MARCH I N T R O D U C I N G 2015

Transfigured Blues

! !

A New Masque For Total Theater Music and Book by Milton Williams

!"Transfigured Blues.... showed Williams to be an outstanding tunesmith who can also write in an operatic idiom with

equal facility.... Williams is an extremely gifted melodist - a near extinct species."

San Jose Mercury News

“WOW. (That would be my initial scholarly assessment….) The concept is fantastic….”

Amy Henderson (a Smithsonian Institute critique)

* YOUTUBE SAMPLES *

“I Could Do Anything” (Ballad) http://youtu.be/JzSc0R9-_Tg

“Act One, Scene One” (in 3 parts) https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=InYtnuWfrLs “I Love You” (Aria)

http://youtu.be/iAXVh-uqSp4 !“I Love You-Dance” http://youtu.be/zye3-xFxaF8 !

“Interlude” (Modern Dance) http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=MSg9SP05x3w

“Pas de Deux” (Piano vr) https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=l9lPRKs74UU “I Don’t Know The Answer”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=eszFzNYkYEQ

“Dance of Transfiguration” (end.) http://youtu.be/q0__oQpWclA

“Espying,” Zellerbach Hall,

University of California Berkeley Milton Williams, Conductor

“Interlude” Modern Dance

TRANSFIGURED BLUES is the first example of the New Masque for Total Theater form. As Masque might be considered the total theater presentation of 16th and 17th century England (in that it involved elements of music, theater, dance, prose, scenic elements and poetry in one staging), it is hoped that New Masque for Total Theater might fulfill that designation for the 21st century.

Transfigured Blues is, therefore, a play with music, poetry, prose, scenery and dance, presented by a narrator.

Music, dance, and scenery share equal importance in the presentation of the work.

Transfigured Blues is a period play, circa 1971. It tells the story of an African American gentleman who has

been mayor of a major city in the Southern United States for the past eight years.

At the beginning of the piece, Mayor Turner is given the option of: (1) becoming the U.S. Vice-President (by a

twist of fate), (2) running for the U.S. Senate with an expectation of winning the seat, or (3) remaining in the position of mayor (to which he believes he is about to be re-elected by a landslide).

Before making a decision, he lies down for a nap to clear his head. During his dream, he evokes powerful images of three women from his past (church sisters from his uncle’s Baptist Church). They are transformed into Sibyls (or great and wise women of antiquity who were thought to have possessed powers of prophecy and divination). They lead him through a circle of events designed to reveal to Hubert Turner that he has failed his constituency, as mayor.

There is more .Mayor Hubert Turner’s daughter has joined a radical university group, demonstrating against his pet city project: the tearing down of an old hotel and constructing a needed parking garage in the south of Mission Street area. The hotel is home to a large number of poor residents, who are barely holding their own in this facility.

The Sibyls show him he has been more interested in his own advancement, over that of his constituency. Remembering his youthful ideals, he rededicates himself to working for the brotherhood of mankind.

“ESPYING” The Genesis Project

TRANSFIGURED BLUES IS A PLAY WITH MUSIC, POETRY, PROSE, SCENERY, AND DANCE, PRESENTED BY A NARRATOR

Transfigured Blues Synopsis

Norbert Vesak’s Production Banff Festival of Fine Arts Premiere

Norbert Vesak Metropolitan Opera/Stuttgart Ballet

Jazz Ballet Banff Festival of the Arts

1972 Alberta, Canada

“In One Night” Pantomime

New MASQUE FOR TOTAL THEATER The design provides a “unique” form of theatrical presentation, one that uses as its basic premise entertainment with an expanded concept of multimedia. It treats vocal and instrumental music, dance and theatrics as equal partners in the presentation of Theater Entertainment. !There are elements that will appeal to opera-goers, dance followers and music theater fans alike. As it attempts to graciously merge the three, it will, hopefully, progressively attract a wider audience who enjoy combined theatrical, musical, and dance entertainment. !TRANSFIGURED BLUES MUSIC is the single most important element in the piece. Its first and strongest intention is to provide an entertainment base, rather than stylistic inventiveness. As the title of the work (“Transfigured Blues”) implies, blues, jazz, and blues-jazz type melodies, harmonies and motives are at the core of this play. It is not a blues or jazz work, however. !The play includes orchestrations for the following combinations of timbres (tone colors): (1) Orchestral (meaning symphonic in character, as opposed to Pit Band instrumentation); (2) Jazz Combo (and jazz vocal ensemble) with or without added strings; (3) Combination (cross-over) Orchestral/Jazz; (4) Instrumental families, consisting of Brass, Strings (either alone, or with solo, duo, etc.) and Winds (5) Pre-Recorded Percussion and (6) Pre-recorded choral selections. Vocal Music consists of Operatic-type selections, Musical Theater numbers, Jazz, Gospel, Folk, and other song-styles. Choral music is both live and prerecorded. !

DANCE and dance-like movement (such as pantomime) are integral parts of Transfigured Blues. They are easily responsible for a half of the dramatic development of the work. !DANCERS are expected to glide through Classical and Jazz Ballet, Modern and Pantomime-type movements. !There are 14 dance sections in the work. These include 5 Pantomimes, 5 quasi-Classical selections, and 4 that might be classified as other (meaning Jazz, Modern, etc.). !There are Two Principal Dancers, and four singer-dancers for

a total of six. The principal dancers symbolically represent various aspects of Hubert's personality; the female dancer his "Psyche" Idol, and the male dancer his Altar Ego. !SCENIC ELEMENTS are intended to include computer-generated and hologram imagery technology, along with traditional theatrical lighting and special effects. !

“Milton Williams was a master at the helm of orchestra.. chorus, and soloists. He did an amazing job in this enormous undertaking.”

San Francisco Chronicle

The Elements

Contact: !VM Enterprises

P.O. Box 25434 San Mateo, CA 94402 Phone: 650-341-4044

E-mail: vmemilt@sbcglobal.net Web: http://miltonwilliams.com !

•••• Milton Williams

2014

Information and Performance Materials

available upon request. !In addition to normal performance materials, the following formats are available for rental or purchase: !Orchestra score and parts, Piano,

and Piano/Vocal scores for !Individual Dances, Individual Scenes

Transfigured Blues InstrumentationThere are two instrumental versions of “Transfigured Blues.” !!

Full Orchestra Version The pit orchestra is symphonic in nature. It contains the following instrumentation: !

52 Players (Whenever possible, the use of additional strings for the purpose of adding body to the orchestral sound is encouraged, up to 65 total players). !

Strings: 6 Violin I, 6 Violin II, 5 Violas (div.), 5 Cellos (div.), 3 Double Basses (with one electric Bass = one 1st doubling); !

Woodwinds: 2 Flutes (with 1 piccolo and 2 Alto flutes = two 1st doublings and one 2nd doubling), 2 Oboes (with English Horn = one 1st doubling), 2 Bb Clarinets (with 1 Eb Clarinet), 1 Bass Clarinet, 1 Tenor Sax, 2 Alto Saxes, 1 Baritone Sax = two 1st doublings, two 2nd doublings, and two 3rd doublings [note: Reed 1 plays Bb & Eb Clarinet, plus Alto and Baritone Sax], 1 Bassoon (with Contra Bassoon = one 1st doubling); !

Brass: 2 Horns in F, 3 Bb Trumpets (with piccolo Trumpet, Flugelhorn, C Trumpet = three 1st doublings), 3 Trombones (one being a Bass Trombone); !

Keyboards/ Plucked Strings: 1 Piano (Acoustic-grand, or appropriate synthesizer), 1 Synthesizer (full-size, with 88

weighted keys and additional sampled sound capability), 1 Harp; !Percussion: [4 Players] Timpani (28”, 25”, 23”), Side Drum (with snares), 4 Tom-Toms (medium

and low), Bass Drum, African-type Slit Drums (3 of special construction), Bongos (tunable), Tambourine, Temple Blocks, Tam Tam (indefinite pitch – 36”), Suspended Cymbals (pair), Cow Bell, Whip (Slapstick), African Rattle (Basket work-type, from the Congo), African Ring Clappers, Fingerlodian (A Sanza-type instrument of special construction), Tuned Ancient (finger) Cymbals, Orchestra Bells (2 ½ 8vs from G below the Bass Clef to F within the staff), Xylomarimba or Xylorimba (5 8vs, from low C below middle C – sounds as written), Drum Set (Dance Band type), Guiro, Un-tuned Ancient (finger) Cymbals, and Triangle. !

Glass Harmonica [Pre-recorded] !!!

Chamber Orchestra Version 31 Players 3 Violin I, 3 Violin II, 3 Violas, 3 Cellos, 2 Double Basses, 1 Flute (doubles Piccolo

and Alto Flute), 1 Oboe (doubles English Horn), 1 Bb Clarinet (doubling Eb Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Baritone Sax), 1 Bassoon (doubles Contra Bassoon), 2 Horn in F, 3 Trumpets (doubling Piccolo Trumpet, and Flugelhorn), 1Trombone, 1 Bass Trombone, 1 Piano (5 foot, or larger Acoustic Baby Grand), 1 Synthesizer (full size,