Short Ride in a Fast Machine (1886)1

Who created Short Ride in a Fast Machine?

John Adams

Why was Short Ride in a Fast Machine commision?

For a summer festival held in Mansfield, Massachusetts

What was the festival in Mansfield for?

To commemorate the opening of the Great Woods center for Performing arts

What were the names that the Great Woods Center had over the years?

Great Woods center→Tweeter center→Comcast center→Xfinity center (present day)

The Great Woods festival organizers commissioned John Adams to write a what?

fanfare

Who conducted the Pittsburgh symphony orchestra to perform Short Ride in a Fast Machine?

Michael Tilson Thomas

Michael Tilson Thomas conducted which orchestra to perform Short Ride in a Fast Machine?

Pittsburgh symphony orchestra; on June 13, 1986

Who discovered that Short Ride in a Fast Machine was the most performed piece of any work created after 1980?

Scholar Jason Scott Ladd

How many time more was Short Ride in a Fast Machine played than the second most performed piece?

twice as much

Short Ride in a Fast Machine uses aspects of what?

Minimalism

In the first measure of Short Ride in a Fast Machine, which instrument establishes a quick pulse?

Woodblock

In Short Ride in a Fast Machine, what tempo does the solo woodblock play at?

152 bpm

What term does John Adams label the score with, and to create what effect?

“Delirando” to create a delirious effect

What tool does John Adams use a lot of in his minimalist style in Short Ride in a Fast Machine?

Ostinato

When does ostinato begin in Short Ride in a Fast Machine?

After 3 quick strikes of the woodblock

When the ostinato begins, what instrument plays 3 pitches in Short Ride in a Fast Machine?

Synthesizer 2 (synth 2)

In Short Ride in a Fast Machine, what pitches does the synth 2 play?

E-D-A

In Short Ride in a Fast Machine, in what pattern ostinato does the synth 2 sound its pitches? (Ostinato a)

4 eighth notes, e-d-a-d

In Short Ride in a Fast Machine, the song starts out in what meter? (Ostinato a)

3/2 meter

In Short Ride in a Fast Machine, which of the synth 2’s pitches aligns with the pulse of 3/2 meter? (Ostinato a)

E

In Short Ride in a Fast Machine, which is the synth 2’s intervals are perfect 5ths?

(D and A) and (E and A) Key of C

What is quintal harmony?

When a song is built by stacking chords of perfect 5th intervals

What is “common practice” tonality?

When a song is built by stacking chords of intervals in thirds

What tonality does John Adams use in Short Ride in a Fast Machine?

Quintal harmony (tonality)

In Short Ride in a Fast Machine, 2 clarinets and synth 1 play what 3 pitches?

D-E-A

In Short Ride in a Fast Machine, what ostinato pattern do 2 clarinets and synth 1 play? (Ostinato b)

3 note ostinato

In Short Ride in a Fast Machine, 2 what pitches do 2 clarinets play in ostinato b’. (Ostinato b’)

E-A-D

In Short Ride in a Fast Machine, ostinato b’ shifts the pattern of ostinato b, by how many eight notes?

1 eighth note

What meter do the b and b’ ostinatos feel like they are in?

12/8

How many ostinato b repetitions does it take to align with the first note of ostinato a?

3 repetitions

What type of meter is found In Short Ride in a Fast Machine?

polymeter

What is polymeter?

When 2 different metric grouping are used at the same time.

In In Short Ride in a Fast Machine, what instrument performs ostinato c?

Trumpet

In Short Ride in a Fast Machine, what pattern is ostinato c?

DEA pitches, but quarter rest, then 2 quarter notes

In Short Ride in a Fast Machine, what meter is ostinato c in?

¾ meter

In Short Ride in a Fast Machine, what note does the quarter note rhythm in ostinato c emphasize?

every second 8th note

What word did Adams use to describe the accents he added in the form of polymeter, in In Short Ride in a Fast Machine?

punchy

Who did John Adams meet early in life that influenced Short Ride in a Fast Machine?

Duke Ellington

Where did John Adams meet Duke Ellington?

At his grandfather’s dance hall, where jazz groups performed.

Johns Adams said that the signature ___ and ___ of the Ellington Brass made a big impression on him.

jabs and bullets

What other song did John Adams create?

Nixon in China

What did John Adams refer to as “gating”?

When he changes all the pitches in Short Ride in a Fast Machine, simultaneously.

What is gating in electronics?

Switches that have the power to regulate electric current abruptly.

What does gating represent In Short Ride in a Fast Machine?

clumsy gear switches

In Short Ride in a Fast Machine, what do crescendos represent?

The roaring engine of a car

How does Short Ride in a Fast Machine end?

With an abrupt D major triad (trumpets and trombones)