Prose Pieces
David Pocknee
Van Het Tien Dagen
3 October 2011:
The Anarchist Cookbook is a series of text scores. Perform them.
4 October 2011:
Get Night-Vision Goggles. Cause Chaos.
5 October 2011:
Attach an electric sander to the top of your head.
Burrow through a table whilst standing on top of the table.
6 October 2011:
Have a conversation with someone you find sexually attractive and make then talk about themselves
for an extended period of time.
7 October 2011 For Joe Kudirka (After Bill Murray):
Tend a bar. Whenever anybody orders a drink, give them Jagermeister instead.
7 October 2011 For Assaf Gidron
Improvise something that sounds composed.
Compose something that sounds improvised.
Compromise something that sounds improved.
Improve something that sounds compromised.
8 October 2011 For Manfred Werder (After Balzac):
We have the feverish blood of lions in our veins
and an appetite for twenty foolish acts a day.
9 October 2011 for Xenia Cage:
When the music gets lousy he loses his erection...
...Mozart is the best
from Begin Again
10 October 2011 see Cotard Etudes 3 and 4
11 October 2011:
Do not go outside.
12 October 2011:
Sit on a messy couch using a wii controller like a remote control to change between Cable TV
channels on a television.
Map the movements of the controller so that extremely aggressive electronic sounds with high rates
of change are created from the most minimal movements.
Other
14/7/2011
Unexpectedly tear-gas an ensemble whilst they are playing your music.
Kidnap
Kidnap an Israeli.
Cascade #1
for choir
A large choir (SATB) of people (approx. 30) in light-coloured clothing piss themselves
simultaneously.
Cascade #2.
for choir
A choir walks off stage using staggered mp3 click tracks.
Cascade #3
for Chamber Orchestra
The entire orchestra undergo strict individual diets for one week.
At the end of this week they stand on stage
and shit simultaneously.
Their diets ensure that their faeces creates a spectrum of colour, starting with the darkest on the
stage right, moving to the lightest on stage left.
Rope Piece
Tie every audience member's right foot together using a single rope.
Leave the performance area.
Cotard Etudes
The Cotard Etudes are a series of pieces about sexuality, exploitation and the composition of social
situations.
Cotard Etude #1: Heart Of Darkness
Performed 26 February 2011. Score destroyed.
Cotard Etude #2 (July 2011)
for David Pocknee and 2 or more performers.
Girls kiss. I watch.
Cotard Etude #3: for JR
for untrained or trained singer
Wait in silence the same number of seconds as the age at which you lost your virginity.
Sing one note for each person you have had sex with.
Progress chronologically.
Where relationships overlap, the one with the first sexual encounter should go first.
Where the chronology is difficult to judge (e.g. with threesomes etc.), then logical musical
solutions should be found (e.g. a threesome could be represented by a mutliphonic or trill of two
notes)
The length of each note is determined by the length of the associated relationship where;
Your longest ever relationship = one full breath
A single encounter (e.g. one night stand) = as fast as possible.
Dynamics are equal to the amount of perversion involved. This is left provocatively open to
interpretation.
As loud as possible = minimal perversion
As quiet as possible = maximum perversion
Where multiple acts occurred, that with the lowest dynamic should be used.
Pitch is based on how much you regret the relationship.
As high as possible = minimum regret.
As low as possible = maximum regret.
Each note should be followed by a rest equal to its length.
Once you have finished, wait the same number of seconds as months since your last sexual
encounter.
Cotard Etude #4: Heart
for untrained or trained choir of 4 or more people
The choir should be stood in a line facing the audience.
(This piece can also be performed whilst walking through the audience).
On a cue from one of the choir, all players turn to look at the left-most audience member and sing a
pitch lasting one full breath.
The pitch indicates how much you would like to have sex with that audience member.
As low as possible = minimum desire
As high as possible = maximum desire
Do not stop looking at the audience member as you sing the note.
Wait 10 of your own heartbeats before moving on to the next left-most audience member.
All players are unsynchronized.
All dynamics are p in a ppp to fff scale.
All timbre is as breathy as possible.
All durations are one full breath.
The left-ness of an audience member is irrespective of depth.
There will be slight discrepancies in the order of singing due to perspective etc.
This should not matter as each singer should be staring at the person they are singing about.
There should be at least one couple/ex-couple in the audience or choir.
After or before the piece is played it must be explained to the audience how the piece works.
Cotard Etude #5: Codex I
for String Quartet
Two men and two women sit in a small circle, close enough that they can all reach each other's
genitals.
They sit in the (clockwise) order: man 1- woman 1 - woman 2 man 2
Movement 1 can be performed separately.
I
a man (man 1) masturbates whilst watching
a woman (woman 1) masturbating, who is watching
a woman (woman 2) masturbating, who is watching
a man (man 2) masturbating, who is watching
the first man masturbating.
***
II
man 1 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 1
woman 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching man 2
woman 2 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 1
man 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching woman 2
III
man 1 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 2
woman 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching man 2
woman 2 masturbates man 2 whilst watching woman 1
man 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 1
IV
man 1 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 2
woman 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching man 1
woman 2 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 2
man 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching woman 1
V
man 1 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching man 2
woman 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 2
woman 2 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 1
man 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching woman 1
VI
man 1 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching man 2
woman 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching man 1
woman 2 masturbates man 2 whilst watching woman 1
man 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching woman 2
***
VII
man 1 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 1
woman 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching woman 2
woman 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 2
man 2 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching man 1
VIII
man 1 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 1
woman 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 2
woman 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 1
man 2 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 2
IX
man 1 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 2
woman 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 2
woman 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching woman 1
man 2 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching man 1
X
man 1 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 2
woman 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 1
woman 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 2
man 2 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 1
XI
man 1 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching man 2
woman 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching woman 2
woman 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 1
man 2 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 1
XII
man 1 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching man 2
woman 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 1
woman 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching woman 1
man 2 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 2
***
XIII
man 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 1
woman 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching woman 2
woman 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching man 2
man 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 1
XIV
man 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 1
woman 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 2
woman 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching man 1
man 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching woman 2
XV
man 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 2
woman 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 2
woman 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 1
man 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 1
XVI
man 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 2
woman 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 1
woman 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching man 2
man 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching woman 1
XVII
man 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching man 2
woman 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching woman 2
woman 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching man 1
man 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching woman 1
XVIII
man 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching man 2
woman 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 1
woman 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 1
man 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching woman 2
***
XIX
man 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 1
woman 1 masturbates man 1 whilst watching woman 2
woman 2 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 2
man 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching man 1
XX
man 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 1
woman 1 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 2
woman 2 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 1
man 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 2
XXI
man 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 2
woman 1 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 2
woman 2 masturbates man 2 whilst watching woman 1
man 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching man 1
XXII
man 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 2
woman 1 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 1
woman 2 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 2
man 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 1
XXIII
man 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching man 2
woman 1 masturbates man 1 whilst watching woman 2
woman 2 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 1
man 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 1
XXIV
man 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching man 2
woman 1 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 1
woman 2 masturbates man 2 whilst watching woman 1
man 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 2
***
XXV
man 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching woman 1
woman 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 2
woman 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 2
man 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching man 1
XXVI
man 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching woman 1
woman 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching man 2
woman 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 1
man 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 2
XXVII
man 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching woman 2
woman 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching man 2
woman 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching woman 1
man 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching man 1
XXVIII
man 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching woman 2
woman 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching man 1
woman 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 2
man 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 1
XXIX
man 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 2
woman 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 2
woman 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 1
man 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 1
XXX
man 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 2
woman 1 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching man 1
woman 2 masturbates man 1 whilst watching woman 1
man 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 2
***
XXXI
man 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching woman 1
woman 1 masturbates man 1 whilst watching woman 2
woman 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching man 2
man 2 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching man 1
XXXII
man 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching woman 1
woman 1 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 2
woman 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching man 1
man 2 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 2
XXXIII
man 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching woman 2
woman 1 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 2
woman 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 1
man 2 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching man 1
XXXIV
man 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching woman 2
woman 1 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 1
woman 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching man 2
man 2 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 1
XXXV
man 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 2
woman 1 masturbates man 1 whilst watching woman 2
woman 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching man 1
man 2 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 1
XXXVI
man 1 masturbates man 2 whilst watching man 2
woman 1 masturbates man 1 whilst watching man 1
woman 2 masturbates woman 1 whilst watching woman 1
man 2 masturbates woman 2 whilst watching woman 2
