MUSIC FOR MANSIONS (2010)
N_DREW

Overview

Music for Mansions is duets of any instruments using interpretive, visual scores.  The piece uses images of the architecture from an upper middle-class designed community and the diverse mash-up of architectural styles that express both the personality and the idealized status of the homeowner.  What do these homes perform and represent, as well as how does the product of a designed community sell its fantasy of the American success story to families in an era of climate change and unsustainable practices?

Performers can develop an approach to playing each section through preparation, however some aspects of the piece encourage improvisation.  The work and performance should always be serious and focused, but the reception of the work can be silly, ridiculous and even ludicrous at times. Each section should last about 2 minutes, however some variations in length are expected due to the improvisatory and interpretive nature of the work.

There should be a brief pause or “inhalation” between each section and each section should build in dramatic intensity to the final section.

Each section of the score details its method and “flavor”.

I. LOUNGING IN THE CONDITIONED AIR
Play your impression of each mansion. The impression can be comprised of different pitches and noises, as well as rhythms.
Play in a lazy, sluggish, watching cable TV manner, with a touch of "Frappaccino" (caffeine). Each mansion’s impression should last roughly 2-4 seconds.

II. UNDERGROUND (RAILROAD) IN SUBURBIA
One instrument plays a regular pulse, while the other improvises over it. Sounds can be pitches, noises or both. Players switch for the second half of the piece. Play in a determined and precise manner: mowed, trimmed, chlorinated, buffed, waxed and air-conditioned with hints of underlying human struggle and hidden histories, such as family run farms and the underground railroad.

III. NOSY NEIGHBORS
Play each mansion’s windows, doors and garage doors as pitches, noises and durations.
One player plays the first floor and the other plays the second floor.
The rough baseline for each duration is 500 milliseconds.
The piece should be played as a group of squawking birds on high alert overly concerned about everything going on around them.
Build all parameters in intensity to the next section.

IV. IMPRESS THEM WITH YOUR NEW SUV: DRIVEWAY MIX
Freely improvise off of the mansions using extended technique to produce pitches, noises and rhythms.
Respond to the architecture and style. Think about what your home means to you and what you are trying to convey to others with its design. Make sure your work attempts to surpass the “Jones's”. Build all parameters in intensity to end.

The Renwick Development

Below is documentation from the location (Renwick in Bloomington, Indiana) where the artist captured images of the homes. Please note the sales pitch for the development, the location’s history as a farm with the idealization of the rural white patriarchal family and its participation in the Underground Railroad. The company composes this product (the development) by supposedly sampling “the best of the past” in its re-creation of “the future”. Notice also its claim of using “smart growth” in its construction of a theme-park like suburban fantasy. It is the artist’s hope that such claims be challenged, the positives and negatives of such designed communities questioned, as well as the inconsistencies in the polarity of people and environments within the “development” as consumer “product” be considered in the presentation and performance of the piece.
See scores +++

Information and history taken from the development’s website:
http://www.renwickbloomington.com

"Welcome to Renwick, a neighborhood that rekindles the best of the past to create a community for your future."

"Nestled in a wooded parcel of southeast Bloomington, Indiana, Renwick is a meticulously designed community that recalls neighborhoods of yore with walkable, tree-lined streets and public green space. A community where neighbors greet each other by name, children play in parks just down the street, and the local store is a leisurely stroll away. All in a modern, welcoming environment for people from all walks of life. Renwick features a rich mix of housing types placed in a Smart Growth/Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) format including single-family homes in its Nora Hill, Hawksmoore, Cathcart Knoll, and Smithwood neighborhoods; paired villas in Springhouse Ridge and Cameron Row at Renwick; townhomes in The Terraces, and a Village Center. Best of all, you're close to the amenities that make Bloomington unique."

"Haven't you searched long enough? Come home to the community of Renwick. This is your time, your place."

"The Renwick Community features a wide variety of home options focused on several key ideas:
• Create walkable, safe, aesthetically pleasing neighborhoods
• Foster connections with neighbors and a strong sense of place
• Preserve green space, natural beauty, and environmental areas
• Create distinctive, attractive architecture "

About Renwick

"Renwick’s 80 acres is traversed by a wooded ravine and the west branch of Jackson Creek. The south parcel includes paired villas in the Cameron Row neighborhood and conventional single-family homes in Hawksmoore, Cathcart Knoll, and Nora Hill. The north parcel features Traditional Neighborhood Development cottage homes in Smithwood, as well as the Village Center of Renwick.

Throughout the entire Renwick site, architectural guidelines encourage diverse interpretations of the neo-classic style. The community emphasis is on walkable, tree-lined sidewalks, welcoming front porches, and neighborly communal greenspace.

Other site amenities include the preservation of wooded ravines and the historic spring house dating to the 1800s. In addition, Renwick includes the beautiful 3.75-acre Cathcart Park. Through the tree preservation area, there will be an 8'-wide hike and bike trail connecting to Bloomington’s Southeast Park. In addition, multiple pocket parks and ponds dot the area, while existing woodlands have been preserved throughout the site.

The Village Center of Renwick will be within walking distance from your front door along tree-lined streets. You’ll stroll alongside a sparkling fountain, pick up the day’s paper, or enjoy a cup of coffee while sitting outside a café.

Renwick is located in the southeast of Bloomington, minutes from Indiana University and close to a wide variety of area amenities. Nearby schools include Rogers/Binford Elementary Schools, Childs Elementary, Jackson Creek Middle School, and Bloomington South High School."

Cultural History

"With genealogies of the Smith, Cathcart, and Ramsey families"

The Smith farm, July 18th, 1895

"Thomas Smith [earliest known progenitor] and his family first came to Monroe County from South Carolina in 1826. He traveled with fellow members of the Reformed Presbyterian Church who were deeply opposed to slavery and who wanted greater educational opportunities. He bought land just east of Bloomington, including where Covenanter Cemetery is now located. Thomas married Jane Curry and had five sons and three daughters. Their sons included James Cameron Smith and Smith.

Thomas and Jane highly valued education. In the 1830s when the Indiana State Legislature suggested moving the state seminary to Indianapolis, the Smiths were among several prominent Monroe County families who contributed funds to keep the seminary here. Because of the Smiths' $500 contribution, they were honored with the right to have all their heirs attend the state seminary tuition-free. All of the Smith children and many of the grandchildren took advantage of this arrangement. Had it not been for the Smiths' generous contribution, Indiana University would probably not be in Bloomington today.

In the troubled years leading up to the Civil War, the Smith family was very active in the Underground Railroad. Their house was one of two Bloomington stations on the Railroad, hiding escaped African-Americans who'd been kept as slaves in the South and secretly helping them move farther north. The Smith boys were usually the conductors on the Railroad. They would cart a large load of hay to Morgantown to sell it, with the African-Americans hidden under the hay. Morgantown was the site of the nearest station on the Railroad: The John Cathcart farm.

As fellow members of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, the Cathcarts had much in common with the Smiths and visits between the families became commonplace. When the Civil War broke out, both James Cameron Smith and Renwick Cargill Smith joined the Union army, with Renwick serving as an officer. When the war was over, Renwick farmed and worked as a building contractor and in the limestone business. James Cameron Smith, Renwick’s brother, married Mary Jane Cathcart Smith and had nine children, all of whom attended Indiana University. One descendant, Henry Lester Smith, served as dean of the IU School of Education for many years. It was James and Mary Jane who purchased the land, which became Smith Farm, Ramsey Farm, and now Renwick."

"The Smith family in 1895: James Cameron Smith (center) and Mary Jane Cathcart Smith (back row, second from right) with their nine children."

Snow at Smith Farm, 1910

"This land represents an important family legacy of struggle, commitment, and joy during the six generations of Smith/Ramsey family ownership. It was imperative to us, the current generation, to strive to honor the past generations that worked the land, worshipped their Lord, cared for the ill, educated students, and enjoyed the beauty of this area. We feel the land is now in the hands of an organization who shares our vision of development that will honor that legacy.”
-Charles Ramsey, Smith/Ramsey heir and former Bloomington resident

About Smart Growth

"Renwick is designed as a Smart Growth community. “Smart Growth” is the antithesis of sprawl: it makes use of existing infrastructure and compact design features to provide a range of transportation options, enhance neighborhood interaction, and create a variety of housing options. Traditional neighborhood development (TND) is a comprehensive plan that promotes a variety of housing types and land uses within a distinct area. In a TND, residents have options for walking, biking or driving within their neighborhood, while public and private spaces are equally important. "

"Renwick’s northern half is a TND, while the project overall is a Smart Growth community. Smart Growth and TNDs create walkable neighborhoods with a variety of home and transportation choices, encourage community collaboration, preserve green space and natural beauty, and foster the creation of distinctive, attractive neighborhoods with a strong sense of place. Renwick is “growth done right,” enhancing residents’ quality of life and ensuring long-term community success."