp
VI. CONCLUSION: TRUE REMEMBRANCE
3
3
30
-
Qui
ppp
et
n
- This
ppp
is my
rit.poco rall.356
pp ppp pp
rit.poco rall.
true
sub. ppp n
true
ppp nMolto adagio (q=46)
362
sempre ppp
Molto adagio (q=46)
re
pppp
mem- brance.-
(e.=e) poco rall.368
(e.=e) poco rall.
a tempo
a tempo
3
31
