PoyoPoyo for Horn

Program Note: "In Japanese the word 'poyopoyo' describes something soft and squidgy, with a velvety texture - like the cheek of a four month old baby, which is how old my daughter was when I wrote this work.

I experimented many things with the horn player Nobuaki Fukukawa whom the work was written for. I wanted to find a sound which is the antithesis of the stereotypical horn sound. To me the horn often sounds big and macho, and plays fanfare like music.

I looked for sensitive, quiet, soft, and poetic sounds to symbolise 'poyopoyo.' I experimented with the player over online video conferencing to get this effect. We settled on using a bass trombone harmon mute or a specially made harmon mute for horn. The player can open or close the mute with [their] hand to make the 'wah-wah' effect, and throughout this piece the speed of this wah-wah effect varies to represent 'poyopoyo.'" - Dai Fujikura

Extended Technique: (Click below to hear the shorter sections on their own)
-Wah-wah mute tremolo: rapid muting and unmuting (speed indicated with arrows) 0:00-6:12
-Singing and playing 6:14-9:00
-Singing and playing + wah-wah mute 7:34-9:00