OVERPRESSURE / CRUNCH / SCRATCH TONE / HARD PRESSURE

Emilie Gelinas-Noble

References:
Crumb, George. Black Angels.
[OVERSIZE] M452 .C88 B6

Rehnqvist, Karin. Kast.

M1145 .R35 K3 1988

Noseworthy, Andrew. What a Company.

score:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9lSEEQhYQa2UkM0VkFfNkV4amJFcXk5d0QwZGdTUTBSSV9z/
view?usp=sharing

Limitations of the sound:

On the viola, this sound can only be produced within a loud dynamic. It is created by pulling the
bow with enough pressure to remove the vibrations from the top of the string. It needs a slower
bow speed than most, and can only be played with an absolutely straight bow. The sound itself is
hard to keep consistent, so its pitch is sometimes indeterminate.

Expressive nature of the sound:

In all three examples, the composers use this sound to bring their crescendos to a fuller end
result. Noseworthy pairs the crunch tone with many glissandi which creates a sound that sounds
less serious than the dramatic moments it appears in Crumb’s Black Angels. This sound is best
suited for something comical, or some arrival or culmination.

Notation:
My favorite notation by far is the Noseworthy, it seems a lot clearer and less mistakable. The
notation for Crunch Tone is not standardized – the name for the sound is not even standardized.
Crumb never calls it anything, Rehnqvist calls it hard pressure, and Noseworthy calls it
overpressure. Michozuki notated it similarly to Crumb in her 1992 piece called Chimera,
however, it was confusing to follow the line drawing indications for this effect as well as similar
indications for ponticello.

Performances:
Crumb:
Ensemble Intercontemporain (3:55)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11o8nHk-l_o
New York String Quartet (4:22)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXvAs5aGkG4

I much prefer the Ensemble Intercontemporain’s interpretation. The rest of the quartet backs
away from the texture and allows the violinist to grow in dynamic before following her
crescendo. It sound like the New York String Quartet doesn’t mind that the texture is not as
clean as it should be, and the residual vibrations and sounds don’t have enough time to die
down between each attack. The result is underwhelming.

Rehnqvist:
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestr:
https://utoronto-naxosmusiclibrary-com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/mediaplayer/player.asp?
br=128&tl=1050978

There seems to be only one recording of this string ensemble piece, but it allows for a study of
this technique on various instruments. Rehnqvist’s notation seems clearer to the basses than to
any other instrument, because only the bases are really creating a proper crunch tone.