Performance Directions

Klein’s Goblin Market is to be performed by “trombonist with prepared piano and intermedia environment,” and the intermedia environment includes amplification, live FX processing, computer music, lighting, and staging. The performing musicians find in the score a key to the symbols that Klein uses to guide the performance of the variety of desired and unexpected sound effects. The departure from convention extends to the intruments themselves, which are custom adapted for this piece, both the "violated" euphonium and the "prepared piano" (Joseph Klein, personal communication, 1 Feb. 2017). The piano is never played from the keyboard in a traditional way: rather, the “prepared piano” is played by the pianist’s direct manipulation of the strings inside the body of the piano. The piano strings are scraped, rubbed, strummed, and struck with the fingers as well as a variety of implements. For example, the score instructs the pianist to “Slowly rub superball mallets across/along midrange strings in an irregular diagonal motion; attempt to keep sound fairly continuous (though uneven) by staggering right and left hands: the result should be an eerie moaning/whining sound” (Klein, p. 3). Technology is also employed to manipulate the sound, for example: “Gradually add delay (1 second, 75% return) and pitch shift downward (one semitone lower per second) to microphone 'c' input (over approximately 10 seconds)” (Klein, p. 9). Lighting effects are also described in the musical score: for example, “Station IIa spot light on (suddenly): white light (no gel), tight beam, maximum intensity” (Klein, p. 11).

Front matter in the musical score for Goblin Market: for solo trombonist and environment also includes a diagram indicating the placement of various elements on the stage. The work is conceived as a staged piece of theatre music that combines music and elements of theatre. The score includes instructions that are effectively stage directions for the trombonist: for example, ”Remain motionless, hunched slightly forward until next entrance” (p. 6), or “From this point to the end of Movement I, trombonist becomes increasingly agitated, as if futilely attempting to escape the confines of his/her seated position at Station I” (p. 7). There is no doubt that this is written as a theatrical presentation of music, and recorded performances bear this out.

This performance by William Bootz on trombone and Douglas Reed on prepared piano was video recorded at the University of Evansville, 5 January 2009 and edited by Joseph Klein.

Sources:

Klein, Joseph. “Joseph Klein: Goblin Market (1993).” Performance by William Bootz and Douglas Reed, 2009. YouTube, uploaded 20 June 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGiWEUdkA14.

Klein, Joseph. “Goblin Market.” Joseph Klein, Division of Composition Studies, College of Music, University of North Texas, josephklein.music.unt.edu/compositions/goblin_market. Accessed 15 Dec. 2017.