Presenting an Extremely Detailed, Color-Coded Score for Sophie’s “Hard”

This graphic score for Sophie’s minimalist heart explosion “Hard” came to us via Katie Battistoni, a friend of Hearing Things, musician (as Katy the Kyng), and professor at Manhattan’s New School. Battistoni transcribed the track for a class on avant-garde songwriting, and I was immediately compelled—not just because her score is as beautiful and chaotic as the track, but because it’s so rare to see sheet music for a piece of contemporary electronic pop music. 

Battistoni created this in the tradition of midcentury Dadaists and experimental composers like John Cage and Anthony Braxton, the latter of whom scores his music with as much vibrant color (and interpretive squiggle) as she uses here. The key at the beginning represents each instrument in the score—the “sparklepiano,” for instance, is represented by star-dotted notes in shimmering gold Sharpie. “The avant-garde parts of this song are the characters, which are the instruments Sophie has invented,” Battistoni told me, “so I wanted them to have all their little identities, like characters in a play.” 

This score is beautiful in its colorful, controlled chaos, even if you don’t read music; if you do, and happen to follow along while listening to the song, Battistoni’s notation is particularly impressive in its precision. But what I really appreciate about the score is how it sheds light on the work of modern electronic producers, which often goes unseen—leading to a general perception that they don’t do much; the stereotype of “bleeps and bloops,” and a sole person pressing buttons on a laptop, still persists. Yet so much skill goes into making a computer-based song as beautiful as “Hard,” and I loved this opportunity to visualize what that looks like—not just in the form of an Ableton timeline, but in the more traditional format of a staff with notes and rests, with each instrument represented by a fun visual element that Battistoni imagined and then interpreted via washable Crayola markers, gel pens, and metallic Sharpie on staff paper. It’s also a document of Sophie’s singular talent, evidence that her work will continue to inspire younger generations. 

Battistoni made this for her students to learn one way to transcribe avant-garde music, after which they will make their own compositions. She recalled an interview in which Sophie wondered why more musicians weren’t inventing their own electronic instruments, given the breadth of tools available to do so. “Sophie was kind of like a sculptor,” Battistoni told me. “Musique concrète said the physical sounds come first, not the written page. And this song is about, like, latex gloves, rubber doll. And then it sounds like rubber. She makes an orchestra of sounds and then conducts them.”

Seeing this notation offers a new understanding of Sophie as an artist, at least for me—a window into the composing process of a generational talent whose loss still stings. 

Paid subscribers can check out Battistoni’s full score for Sophie’s “Hard” below. Thanks for your support and happy composing!