This item is not in the library — it is a part of: C. Cardew (ed.), Nature Study Notes (full, 1969).
For any number of musicians playing melody instruments plus any number of non-musicians playing anything.
Musicians
Begin ca ♪=150
accelerate to ca ♪=300.
Sempre ff (use amplification)
All in strict unison; octave doubling allowed if at least two instruments in each octave. Read from left to right, playing the tones as follows: 1, 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4, etc. When you have reached note 65, play the whole melody once again and then begin subtracting notes from the beginning: 2-3-4…65, 3-4-5…65, 4-5-6…65, …, 62-63-64-65, 63-64-65, 64-65, (65). Hold the last note until everybody has reached it, then begin an improvisation using any instruments. In the melody above, never stop or falter, always play loud. Stay together as long as you can, but if you get lost, stay lost. Do not try to find your way back into the fold. Continue to follow the rules strictly.
Non-musicians are invited to make sound, any sound, preferably very loud, and if possible are provided with percussive or other instruments. The non-musicians have a leader, whom they may follow or not, and who begins the music thus: (♪=150) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ …. etc. (f sempre). As soon as this pulse has been established any variations are possible.
Notes
FRLMDP47 Les Moutons de Panurge. F: Rabelais. A: mainly sheep. Suggested theme for non-musicians: "The left hand doesn't know what the right is doing. For Frans Brüggen, iii.69.
Frederic Rzewski. Les Moutons de Panurge is described in an article.
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