Mr. Dead and Mrs. Free, No. 2, for Viola, Voice and Percussion

The piece «Mr. Dead and Mrs. Free, No. 2» by Yossi Gutmann is performed by a mezzo-soprano vocalist, a female choir, solo violist and percussionist. In the performance of SQUAT, both vocal parts were performed by only one singer.
The percussion was probably improvised. Percussion creeps into the music (mvt. 85), barely noticeable at first, building to a climax as the curtain opens at bar 112. It can be replaced by a pre-recorded track. Our source for this edition is Yossi Gutmann's manuscript, which does not include the percussion line. There is, how ever, a recording with live drums that provides information about the percussion. The percussion in this transcription is just an approximation, based on the audio recording of the piece. The rhythms need not be followed exactly as transcribed below but the dynamics and strong rhythms of the bass drum must be respected. «piof» = the song begins pianissimo, then suddenly transforms into a forte cry, before receding to mezzo-forte.
The performance starts with the vocalist and violist on stage. When the drums begin, the instrumentalist should be hidden behind a curtain, so that when the curtain opens, the change in the acoustics of the performance is striking. The tempo is meant to be flexible. Gutmann did not indicate the tempo nor the metronome in the manuscript. Allegrissimo 160 is an approximation and need not be adhered to literally. As this piece is based on Sex Machine, alterations in tempo may reflect the original track.

Trio

• NKMN-Verlag

Mr. Dead and Mrs. Free, No. 2 (without percussion)
for Viola, Voice and Percussion
Playing score‍‍‍‍ Mr. Dead and Mrs. Free, No. 2 (including percussion)
for Viola, Voice and Percussion
Playing score‍‍‍‍