INSTRUCTIONS
Robert Ashley
SOUND
The Soloist is given a “focus” pitch for each of the fifteen sections of the piece.
“Focus” means singing “in tune with” the given pitch but using the inflections of
speech. The vocal sound is a kind of inflected chanting.
Section and focus pitch: 1-F / 2-C / 3-Db / 4-Eb / 5-Ab / 6-Gb /
7-F / 8-C / 9-Db / 10-Eb / 11-Ab / 12-Gb / 13-F / 14-E (natural) / 15-F
The Solo vocal style should be as “casual” as possible; that is, it should be as much
like speech as possible but focused on a sung pitch. This style is a kind of “crooning.”
This means that the sounds of “extended vocal techniques” are not appropriate to the
meaning of the text. Also, the Soloist uses the microphone rather than “projecting”
the voice. This means that the vocal sound is rather softer than in traditional singing.
The tempo of the Solo line is roughly the tempo of the title spoken slowly and
evenly at a natural rate.
WORLD WAR THREE / JUST THE HIGHLIGHTS.
(While the word “the” in the title is usually spoken as an unaccented pick-up to
the next word, in the singing of the solo line that syllable is treated as a beat that
is equal in stress and duration to the other seven.)
12 PAJ 101 (2012), pp. 12–21.
© 2012 Robert Ashley
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WORLD WAR III
JUST THE HIGHLIGHTS
Robert Ashley
[F]
I
/
Op-
do
It’s
/
gets
at
/
vents
Though
ma
/
/
/
i –
death
/
which
a
[C]
Some
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ma-
San
went
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am
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in
would
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re-
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a-
don’t
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act-
de
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first
high
/
hard
that
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a
lead
the
sounds
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at
the
is
the
ly
a
ex-
/
school
com-
/
the
the
sub-
ard
that
to
here-
/
tic
li-
prised
pa-
cis-
long
know
gion
/
trons
co
with
/
all
San
plan-
Ring.
/
/
cit-
meet-
/
mit-
/
high
Bay
scribe
Wag-
suf-
hap-
af-
more
i-
/
/
/
Op-
the
what
sur-
Fran-
ning
/
the
/
ing
ing
/
tee.
to
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/
ner’s
fer-
pi-
ter
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prised
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that
/
of
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re-
to
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ness
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nor
that
of
er-
deal.
they’re
am
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get-
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to
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e-
/
i-
ers
a
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and
in
/
/
from
I
/
the
/
/
ting
ASHLEY / World War III Just the Highlights 13
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five
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old
leave
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way
/
am
cis-
ate
more
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ly
/
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a
of-
ers
re-
per-
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tours:
/
New
hav-
ence
/
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box
dol-
dol-
/
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son
ter
min-
and
man
the
the
/
a-
who’s
sur-
co
did
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pro-
For
the
in
fer-
of
a
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re-
For
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in
York
ing
prob-
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is
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lar
lars
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and
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pow-
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wife
so-
(Or
round
count-
prised
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not
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ing
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mem-
in-
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these
pack-
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to
the
the
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can
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er-
come
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more
tive
stance,
Fran-
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the
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an
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stance,
The
ville,
ty,
some
of
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ing
with
/
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the
they
care.
first
ve-
ful
split
to
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pend-
/
that
a
up
a-
cal
/
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ry
and
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the
ing
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with
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co
er-
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would
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they
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the
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days,
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[Db]
plan.
clos-
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a
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a
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guid-
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Met
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au-
own
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get
to,
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and
up
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on
I
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tor-
a
and
and
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and
lov-
A-
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sure.
ed
ry
in
is
di-
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and
lot
dred
ty
there
14 PAJ 101
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7
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5
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p
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[Eb]
/
ris
nan-
fume
dus-
na,
dur-
y
is
ping.
ca-
/
hor-
ing
ing
that
for
/
ses
/
ler-
food,
just
they’ve
ner
the
and
pu-
tle
a
last
Pa-
fi-
per-
in-
en-
shop
Ver-
this
shop-
mous
such.
weird
en-
know-
/
/
/
cu-
based
al-
ar
Or
where
Wag-
of
y
re-
at-
not
There were
mem-
ber.
min-
and
cial
and
tries.
/
ing
/
what
/
fé,
/
ses
go
/
you
/
/
for
on
gies,
/
take
/
thing
twen-
so
ta-
/
place
all
/
[Ab]
at-
Bey-
stuff
are
dol-
in
tle.
reuth,
there.
pay-
lars
the
/
/
/
ing
/
Pa-
ute.
the
/
the
/
/
the
ex-
/
/
/
/
and
to
/
will
the
with
/
/
/
et
them
been
/
ti-
cre-
tion
/
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those
/
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if
/
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for
ra-
/
sub-
back-
gar-
/
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day.
pen-
I
Eat
Freud
Go
then
the
in
stay
first
plen-
leav-
tra-
un-
ce
to
do-
since
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at-
/
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one
mov-
This
God
they
I
thou-
sev-
dores
/
stan-
ing
ment
Or
where
/
sive.
call
in
/
to
in
op-
ad-
/
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ty
ing
vel
fa-
te-
Se-
ing
the
/
ing
for
of
would
ies
and
/
still
mean
sands
en
of
/
tial
of
/
/
you
/
/
/
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/
see
the
er-
vance
on-
act
of
/
stress,
mi-
ra.
at-
/
mid-
cen-
/
/
be-
go.
/
that
knows
do
peo-
/
nights
north-
/
/
the
/
Vi-
can
/
Now
/
fa-
and
the
ev-
a
/
ly
/
ex-
/
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li-
/
tle
the
dle
tur
the
Se-
ing
/
re-
Se-
/
that
ple
of
/
ern
ASHLEY / World War III Just the Highlights 15
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p
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e
p
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2
3
/
you’re
the
/
/
ple
to
/
get
dow.
not
in
night
else
It’s
/
go
/
tired
/
/
a
/
/
/
in
/
/
of
/
know-
Pa-
there
/
good
love
an-
Not
look-
/
ing
ra-
is
to
for
/
y
so
ing
/
that
dore
no
go.
/
who
place
good
out
/
/
/
place
/
two
don’t
/
if
the
/
Spain
once
for
/
/
peo-
want
else.
you
win-
[Gb]
Looking out the window
Hoping to see the ghost of
El Cid, Rodrigo Diaz,
Who terrorized
These desperate plains
In war.
El Cid,
The model for those
conquistadores
That brought Spain
To America
And made us
What we are.
[F]
Rodrigo took himself
Off into exile once more.
This time he struck out
As a freelance — free lance —
In the literal meaning of the term.
Renowned as a commander
And wealthy
From the spoils of
Successful warfare,
He could attract
Enough troops
To form his own
Private army.
During the remaining
Ten years of his life
16 PAJ 101
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(
1
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1
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1
2
1
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5
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a
/
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j
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a
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0
0
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p
d
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He campaigned
Up and down
The region of
Eastern Spain
Known as the Levant.
Sometimes he fought Christians
Like the count of Barcelona,
Sometimes the rulers of
The taifa states.
He was his own man
And went his own way.
He pillaged the countryside,
He exacted tributes
And he ended up
By besieging
And taking
The town of Valencia —
Somewhat as
Ibn ’Ammar
Had taken
The nearby city
Of Curcia.
Rodrigo ruled there
For the last
Five years of his life,
Prince of a little
Taifa statelet
All his own.
He died there.
[C]
(The Cid in Benicadell)
When the Cid Campeador
Had taken Benicadell,
They are grieved in Jativa
And in Cullera
As for Valencia
Its dismay is boundless.
[Db]
(The conquest of the entire
Region of Valencia)
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ASHLEY / World War III Just the Highlights 17
Seizing and despoiling,
Riding at night,
Sleeping in the day time,
Taking those towns,
My Cid spent three years
In the lands of the Moors.
[Eb]
(The Cid lays siege to Valencia.
He sends heralds announcing the war.)
And he has chastised severely
Those of Valencia.
They do not dare to leave the city
Or meet him in battle;
He has laid waste to their farmlands
And brought havoc among them;
Every year of those three
My Cid deprived them of bread.
They grieve in Valencia,
Not knowing what to do.
They cannot obtain
Bread from anywhere;
The father cannot help his son
Nor the son his father,
Friend and friend
Cannot console each other.
Great hardship it is, sirs,
To be without bread,
To see children and women
Dying of hunger.
And they see their affliction growing,
That there is no remedy,
And they have sent word
To the King of Morocco;
He was so deep in war
With the King of the Atlas,
That he neither sent to advise them
Nor came to their rescue.
My Cid learned of this;
It gladdened his heart.
He went out from Murviedo
One night, and rode all night;
18 PAJ 101
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(
1
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1
)
/
1
2
1
7
9
5
5
2
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p
a
/
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j
_
a
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0
0
0
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9
p
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He appeared at daybreak
In the lands of Monreal.
He sent forth a herald
To Aragon and Navarre;
He sent his messages
To the lands of Castile:
“Whoever would leave
His toil and grow rich,
Let him come to My Cid,
Whose taste is for battle.
He would now lay siege to Valencia
To give it to the Christians.”
[Ab]
(Repetition of the announcement)
“Whoever will come with me
To besiege Valencia —
Let all come freely
And no one against his will —
I shall wait three days for him
By the Canal of Celfa.”
[Gb]
How different the real man was
From the legendary one.
The Cid of reality was a condottiere.
He was neither humane
Nor loyal nor patriotic.
On the contrary
He was a harsh man,
A breaker of promises,
A pillager of churches,
Only interested in pay and plunder.
[F]
/
/
/
in-
pose
Op-
/
A
would
come
/
er-
/
guid
be
/
/
a
/
ed
a
and
The
to
/
op-
source
/
San
the
/
er-
/
would
Fran-
wrath
/
a
/
not
cis-
/
/
tour
of
ex-
co
of
ASHLEY / World War III Just the Highlights 19
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3
4
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(
1
0
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)
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2
1
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5
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p
a
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0
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p
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2
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/
au-
ize
/
/
in-
/
/
/
im-
di-
that
/
a
to
But
at
/
por-
ence
go-
is
blood
/
/
In-
/
tant
who
ing
/
/
a
with
ter-
/
mem-
did-
to
like
clot
Par-
drinks
mis-
/
bers
n’t
hear
/
or
a-
/
sion
/
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w
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i
r
e
c
t
.
m
i
t
.
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d
u
p
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j
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–
p
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/
/
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4
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(
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)
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5
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/
the
al-
ner
ing
ing
/
/
ly.
those
of
re-
Wag-
hav-
check-
dore.
/
on-
[E]
But in this place
with its
particular
patch of sky
In this
desert
facing west
the particular
patch of sky
disappearing
westward
into the horizon
In this
desert
you can feel
the Earth
turning eastward
[F]
Two thousand steps
between home
and the grocery store
(one way)
at thirty inches per stride
equals
sixty thousand inches
which divided by
twelve inches per foot
equals
five thousand feet
or almost a mile
20 PAJ 101
to get beer
non-alcoholic
for reasons of health
and tequila
for other reasons.
© Robert Ashley, 2010
END
ROBERT ASHLEY is known for his work in new forms of opera. In
the 1960s, Ashley organized Ann Arbor’s legendary ONCE Festival and
directed the ONCE Group. During the 1970s, he directed the Center for
Contemporary Music at Mills College, toured with the Sonic Arts Union,
and produced and directed Music with Roots in the Aether, a fourteen-hour
television opera/documentary about the work and ideas of seven American
composers. Ashley wrote and produced Perfect Lives, an opera for television
widely considered the precursor of “music-television.” Staged versions of
Perfect Lives and Atalanta (Acts of God) and the monumental opera tetralogy,
Now Eleanor’s Idea, have toured throughout Europe, Asia, and the United
States. He wrote and directed Balseros for Florida Grand Opera, Dust for
premiere at the Kanagawa Arts Foundation in Yokohama, and Celestial
Excursions for the Berlin Festival and Hebbel Theater Berlin. Made Out of
Concrete was premiered at La MaMa E.T.C. in New York in 2009. Ashley
is working on his latest opera, Quicksand. Kyle Gann’s biography of Robert
Ashley is forthcoming from the University of Illinois Press. www.lovely.com,
www.robertashley.org
ASHLEY / World War III Just the Highlights 21
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