'Aim Straight for Starlight' is for ensemble with handbells. It is a processional piece that symbolises the movement of life from Earth into the wider Universe. The CoMA London Ensemble commissioned the piece for their performance in 2003 at the Spitalfields Festival, and they will be performing it again on Saturday 8th July 2017 at St Leonard's Church, Shoreditch, London at 19:00
This is the fourth outing for the piece, having also been performed at the Sounds New festival in Canterbury in 2013, and also on a beach at sunset on the island of Kythira, Greece!
The score is available from SheetMusicPlus and MusicaNeo.
Instrumentation:
- small drum - 2 cellos - handbells (chromatic set of 13, c-c)11 players - one doubling accordion (or similar instrument
such as an electronic organ), others doubling handheld percussion, timpani - group of wind/brass players, voices (no set instrumentation) at least 3 performers - bass drum - Optional : bottles, other accordions, melodicas, organ etc.
‘Aim Straight for Starlight’ is a processional piece that symbolises the movement of life from Earth into the wider Universe.
The CoMA London Ensemble commissioned the piece for their performance on 14 June 2003 at the Spitalfields Festival. The performance took place in St Leonard’s Church, London, where the procession emerged from behind the choir stalls, moved along one side aisle, down and up the middle aisle, then down the other side aisle to finish at the stage area. The sound of the procession at the mid-point of the performance completely enveloped the audience. Performers playing bottles (by blowing across the tops of the bottles) were positioned in the balcony, and an additional accordion player and a melodica player were positioned in the balcony at the stage end.
Other performances could take place in spaces such as shopping centres, car parks or outdoor venues such as public gardens. The piece could also be performed as a 'link' between two di erent concert locations, or as a way of bringing the audience into the concert venue (after an interval for example).
The piece is 'modular' in the sense that di erent elements may be omitted. It could be performed by handbells only, or without the band. The handbells music is available as a piano part - the pianist could perform at the same time as the handbells. If the performers do not include voices, then some attempt should be made to present the text of the band ‘melody’: either in the concert programme, or as a spoken introduction.
Text:
Verse Chorus DNA Never-ending Aim straight for starlight Jump on a comet's tail And spread the song along the Universe
Paul Burnell