Devotion

to the Small
for
Voice and Percussion

DEVOTION TO THE SMALL is one of a series of collaborative works between poet

Michael Harlow and composer Kit Powell

“DEVOTION TO THE SMALL is a realisation of the painter Paul Klee’s concern for the
notion of Andacht zum Kleinen. There are, of course, other impules out of which the
texts and the music have evolved; however, in the collaborative effort by the
composer and poet, it is this focus of the apperception of ‘scale’ that has shaped
the work as a whole.

The word, with its resonationg possibilities, becomes the experience of musical
shape and meaning. Sounds - and the semantic configurations of those sounds -
complement and transform each other. It is essentialy the act of returning one
experience to the other. The text is the music; the music is the text.”

Michael Harlow
June 1980

Kit Powell

Michael Harlow
1 Devotion to the Small 4 The Measure

lt is how Night birds unravel

climbing an the dark
even air- like arrows travel
less stairway outward into
one sleeve catches groves of light
a dry stalk what dream
of thorn how of trees do they
the first nail reach, how
its bead of measure their flight
light waits in
shadow for
the moon on 5 'A pair of red stilts'
the snail's back
to appear & it's too long a time has
been all so blue, no mention

2 Contemplating the letter O of the sun but there is yes

this girl on a pair
Brushed
smooth of red stilts so high she is
the chimney stepping by just looking thru
dreams:
below the window, her eyes tell
starfall the time, why it's too late
spool
of light to float down where she is
seabiscuit touching herself under her
or
chinese moon dress, why you are waking
now inside the dream found

3 Stonepoem this morning at the heart

of a first winter flower
a small stone
a small stone
6 Analogue
carried front your
mouth to mine These grandfathers
losing dimensions
a small stone fold by fold
keep turning
carried from into harps with
beyond way back paper hats on:

did you go there? way the wind

was the place safe? needs to cross
a stadium
are there songs blade outward
still chained always turning
to the trees? landscape into bone.

©Michael Harlow 1981

Today is the Piano’s Birthday
University of Auckland Bindery
ISBN 0 19 647999 1
 1

Devotion to the Small

Devotion to the Small was written in May,1980 after I had been rehearsing my The
Evercircling Light with a group of enthusiastic music graduates. Quite unexpectedly the
work we were preparing for performance with the RCMS Choir was postponed and we
needed a new goal. One of the six “percussionists" was an excellent singer (Jillian
Bartram) and so I decided to write a work for solo singer and five percussionists.
Michael Harlow showed me some of his recent poems which had been inspired by the
idea from Paul Klee’s Pedigogical Sketchbook of “devotion to small things” (Andacht zum
Kleinen) . The six texts which we selected were later published in Michael's Today is the
Piano's Birthday, 1981, University of Auckland Bindery.

Since the poems were "devoted to the small”, the large percussion of The Evercircling
Light would have been inappropriate. Therefore the instrumentation of this present
work was with the smaller of the standard percussion instruments plus many "found”
and “made" instruments. This revision of the 1980 score describes the more unusual
instruments and also offers suggestions for alternatives (see pages 2-4).

Notation

With the exception of the 5th movement, 'A pair of red stilts', the vocal line is all in
graphic notation. It is expected that the singer will interpret the high (h), middle (m),
and low (1) divisions of the vocal 'space' within his/her own range. Although pitch is
free, the singer should where possible avoid triadic intervals and octaves. In the even
numbered movements there are repeated pitches. The singer chooses these pitches
and maintains them throughout the movement.

In the singer's part duration lines begin with a black note head if the note is to be sung
and with a white (or open) note head if the note is to be whispered or spoken. Where
the mouth shape must change within a single duration, this change is shown using
international phonetic symbols in square brackets (usually) above the line.

Bars are of irregular length. The approximate duration in seconds of each bar is given in
large numbers under percussion 5's part.

Since the percussionists are also required to make sounds with their voices, their parts
consist of two staves labeled v (voice) and i (instrument).

Where a smooth circular movement is required to produce a percussion sound the

following symbol is used:

A more vigorous back and forth movement is shown: !!!!!!!!!!

Ties: mean let ring. A ”cut” tie means let ring briefly then damp.
 2

The Instruments

Score Instrument Alternative Instrument

Percussion 1

Wobble board plywood, card formica and some sheet

approx. size: 1 metre x 70cm metal make excellent
wobbleboards and need
not be so large

Metal rods 5 - 6 steel rods 8 - 16 cm long,

1 cm diameter, sitting on
foam plastic

Stones Two large and two small flat cupped

resonant stones. The smaller
stones should fit into the
palm of the hand. By opening
and cupping the hand one
raises and lowers the pitch. open

Clay plates Two or three baked clay kitchen or bathroom tiles

plates the size of a small book suspended
suspended

Gongs Two sizes, (the gongs we used
were home made sheet-metal
disks cc. 50cm diameter with
various sized central "bulges"
hammered into them
metal sheets, Gamelan pot
gongs or other ethnic
gongs

Small bells Six to eight bells on a string

Bongos One pair

Log drums Two which are also shared Tomtoms or ethnic drums
with perc.2 Wooden tomtoms of
different pitches to those
of perc.5 (see note on
wooden tomtoms at perc.5)
Bull roarer Ruler on a string - see page 4
(share with perc.2)
 3
Score Instrument Alternative Instrument
Percussion 2

Bowed wooden plywoood-plate

plate (12 x 8cm approx.)

which is glued onto and

screwed into the handle.
It is played with a violin bow

Sleigh bells
Stones (as for perc.1)
Gongs (two) (as for perc.1)
Castanets on a handle
Bull roarer (share with perc.1)
Log drums (share with perc.1)
Guiro

Percussion 3

Thin plastic shaken to sound like a

sheet wobble board
Bowed dowel box is a resonator for dowels
box of different lengths, which are
played with a violin bow

Stones (as for perc.1)

Clay chimes small baked strips of clay, strips of glass suspended
6 - 12 cm long, suspended (glued to string)
Gongs (two) (as for perc.1)
Vibraslap Monkey drum
Woodblock
Chinese blocks 4 different wood blocks

Sleigh bells (share with per.2)

Percussion 4

Sheet of paper shaken to sound like a

wobble board
Maraca
Gongs (two) (as for perc.1)
Stones (as for perc.1)
Bowed plastic (similar to perc.2’s bowed
plate wooden plate)
Bull roarer (share with perc.5)
Cow bell hand held
Strip of paper jerked taught
 4

Score Instrument Alternative Instrument

Percussion 5

Coconut shells
Finger cymbals
Stones (as for perc.l)
Gongs (two) (as for perc.2)
Small bells on a string
Wooden tomtoms (two or three) Wooden chairs, stools,
drawers;
--- these may need some
extra nails or glue before
they are resonant.

Conga large ethnic drum

Bull roarer * (share with perc.4)
Triangle
Claves

Singer

The singer moves in front of the percussion instruments which are arranged/hung so that
he/she can play the gongs, metal rods and the small bells.
He/she must have a cane (approx. 1.5 metres. See: Analogue page 22, bar 25)

* Bull roarer: ruler on a string

Kit Powell
Eglisau
January 1988
December 2008
 Arrangement of Instruments for “Devotion to the Small”

Elevation

Conga

Tomtoms
5

Perc. 2 Perc. 3 Perc. 4

Perc. 1 Perc. 5

Log drums
Plan view

Tomtoms Conga

Singer
 6

1. Devotion to the Small

h
singer

! !!
m i---t
l

1 2 3
tt t
! ! "#
v
1 i Wooden wobble board !
!
!

v t tt
2 i !
percussion

Bowed wooden plate !!! !

ttt
3 vi Thin plastic sheet
(shake like a wobble board)
!! !
!
! "#
t tt
! !"#
v
4i Sheet of paper
(shake like a wobble board) !
!
!

v tt t
5 i ! Coconut shells (rubbed together) !

10 8

© Harlow/Powell, 1980
 7

h #
[a - - - u - - - - o - - - - u - - - - i] quasi parlato . . . .
singer

# ## # ## #
. ###
m .
.
. . .
. . . . . .
l It is how
.
It is how . . . .
. ca-tches
climb-ing an e - ven air - less stair-way one sleeve a dry stalk

3 4 5
(Whisper)
it
! ! ! !! ! !! !
v
1 i
##

v
2i different note first note second note
percussion

### # ### ###

(Whisper)
is
3 vi
##
! ! !! ! ! !!! !!!
(Whisper) [a - - - - - u ]
how
!! !! ! !! !
v
4 i

v
5 i (rub unevenly)

10 12

Bells
Gong #
!" (play a different gong at each entry)
. . . . . . normal
[a - - - - - u - - - - - - - - - - m - - - - - - - - -]
h !" "# ## ###
singer

# [e - i - l - - - - -]
m . how the first nail
.
l of thorn

5 6 7 8

!! #
v
1i Metal rods ##
(play a different selection each time)

v
2i #
percussion

3 vi Bowed dowel box

(play a different note each time)
###

v
4i
v
5i " Finger cymbals
(rubbed together unevenly)
##

1 8 6
 8

!! !! !!

h !
singer

its bead of
m !! [a - - i - - - - - - ts] [e-i-ts] !! [o - - u - - - - -]
sha - dow for
l light waits in

8 9 10 11

v
1i !!
Metal rods
!! !!!! !!

v
2i Sleigh bells
percussion

!!!

3 vi Dowel box
!!! !!!
!!!
v
4i Maraca
(hold vertically and shake
!!!

in a circular movement)
v
5 i
!

6 6 6

!! !!!
!!!
h !!
singer

the moon on the snail’s back

m

l !!! [i - - - - - h - - ]
to ap - pear

11 12 13

v
1i !!
Metal rods
!!!

v
2i Sleigh bells !!!
percussion

3 vi Dowel box !!!

!!
v
4i Maraca !!!

v
5i !! Finger cymbals

6 6 8
 9

2. Stonepoem

molto
h (repeat bar 1
singer

a little louder
m !! and faster . . .
n
l n n cresc. molto on
n n n
* last ‘n’)
a small stone
* or any low note
1 2 3
(same note !![n . . . . . .] (repeat getting faster and louder)
v as singer)
1 i 2 large stones
! .
own
!!
(same note !![n . . . . . .] (repeat getting faster and louder)
v as singer)
2 i 2 large stones
own
percussion

! . !!
(same note as singer) !![n . . . . . .] (repeat getting faster and louder)
v
3 i 2 large stones
! .
own
!!
(same note as singer) !![n . . . . . .] (repeat getting faster and louder)
v
4 i 2 large stones
! .
own
!!
(same note as singer) !![n . . . . . .] (repeat getting faster and louder)
v
5 i 2 large stones
! .
own
!!
25 15
 10

h
singer

l !!! [n . . . . . . . . . . . .] ! !!! [n . .]

stone car - ried from your mouth to mine

3 4 5 6

1i !!!!!! !!!!!!
v "# !!
!! #

2 i !!!!!! !!!!!!
v
!! # "# !!
percussion

3 vi !!!!!!
!! #
!!!!!!
"# !!

4 i !!!!!! !!!!!!
v
!! # "# !!

!!!!!!
v
5 !!!!!!#
i !! "# !!

6 2 20

! ##
h
singer

!
m stone
a
stone own own
a small
l small

6 7 8 9
sing* (repeat irregularly)

!!!!!!!!!!!
v
1 i
!! own ine own ine ##

sing* (repeat irregularly)

!!!!!!!!!!!
v
2 i
!! own ine own ine ##
percussion

sing* (repeat irregularly)

!!!!!!!!!!!
v
3 i
!! own ine own ine ##

sing* (repeat irregularly)

!!!!!!!!!!!
v !! own ine own
4 i
ine ##

!!
sing* (repeat irregularly)

!!!!!!!!!!!
v
5 i
own ine own ine ##

20 *) sing the same note as the singer’s 6 4

–– or an octave higher or lower
 11

" ""
h .
singer

. back
m car-ried
. (whispered anxiously)
.
from be- . #" did you
l . go there? was the place safe?
-yond way

9 10 11 12 13 14

!!!!!!!!
v
1i ! "" 2 small stones *
#! "" !

!!!!!!!!
v
2i ! "" 2 small stones *
percussion

#! "" !

3 vi !!!!!!!!
! "" 2 small stones *
#! "" !

!!!!!!!!
v
4i ! "" 2 small stones *
#!
"" !

!!!!!!!!
v
5 i ! "" 2 small stones *

2 3 2 10 #!
* 2 small stones, one held in a cupped 3 "" !
hand - vary pitch by changing hand shape

h
singer

!!
m !! !!!!
are there still
l [N . . . . . . . z] [n . . . . . . . . . . . . . d] to the [i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . s . . . . . . ]
*
songs chained trees?
* (same note as at beginning)
14

v
1i Clay plates (repeat softer and with fewer notes)
!!

v
2i Small stones
percussion

! !!

3 vi Clay chimes (repeat softer and with fewer notes)

!!

v
4i Small stones
! !!

v
5i Big stones
!
30 !!
 12

3. Contemplating the letter O

(contemplatively)
h !!
singer

m !
!! "! !!!

l (singer sings “o” throughout)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
(whisper) Brush-
v
1 i Gong 1*
Gong 2 ! ! ! "!
(whisper) sh-
v
2i Gong 1*
percussion

Gong 2 ! ! ! "!
(whisper) sh-
v
3 i
Gong 1*
Gong 2 ! ! ! "!
(whisper) sh-
v
4i Gong 1*
Gong 2 ! ! ! "!
(whisper) shed
v
5i Gong 1*
Gong 2 ! ! ! "!

2 2 4 2 4 4 2 4
* Each player has 2 gongs (or large metal sheets). No.1 is suspended, No.2 is hand held. = wire brush.
 13

Bells, Triangles, or Metal Rods !! !!!

Singer strikes bells, triangles or metal rods
h and responds singing “o” dreamily. !! !!!
singer

!!
m #! !!!

9 10 11 12 13 14 15
smoo-
v
1i !
Gong 2 ! #!
oo-
v
2i
percussion

Spoken Gong 2 ! #! !
in oo-
descending
3 vi pitch
Gong 2 ! #! !
oo-
v
4i
Gong 2 ! #! !
ooth
v
5 i ! #! !

8 4 4 4 Gong 2
4 4

frightened . ..
h .
by the gongs .
singer

.
!! whispered .
m !! !! #" " $"!! ""
.
l

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Brushed
v [br S–––t]
1
v
*
i
"
""
smooth
v
2i [smU––D] * *
percussion

Spoken - as before

" ""
the
3 vi [D ]e
* *

" ""
chimney
v
4 i
[tSim–––ni] * *

" ""
dreams
v
5 i
[dri––––m z] * *

" ""
4 4 4 4
ordinary beater
4 * damp gong almost
4 immediately4between knees
 14

Bells, Triangles, or Metal Rods !!!!

h !!!!
singer

(surprised)
m
#
l

22 23 24 25 26 27
(spoken) below
v
1i *
!! #
(spoken) star fall
v
2i *
percussion

!! #
(spoken) spool

3 vi *
!! #
(spoken) of
v
4i *
!!
#
(spoken) light
v
5i *
!!
6 6 6 6 4 #

* make very high-pitched sounds by scraping gong with a small plastic stick

Singer responds to instrumental sounds, changing from:

h surprise . . . . . . . . to . . . . . . . . pleasure . . . . . . . . to . . . . . . . . admiration . . . . . . . . to . . . . . . . . ecstacy
singer

m "# "! !
(whispered)

!!!
l !!

27 28 29 30
(spoken) sea
v
1i *
"# !!
(spoken)biscuit
v
2 i *
percussion

"# !!
(spoken)or
v
3 i
*
"# !!
(spoken) Chinese
v
4 i *
"# !!
(spoken)moon
v "# !!
5 i *

6 6 6 6
* use either gong 1 or 2 with normal beater, damped quickly at first but gradually ringing longer and longer
 15

4. The Measure

h
singer

The singer chooses a note !!

m in lower middle range and [n . . . . . . . ait]
returns to this throughout. !!
N ight Night birds
l

1 2 3 4 5
(scratch gong
v with plastic stick)
1 i
(damp gongs)
Patschen
"# !!
"# 2 Gongs

v
2i Bowed
#
percussion

"# !! wooden plate

Patschen
v
3i Bowed
dowel box
"# !! "# !!
Patschen
v #
4i "# !!
Bowed
plastic plate
Patschen
v "# 2 Gongs
5i (scratch gong
(damp gongs) Patschen
"# !!
8 with plastic stick)
8 8 8
 16

h
singer

!! !! "#
m [n ] [l ] !! !! [k] [k]
un ra-vel the dark like
l

5 6 7 8 9

v
1i 2 Gongs Patschen
! #
"#

v
2i Bowed Castanets
percussion

wooden plate # ! #

3 vi Vibraslap Bowed
dowel box
Vibraslap
"# #
v #
4i Bowed
plastic plate
Maraca
! #
v
5 i 2 Gongs
"#
Patschen
! #
8 4 8 4

h (whisper . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . sing . . whisper . . )

singer

!! #!! $#! !! !! "# !! "# $#

m
l ar-row s tra-vel ou t-ward in - to groves of light

9 10 11 12

v
1i Small bells
Patchen # !!

v
2i Castanets
Bull roarer
percussion

# !! !!! (keep holding castanets)

3 vi
v
4i Maraca
# !!
Bull roarer
!!! (keep holding maraca)
v
5i Small bells
Patchen # !!
8 8 16
 17

h (legato)
singer

! !! "! " !
m !!

l what dream of trees do they rea ch how mea - sure

12 Bongos & 13 14 15 16
Log drums
v !! "
1i Bongos &
Log drums
Small bells
!!!
Small
bells (Bull roarer) !! ""
v "" !! ""
2i Maraca
percussion

"" !! !! ""

3 vi Vibraslap
""
(Bull roarer)
v "" !! ""
4i Maraca
"" !! !! ""

v "" !!
5i Wooden Tom
toms & Conga
Small bells
!!!
Small
bells
8 Wooden Tom 8 !! "" 4 4
toms & Conga

h " " #"" #"" #"" #""#""

singer

!! ! !! "
m
$$
how $ $ $
mea $
l flight
how mea-sure mea - sure sure their their fligh t

16 17 18 19 20 21

v
1i !!!
Small bells Bull roarer
!!! #"" #"" #"" #""#""

v
2i Bowed wooden plate (give Bull roarer to Perc.1)
percussion

! !! " !! #"" #"" #"" #""#""

3 vi Bowed dowel box

!!!
Vibraslap
#"" #"" #""#""

v
4i Bowed plastic plate (give Bull roarer to Perc.5)
! !! " !! #"" #"" #"" #""#""
v Small
5i bells
!!!
Bull roarer
!!! #"" #"" #"" #""#""
4 4 4 4 4 4
 18

5. ‘A pair of red stilts’

singer

sempre staccato
!

& it's too long a time too long a time has been all so blue, has been all so

1
= 152
Bongos
(fingers) !
percussion

2 2 Log drums
(fingers) !

3 Wood block
(rubber mallet)

4 Triangle
5
!
singer

! !!

blue, so blue, & it's too long a time too long too long a time no men - tion

1
percussion

2
3 !

4 Damped Cowbell
(rubber mallet) !
Triangle Conga
5 !! (fingers) !!
 19
!
singer

no men - tion of the sun the sun of the sun but there is yes this girl this girl on a

1 !!
percussion

2 !!

3 !

4 !!

5
"#
singer

pair of red silts on a pair of stilts so high she is step step - ping by on a pair of

1 !!
percussion

2 !!

3 !! !!

4 !!

5 !!
singer

"$

red stilts just step - ping by just loo - king thru the win - dow, her eyes tell the time, her eyes her eyes

1
percussion

!! !!

2
3 !!
4 !!

5 !!

%"
singer

tell the time, tell the time, why it's too late yes this girl on a pair of red stilts

1 !!
percussion

2 !!

3
4 !!

5 !!
 20
!"
singer

why it's too late to too late to oat down where she is tou - ching her she is tou - ching her - self her

1 !!
percussion

!!
2 !! !!

3 !!

4 !!

5 !!
#$
singer

self un -der her dress, yes this girl tells the time, why you are wa - king now in - side the dream

1
!! " !
2
percussion

!!

3 !! !!

4 !! !!

5 !!

#"
singer

#"

found this mor - ning wa - king now in - side the dream found at the heart of a rst win - ter ower of a

1 #"
percussion

2 #!

3 #!
#"

4
#"
5 #"
#%
" ! !!
singer

rst win - ter ow - er the heart of a win - ter ower win - ter ow - er.

1
percussion

2 #"

3 #"

4 #"
5 #"
Triangle
!!
 21

6. Analogue

h
singer

!$ $ !$
m

l These grand-fa - thers los-ing de - men-sions fold by fold

1 = 144 (Tempo for Singer and Perc. 1) 5

v
1i $
!" Two Log drums (fingers)
v
2i * Guiro
percussion

$
!"

3 vi * Four Wood blocks

$
!"
v
4i * Strip of paper
$
!"
v
5i * Claves #
$
!"
* Percusion 2, 3, 4 & 5: choose indepentent tempi
 22

h , , ,
singer

! "! ! "! ! "! ! "!

m

l fold by fold These grand-fa - thers fold by fold lo-sing di -men-sions lo-sing grand-fa-thers lo-sing lo-sing di-men-sions lo-sing

10
percussion 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

h
singer

! "!
m

l lo-sing grand-fa-thers These grand-fa-thers grand - fa - thers These grand-fa grand-fa-thers These grand-fa-thers lo-sing

15 20

percussion 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

h ,
singer

!
m
l de - men - sions These de - men - sions lo-sing de - men - sions fold by fold fold by fold lo-sing de - men - sions lo-sing

25

percussion 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

##
Cane
(swish thru’ air)
"# ! #
h
.
singer

.
# turn- . .
m hats on
ing . .
in- . . per
. pa-
to . with
l lo-sing lo-sing de-men-sions grand-fa - thers fold by fold keep harps

28 29

percussion 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (freeze until Cadenza)

 23
Small Bells
"

!!!
h [m . . .
singer

way
m the wind
cross a sta - di - um
l to
needs

29 30 31 32 33

v
1i #" ! ! !!! !!! ! !!!
Gong 1
v
2i
percussion

#" ! ! !!! !!! !

Bowed Wooden plate

3 vi Sleigh bells
#" ! ! !!! !!! !

v
4i Maraca
#" ! ! !!! !!! !

v
5 i Coconut shells
#" ! ! !!! !
6 6 6 6

(make no reaction to
h !!! the percussion)
singer

m (humming - !!! !!! !!!

return to opening note)
l m m blade out - ward al - ways tur - ning

33 34 35 36 37

v Cadenza
1i (freeze until bar 37)

Play
v
2 i
(freeze until bar 37)
percussion

anything

that takes
3 vi (freeze until bar 38)

your
v
4i fancy (freeze until bar 39)

"" !!
v
5 i (freeze until bar 38)

6 6 6 6
 24

h
singer

m ! !! ! !!

l These grand - fa - thers tur - ning tur - ning fold by fold keep tur - ning al - ways tur - ning

37 40
!! !!!
v
1i
Two Log drums (fingers)
v
2 i * Guiro
percussion

!!!
!!

3 vi * Four Wood blocks

!!!
!!
v
4i * Strip of paper

!! !!!
v
5 i * Claves "
!!!
!!
* Percusion 2, 3, 4 & 5: similar indepentent tempi
as at the beginning but somewhat slower

h
singer

m !! !!!
[n . . . . . . . . . ]

l land - scape in - to to bone.

45
v
1i (freeze)

v
2i (freeze)
percussion

3 vi (freeze)

v
4i (freeze)

v
5i (freeze)