Hello—

Last week, Elizabeth & I began intensive discussions about music and the whole sound envelope for Tempest, going beyond our generalized babble to discuss specific scenes. Here are Elizabeth’s unedited notes for the first three acts; they may be semi-incomprehensible but will hopefully convey some of the thought process going into the whole thing.

Music functions in Tempest to create a very broad world. Contrasting dynamics of that world:

• Voices, sampled words, text made animate; resonance of the classic on us; partnered with DVD projections.
• Songs: folk idiom, not courtly. Ref. Great Silky, Sacred Harp. Full Fathom: Drowned Girl song from Baal, Jabberwocky setting from our Theatre X Alice—minimal, tense.
• Sense of the whole Island as a living organism, breathing, humming, crying, laughing. So as melodic source, we want as much breath as possible, not plunked, not orchestral—accordion, pipes, flute, bowing behind bridge, human voice.
• Leitmotives: Island, Magick/Ariel, Court/Intruders, Clowns, Love.
• Ariel = mutability. Caliban = longing. Italians? Wheezing, & the acidity of our harpsichord for Revenger’s Tragedy.

I.i.— Shipboard—storm.

• Prior to storm, Prospero working magick, tight backlight, mirrored magick book—sound might contain elements of chant, text fragments, prep for all hell breaking loose.
• Chaos, then storm eye, then resurge, etc. Dialogue snatches when quieter, then full blast, then calms again. Very tightly composed, actors must time to score. CB will record text to work with for timing.
• Storm theme referenced again later when Trinculo senses storm; when Harpy appears; other echoes to be found.
• Look for number of major outbursts between verbal sequences, divide into major beats—thunder uses also altered voice, didge, etc. sense of rage of consciousness—also high shrieking, cries—aggressor and victim both. Cf. “Lot’s Wife.”
• (Check speakers for bass capability.)
• Crossover: from storm wailing to Miranda wailing—Gonzalo as if white-out.

I.ii.—Prospero/Miranda/Ariel/Caliban/Ferdinand

• Ground-level island sound with secondary cues (of what?)—incited by P’s blood pressure spikes—quieting from storm, but still disturbed.
• “Auspicious star” speech = thee prepping magickal work and Ariel’s appearance—Prospero might go into chant rhythm—Ariel is like imminent air pressure looming.
• Three different Ariel puppets—premonitory sounds—some distinct musical texture always when he’s present. Any major changes? Video image of Sycorax during threat.
• Return to island ambiance—no Caliban theme per se (he is not magickal). Island ambiance slightly different—Caliban brings grief, lonely animal cries—cave—his first line inside cave reverb.
• Ariel’s song bringing in Ferdinand—as sea nymph. First appearance of Ferdinand with Ariel is possibly precursor to love theme—introductory 3 notes that blossom later.
• Island ambiance shifts from Caliban to Ferdinand, something happens with magick (freezing sound, spirits grab & wrench him when draws sword). Some music under Miranda’s pleas and Ferdinand’s hopes.
• Act bridge contains faint echo of storm.

II.i.—King & nobles, Ariel, plot & waking.

• Music changes context, first recognizable quoting of “Court”—if there’s a Court quote, it’s brief and at the rise of lights, since now they’re in a strange world.
• Possibly the “Island” sound is always modified by whoever’s there with it—ghosts of anachronism: bird = backup beep, buffalo lowing = horn, parking ramp buzzer. Can punctuate moments in foreground.
• Ariel puts Gonzalo & Alonso to sleep, parallel to Prospero with Miranda. Sleep = bondage, awakening = freedom, coming into true self. Ref. Gonzalo’s “when no man was his own.”
• Antonio/Sebastian—infection—dissonant slithery buzz—something comes from initial Ariel sleep magick, souring—several stages, upping the ante and escalation—possibly their focus dims the Island’s texture. DVD from dispersed focus to labyrinth core?
• Ariel, like a jangle? Such a radical shift—jolt out of mood—has to be possible to be in Gonzalo’s head—driving rhythm of Ariel tinkling on top—Gonzalo wakes as a tiger, scaring the shit out of the duo—an old man but tremendously vigorous in defense.
• Return to Island sounds as at beginning.

II.ii.—Caliban, Trinculo, Stephano

• Ariel’s closing couplet the first hint of empathy. Music under Ariel, then transforms to Caliban’s island—this should include Tempest theme, since storm threatening—Caliban may proceed directly out of this—abates.
• New sounds rising storm, Trinculo washed in—if possible, sense of “here come the clowns”—Trinculo like Stephen Kent, all kinds of noisemakers on his belt as part of his schtick—whole concerto of approach.
• Island ambiance with weather threat.
• Stephano very drunk already, hiccups. Singing combines Richard Nixon and Terry-Thomas.
• Caliban only sings after others start rowdy song, but he changes the tone and intensity of it entirely. Huge cry of urge to freedom.
• Bridge into next act could include samples of Gonzalo’s utopian vision: ironic in relation to the new state envisioned by Stephano.

III.i.—Ferdinand/Miranda, Prospero in b/g.

• Island ambience, but underwritten by strong iterations of Love theme. At Prospero’s final monolog, shifts texture: sorrowful joy.

III.ii.—Caliban, Trinculo, Stephano, Ariel

• After short bridge underlining Prospero, segue to “here come the clowns”—then to island ambiance, way back—sting or other prep for Ariel’s appearance. Steady b/g thru a capella “Flout’em & scout’em, then Ariel sharp change. Invisible flute and drum—picks up melody they’re mangling, interjection may be light but with underlying ominous—peculiar drive, compulsive. They may continue singing on exit.

III.iii.—King, etc.—Banquet—Harpy

• Enters with sampling of utopian text as before, overlaid by Court theme. Island is now soured, maybe heartbeat from drum—headache, depression.
• Spirit banquet, Prospero setting them up for Harpy. Prominent reminder of P’s malicious impulse—something’s poisoned.
• Harpy is multi-voiced, word emphasis with unisons, some screams and screeches—heightened style. Sound ref. to fire? ”I have made you mad" is regathering, 2nd phase. Huge energy, then sudden shift to aftermath, but holding the energy.

Coping next with the concept of the Masque staging in Act 4, which must shape the sound palette of the entire act.

•••••

This week, more sculpting, finished the head shells of Sebastian and Gonzalo.

Also finished a draft of the actors’ text, with slight interlinear cutting for clarity and with most of the punctuation from the First Folio. In some cases, this offers interesting hints of phrasing, at at the very least will open up the whole question of phrasing—I think—to a more fluid approach than can be had by following some editor’s notions.

Elizabeth is now packing to be back in Pennsylvania for seven weeks, performing in The Clean House at Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble. So she’s working out the issues of taking a highly condensed version of her studio equipment with her to commence working on the Tempest score while there. Laptop, M-box, mikes, software, storage. Long-distance multitasking isn’t easy, but it won’t be the first time.

Next week, hopefully, more storyboards.

— Conrad