Chamber · 1996–97 · 30'

Squaring xlvii

soprano, trombone, percussion, tape and live electronics

Scoring

soprano, trombone (alto/tenor-bass), percussion (1 or 3), live and tape electronics

Text

Squarings xlvii Seamus Heaney, Seeing Things, Faber and Faber, 1991

Premiere

2 October 1997, Clan Donald Centre, Isle of Skye

The Gathering (Frances Lynch, John Kenny, Bassam Abdul-Salam, John Whiting)

Commission

Commissioned by The Gathering

Funding

Scottish Arts Council

Notes

Following its premiere on the Isle of Skye, Squaring xlvii had a further 10 performances around Scotland. A composer’s note has not yet been located, though we are confident that one would have been provided for this tour.

Squaring xlvii represents the pinnacle of Keenan’s compositional concerns in the 1990s: the research into trombone multiphonics comes to the fore most here with the live trombonist augmented by pre-recorded trombone choirs, beautifully embellished with live and tape electronics, florid lyricism from the soprano and craggy percussion.

Performance Materials

A performance score was typeset by the composer using Sibelius 7. There are challenges reproducing this which the family are working to overcome, though digital scans can be shared for perusal.
All DATs are stored in the RNCM Archive

Other Works

1976–79

The Ruin

soprano, countertenor and ensemble

1992–95

Palimpsest

soprano, ensemble and computer-realised electronics