71262351-F1C7-48AC-B24F-CAEC1DC76C2E
| ID | 71262351-F1C7-48AC-B24F-CAEC1DC76C2E |
|---|---|
| Titlecode | R01367 |
| Title Name | Concertino for Cellular Phones |
| Marketing Copy | This work for cellular phones and orchestra, commissioned by the Chicago Sinfonietta, is interactive in nature, combining the orchestra with a cell phone soloist, several additional cell phonists in support roles, and the sounds that the audience can produce. Creating an environment of sounds representing situations we find outselves in every day, such as the airport or a bar, David Baker constrasts the chaos and order that cell phones create in our society. The audience is encouraged to play their own ring tones as the spirit of the music moves them, listen to the work as they might a piece by Charles Ives, and have fun! |
| Instrumentation | Cell phone ‘soloist’ with several additional cell phone operators onstage and audience phones: 2+Picc.2.2.2+Cbsn: 4.3.3.1: Timp.Perc(1): Str |
| Commission | Commissioned by The Chicago Sinfonietta, Paul Freeman, Music Director |
| Dedication | (not set) |
| Program Notes | This composition was commissioned by the Chicago Sinfonietta and had its premiere in October 2006 on a pair of concerts opening the orchestra's 20th anniversary season. The work is interactive in nature, and in combination with the orchestra under the direction of Maestro Paul Freeman, the audience, the cell phone soloist, and several persons who were not members of the orchestra but who were seated in the orchestra with microphones utilized their cellular phones at various points throughout the piece to produce a shared participatory performance experience that I intended to be enjoyable for audience and orchestra alike. Cellular phones are a fact of life in today's world. They not only provide convenience and service extending far beyond the scope of conventional landline telephones, they also incorporate user packages that can include such features as cameras, games, news updates, and sports programming. One of the drawbacks, however, is that these wonderful technological devices can be maddeningly intrusive. One need look no farther than the daily paper, where examples of inappropriate cell phone use frequently provide fodder for columnists such as Miss Manners and Dear Abby. One of the most egregious breaches of cellular phone etiquette occurs in the concert hall, where the ring tones and beeping of incoming calls to concertgoers who have neglected to silence their phones prior to the performance often cause their fellow listeners as well as the performers to be alternately amused, annoyed, and downright infuriated. When I was asked to write a piece for orchestra that would actually incorporate cellular phones producing these intrusive sounds, as well as specific melodies used as ring tones by many cellular phone users, I was admittedly quite surprised at the concept, but intrigued with the possibilities it presented. I began with the idea of creating an environment of sounds representing situations we find ourselves in every day, for example in an airport or other public space where many different cellular phone ring tones can be heard simultaneously, with certain rings coming to prominence as others recede while a recognizable melody blares from a loudspeaker, a radio, a boom box, or a bar. I chose to contrast chaos and structure in a constantly shifting orchestral scheme, as a representation of how cellular phones create both order and chaos in our society. Throughout the piece there are times when many cellular phones are sounding different ring tones simultaneously, producing chaos; however, as all but one of the ring tones are silenced and the orchestra picks up on the melody of the remaining ring tone and works with it, order is exemplified by showing how the cellular phone and the orchestra connect. This is done a number of times, creating a dialogue between the cellular phones and the orchestra. As you, the members of the audience, are both listeners and participants in this piece, here are a few suggestions that I hope will make this experience more enjoyable for you. Randomly increase and decrease the volume of your ring tone, and change to different ring tones whenever the spirit moves you. Listen to the ring tones around you, and listen to the orchestra in relation to the ring tones you and your fellow audience members are sounding. Try to recognize the various familiar tune fragments on the ring tones that are sounding on the cellular phones operated by members of the orchestra. Listen to this piece as you might listen to a work by Charles Ives. Listen to the silence. Enjoy the orchestra enjoying you. Above all, have fun!!! |
| Title Brand | 2 |
| Year Composed | 2006 |
| Copyright Number | (not set) |
| Copyright Year | (not set) |
| Duration | 14 |
| Ensemble Size | 13 |
| Date Created | 2008-10-31 20:31:28.000000 |
| Date Updated | 2025-09-30 20:31:28 |
| Inhouse Note | (not set) |
| Bsc Code | (not set) |
| Text Author | (not set) |
| Premier Performance Memo | -WP: October 2006 by the Chicago Sinfonietta. |
| Recording Credits | (not set) |
| Review | (not set) |
| Awards | (not set) |
| Title Category | 7 |
| Title Movements | (not set) |
| Title Grade | (not set) |
| Set Series ID | (not set) |
| Title Instrument Category Text | Full Orchestra |
| Title Sub Category Text | (not set) |
| Title Sub Category | 89 |
| Title Instrument Header | 41 |
| Title Grade Text | (not set) |
| Clean Url | concertino-for-cellular-phones-r01367 |