Cobra GrandeJackie Walduck

Cobra Grande was composed by Jackie Walduck for children (Year 6) from Highters Heath Junior and Infant School, Kings Heath, Birmingham and members of Birmingham Contemporary Music Group as part of BCMG's Top Score project and was given its world premiere in a concert at the CBSO Centre, Birmingham on 23 March 2006.

Cobra Grande

Instructions for performance.

The scores:

This score has been created on the principle of 1-page scores, in which given musical material isfleshed out by the ensemble through improvisation and direction.

Two scores are provided for each movement; a “big score” containing detailed notated material,with a suggested order of sections for those that read music or will lead the creative process andneed an overview of the piece. There are also scores which are “maps” through the material,containing simpler notation to guide musicians new to reading music, or who work better by ear.

Working on the piece:

The piece is best worked in short sections, usually defined by rehearsal marks. In the firstmovement, Canoe Journey, the whole ensemble or subsections may work on different fragments.For example sections 1, 3 and 4 could be devised by small groups. The whole ensemble isrequired at sections 2 and 8, creating a sense of ritualistic percussion.

Work outwards from the given material, which will provide a springboard for musical responses.

Suggested method:

1 Listen to the given material several times. Think what might be added.2 Cycle (repeat) the material, adding other parts through improvisation or direction. It may

be helpful to work within a harmonic framework – what does the material suggest to you(a chord, mode or scale?). Work on one idea at a time, and work in very short sections.

3 Try out ideas, keep the best ones.4 Refine and rehearse the material.5 Join the sections together only when you are happy with each section.

Examples from the composition:

The “heartbeat” riff underpins sections 2-7. It can be harmonised, other riffs can be added, wordscan sit over the top of it, and so on. The music builds to an instrumental section at 6. There are asuggested number of repeats at this point in the big score, but these may be increased ordecreased to accommodate the pace of your ensemble’s build-up.

The second movement “In the Night” is organised on three main sections. At fig. 9, soft chordson tuned percussion set a background. The pauses can invite short improvisations, for examplebased on the sounds of nocturnal animals, or based on the feelings evoked by night’s mystery.The text is partially set with a melodic “stem”. There are several ways on which this might becompleted – by singing, whispering, chanting, speaking in groups, speaking as individuals,creating layers of sound from the different lines – this has been left open. The vocal line of thechorus has been set, this sits over the percussion accompaniment, but additional instrumental linesmay be added.

Notation:

q q > boxed notes: create riff or pattern using these pitches for theduration indicated by the arrow.

X unpitched note

e short note – damp drum or sustained instrument.

e( l.v. (laissez vibrer) leave note to ring on

w (on drum) – leave note to ring on for 4 beats.

Instrumentation:

Instrumentation in the score represents the piece as it was played in its first performance.Instruments may be substituted. For example:

Taiko (Japanese drums) can be replaced by bass drums or floor toms.Chimes can be replaced by chime bars, vibraphone or metallophones.Bass bars can be replaced by low notes on a guitar or pizz lower strings.

Text:

The poems “Rainforest Wonders” and “In the Night” were specially created for this piece bychildren from Highters Heath Junior School in Birmingham, their teacher Matthew Reetz, andwriter Sean Taylor.

The piece was commissioned by Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, as part of the TopScore scheme.

Jackie WalduckJune 2006

1

HOW NIGHT CAME TO THE WORLDA story from the Amazon rain-forest of Brazil

People say that many, many years ago at the very beginning of the world, there were noanimals, no birds, no fish. And, what's more, there was no night. The sun never stoppedshining. It was always day.

At that time there was a Great Snake who lived in a cave on the banks of the River Amazonand she had a daughter. This daughter was very beautiful, very magical, and she was marriedto a the son of a village chief. But because there was no night, this husband of hers couldnever sleep. He tossed, he turned, he sat up in his hammock, he lay down again, but he couldnot sleep a wink.

"Ai! Ai! Ai!" shouted the husband one day, "It's too hot. It's too bright. How are we meant tosleep?" "Calm yourself," said his wife. "We'll be able to sleep, only when the first night comesto the world." The husband said, "Well isn't there some way we can make this first nightcome to the world?" His wife said, “Night exists, but it is at the bottom of the River Amazon.Only my mother, the Great Snake, knows where."

So they decided to send three boys to find the Great Snake and ask her if she would makenight come to the world. The three boys took a canoe and rowed up the river towards theGreat Snake's dark cave. When they got to the cave, the boys crept in, frozen with fear. Thecave was deep and damp. All around were scattered broken canoes and chewed bones. Andthere, sleeping at the very back of the cave, was the Great Snake. Her teeth were as long as aman’s arm. The boys came so close they could feel the snake's breath warm on their faces."What is it?" she asked. "Erm..." said the first boy. "Are you the Great Snake?" "Well whodo you think I am, The Little Canary? Of course I'm The Great Snake. Now what do youwant?" "Well," said the second boy, "Your son-in-law can't sleep. So your daughter, she sentus to see if maybe, well, perhaps...perhaps..." "Perhaps what, boy?" hissed the Great Snake,"Speak up!" "Perhaps you know how to make night come to the world," said the third boy.The Great Snake whispered, "Of course I know how to make night come to the world."

Then her great, thick body uncoiled past the boys, dropped down into the river anddisappeared. In a few moments she was back, and in her mouth was a tucumã palm-nut,sealed at one end with yellow wax. "Take this," she said, giving the palm-nut to the first boy,"This is what my daughter wants. But be careful with it. Don't drop it. Don't do anything sillyor your journey will be wasted. Now disappear."

So the boys took the palm-nut, went back to their boat and started to row home. But after awhile, they began to hear a sound they had never heard before. The first boy said, "What'sthat little sound?" The second boy put the palm-nut to his ear and said, "Listen! It seems tobe coming from inside here. Maybe there's something caught inside." The third boy listened."Let's have a peep inside," he said. "No!" said the first boy, "Remember what the Great Snaketold us." But at that moment the sound got louder and the third boy said, "Don't worry aboutthat old snake. She can't see us here. I'm going to open it."

But as soon as he scratched away the wax darkness poured out of the nut, across the river,over the forest and into the sky. And as everything went black, out flew the bat, the owl, the

2

rat, the cricket. And the rainforest began to change. Sticks floating in the river turned intofish. Logs turned into jaguars. Canoes turned into alligators. All the animals were created.They filled the sky with their grunts, their roars and their howls. And those boys were soscared, they decided to wait on the river bank until day.

Meanwhile, back where they had come from, the Great Snake's daughter looked up into theblack sky. "Ai, ai, ai,” she muttered Those boys have let out the night too soon." "Come andsleep!" called her husband. But she shook her head. "No. Now I have to find a way to makethe night share the world with day."

She pulled out one of her hairs, found a twig and wrapped the hair carefully around it. Shemixed different coloured paints from clay and berries. Then she painted the twig white andred, threw it in the air and it turned into a cujubim - the bird that calls for the day. Thecujubim flew away into the forest. She took another hair, another twig, painted them grey,threw them in the air and it turned into an inhambu, the bird that calls for the night. Theinhambu flew away into the forest. Then, in the same way, she created the parrot, the egret,the humming-bird, the toucan and all the birds of the forest. She said,

"Some of these birds will call for the night, and some of them will call for the day. And thatway, day and night will share the world." Then the morning birds began to sing. The sunstarted to rise and night went to sleep at the bottom of the River Amazon.

It wasn't long before the three boys were back. The Great Snake's daughter was furious."Look!" she said, "You have yellow wax on your hands! You opened the palm-nut! Youstuck your noses into something that was none of your business. And because of that you aregoing to jump from tree to tree for the rest of time!"

And with that she transformed them into the only animal that still had not been created. Andthat is why, until today, monkeys have waxy yellow hands. And that is why monkeys shriekevery night when it starts to get dark. So that is how night first came to the world and that ishow the story ends.

© Sean Taylor 2004

THE RAINFOREST WONDERS

The wet, shaking and rustling of trees. A parrot crying. A pig as loud as the world crashing. The noises of the Amazon. The noises of the Amazon.

The smell of the fruit hanging from the trees. The vile odour of the crocodile lake. The strong, rich smell of the earth below. The smells of the Amazon. The smells of the Amazon.

Cobra Grande-ah! Bring on the night, Bring on the night Bring on the night Bring on the night.

IN THE NIGHT

In the night, the rain is warm. (Gabriella) In the night, the river is as dark as the sky. (Shane)

In the night, the trees guard the forest. (Josh)

In the night, the bats hunt like fishermen. (Jack)

In the night, crickets play their music. (Gabriella)

In the night, animals move against the soft, damp ground.(Aalia)

In the night, the stars are silver coins. (Claire)

In the night, I can hear birds sleeping. (Elise)

In the night, the trees are touching the sky. (Sophie)

In the night, crickets play their music. (Gabriella)

The Bird That Calls for the Day

*Can you see the golden beak?*Can you hear her sorrow songs?*Can you see her in the sky?

*Can you see her dancing?*Can you see her beady black eyes?*This is the bird that calls for the day.

1

1. Canoe Journey: Rainforest Wonders

Perc taiko 2

x 4 taiko 1

x 4

Perc. co

agogo

bra-

co bra-

co bra-

Perc. G.P.

co

agogo

bra-

co bra-

co bra-

2

Perc. Night!

Tutti

Co bra!

-

Night!

3 sounds, one djembe

Bring on the

3

Perc. bring on the

bring on the night!

3 3

3

Perc.

p

taiko 1

co

agogo

bra-

co bra-

co bra

x 4

-

bass bars/cello

Spoken in rhythm:

Verse 1:The wet, shaking and rustling of trees. A parrot crying. A pig as loud as the world crashing.

pizz

Verse 2:The smell of the fruit hanging from the trees The vile odour of the crocodile lake The strong, rich smell of the earth below

x 4

4

Perc.

taiko1

pptaiko 2

(1st time to Fig. 3, verse 2, 2nd time to Fig 5.)

bass bars/

cello

Chorus 1:The noises of the Amazon. The noises of the Amazon. The noises of the AmazonThe noises of the Amazon Amazon Amazon!.

Chorus 2:The smells of the Amazon The smells of the Amazon The smells of the Amazon.

5Voices

Co

bra

- Gran

-

chimes/vibe

f

Vc/bass bars

arco

Voices de

Ah

2

Voices Bring

on

the night

bring

on

the

night,

bring

on

thenight,

bring

on

the

night

Voices

6

6

Bass bars/cello

vibe

f cresc

x 8

x 2

G.P.

f cresc

G.P.

3

7Voices

Co

bra

- Gran

de

- Ah

vibe

f

Vc/bass bars

Voices Bring

on

the night

bring

on

the

night,

bring

on

the night,

bring

on

the

night

Voices

8

Perc. Night!

Tutti

ff

Co bra!

Night!

3 sounds, one djembe

bring on the

3

Perc. bring on the

bring on the night!

3 3

4

8

2. In the Night.

Chimes

Vc.

Xylo /Chimes

p

Intro

p

p

p, still.

9

Vc.

Xylo/Chimes

create rhythmic patterns using these notes

repeat as necessary

Verse 1:In the night the rain is warmIn the night the river is as dark as the skyIn the night the trees guard the forestIn the night the bats hunt like fishermenn

ornament ends of phrases 3

10Voice

Vc.

In

CHORUS

the

3

night

the

3

cri

ckets

-

3

play

their

3

1st time p, 2nd time f

1st time p, 2nd time f, lush.

Voice

Vc.

mu

sic

-

2

11Vc.

Xylo/Chimes

Verse 2:In the night animals move against soft, damp groundIn the night the stars are lke silver coinsIn the night I can hear the birds sleepingIn the night the trees are touching the sky

12

taiko 2

p

Coda

l.v.

3 3

3

3

. 1\ ~- _------.(:'\ Xylo

t) f7\

1\ -- --Chimes

~~-_.e.

f7\

Vc.

p. stilL

--~ f7\

Xvlob=A chimes '

Chim.

Vc.

1\

t)

1\

: ,t)

[g) ~ .-3~ k5 :[iJJ J

In the night,

ii

-- --

2. In the Night

/the rain is warm

/---------~e river is as dark :--------- as the sky

~the trees guard ~ theforest

'bats hunt like fishermen

: Ill jcnoRUS 1st time p. 2nd time f • ,-3-, r-3-, ,-3-, r-3--, ~

I I= juJ 1 J J J I J nt±J J J I uJ 1ii:::..:the ~ the cri kets p~ their mu-sic

animals move aga]nst so~damp~ound

/ __.-- t~e stars _are like :=..---- silver corns

~lean hear ~ 1he birds sleeping

b---..

· the trees are touching the sh.ry

:

--(trUvt

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i I

1\ I I

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~~~ 0 IAV'l it &0\. I

,.n I ,. II

~--- b--- 'EO-

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G-W.. .. .& ' ~-E>'r:o::l I __ ,& =.~ ~ 1----G- R~.l

ornament ends o lohrases : ---- #-€!:------~ ~ ~- #-e- '------' ~· *~

=II

=II

fl " ----~ ... ----.. : -.1

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p. stilL #-a- ~

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