DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK
Faculty Recital Dr. Justin Bunting, percussion | with Cassie Bunting, marimba Thursday, March 17, 2022 | 7:30 PM | Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall PROGRAM one hundred and twenty / everything (2014)
Evan Chapman (b. 1991)
Khan Variations (2001)
Alejandro Viñao (b. 1951)
Being Black (2020) I. Being Black and Walking II. Being Black in a Hoodie III. Being Black at the Store IV. Being Black and Running V. Being Black and not Being…
Joe W. Moore III (b. 1986)
Mourning Dove Sonnet (1983)
Christopher Deane (1957-2021)
Catching Shadows (2013) Ivan Trevino (b. 1983) Cassie Bunting, marimba
PROGRAM NOTES one hundred twenty / everything is an exploration of permutations taken to an extreme. I have always been fascinated with mathematical processes in music, and this piece is an example of that concept in its most exhaustive and rudimentary form. The ve sections cycle through all 120 possible permutations of the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, with each number being assigned to a pitch and a rhythm. The rst part is all permutations of the numbers 1-5 beginning with the number 3 played on vibraphone, the second part is all permutations beginning with the number 4 played on trash instruments, the third part is all permutations beginning with the number 2 back on vibraphone but faster, the fourth part is all permutations beginning with the number 5 back on trash instruments but faster, and the last part is all permutations starting on the number 1 played at lightning speed by the backing track. (Chapman) Khan Variations is a set of 8 rhythmic variations based on a traditional theme from Qawwali music as sung by the Pakistani singer Ali Khan. In each of the 8 variations—which are played continuously— I develop di erent rhythmic and melodic aspects of the original theme. From the harmonic point of view the piece is rather static, to some extent respecting the lack of harmony—in the western sense— of the original theme. The player may recognize a range of in uences from Conlon Nancarrow and Latin-American music to my own previous pieces for marimba. All these in uences have one thing in common: the articulation of pulse or multiple simultaneous pulses to create a dramatic musical discourse. (Viñao)
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Being Black is a ve movement, multi-percussion solo. The piece was written as a memorial of the black lives that have been lost to police brutality and other senseless killings. The rhythmic content, use of
repetition, and all other musical choices were made based on the dates and details of several cases including Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, John Crawford, George Floyd, and many more. (Moore) Mourning Dove Sonnet was composed as a concert vibraphone solo in which the musical material was focused on an integration of traditional and non-traditional performance techniques. It is, in its essence, a wordless art song for vibraphone. The performer is musically free to be exible with the tempo, however, a sense of pulse and forward motion is necessary for this piece to “sing” as intended. (Deane) This piece contains a literal transcription of a Mourning Dove song. It is characterized by Deane’s use of extended techniques for the vibraphone including bowing, harmonics, muting bars, and di erent types of pitch bend that present the full sonic capability of the instrument. Deane passed away in 2021. This performance is in memory of his life and contribution to the percussive arts. (Bunting) Catching Shadows is a marimba duet commissioned by Michael Burritt. About this piece, Ivan writes, “Michael Burritt and I have become good friends and collaborators over the years, and on a recent road trip to a gig, he said 'I'm in charge of the tunes!' Honestly, I didn't know what to expect! He plugged in his iPod, and the rst thing to play: Radiohead, then Dave Matthews, then Earth, Wind & Fire. That's when I discovered something cool about Mike: he's as much rock musician as classical musician. It just so happens he plays marimba. Sometimes, I feel the same way. With Catching Shadows, I thought about our road trip and decided to write a rock tune inspired by Mike's playlist.” (Bunting)
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For information about Dr. Bunting, please visit www.justinbunting.com.