“she fixing with her eye . . . a distant bell . . .

as she
hastened towards it”

Matthew Lee Knowles

May/June 2008

For Haruka and Elen

(performance instructions)
“she fixing with her eye . . . a distant bell . . . as she hastened towards
it”
(*title taken from Samuel Beckett, “Not I”, 1972)

Performance instructions:
Duration: c.10`

Saxophone:

You play as quickly as possible until you have to stop, (there are no
gaps/pauses/rests/breaths between the sounds.)

The place you stop at is the place you will restart.

The piece is repeatable (the end links to the beginning)

You begin in position ONE and may move to positions TWO or THREE throughout the
performance, so that one position will remain unused throughout.
(will you sit or stand? Which way will you face?)

You may rest for 10 - 45`` between the moments of playing.

The end of the piece will occur in the last minute of the piece and will be marked by the
pianist/desk bell player, making a previously unheard sound (see below)

Desk bells:

Each number represents an action and the number of repetitions (if any) within any time
slot should be performed in any suitable fashion and any order.

It is preferred that the repetitions which are five or more of the same action at a time, for
example: (x15, x15 and x5) should be divided up, in this fashion:
 etc

The very last sound you make should be an ‘other sound’ () and should be made by
dropping and destroying something. This might be throwing a china plate into a metal
dustbin, or wrapping a glass vase in a towel and hitting it with a hammer.
You should aim to make this sound around 9`50`` - 9`55``
“she fixing with her eye . . . a distant bell . . . as she
hastened towards it”

Matthew Lee Knowles

May/June 2008

For Haruka and Elen

(piano/desk bells)
“she fixing with her eye . . . a distant bell . . . as she hastened towards
it”
Piano/desk bells

=LEFT DESK BELL=RIGHT DESK BELL

=PIANO CHORD=PIANO SINGLE NOTE
=OTHER SOUND

0`00`` ⇒ 1`00`
 

1`01`` ⇒ 2`00`
x2  

2`01`` ⇒ 3`00`
x3  

3`01`` ⇒ 4`00`
x4  x4 

4`01`` ⇒ 5`00`
x5 x4 x6

5`01`` ⇒ 6`00`
x4 x4 x4 x4 x4

6`01`` ⇒ 7`00`
x24 

7`01`` ⇒ 8`00`
x10 x10 x5

8`01`` ⇒ 9`00`
x15 x15 x5

9`01`` ⇒ c. 10`00`
x8 x8 x8 x8 x8
“she fixing with her eye . . . a distant bell . . . as she
hastened towards it”

Matthew Lee Knowles

May/June 2008

For Haruka and Elen

(saxophone)