UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE New Literature for Percussion Ensemble NOVEMBER 20 • 4PM
PERCUSSIVE ARTS SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
WEB RESOURCE:
New Literature for Percussion Ensemble
We have decided that we want to make this project last longer than one 60-minute session at PASIC. A web resource has been created at the following URL in order to continue sharing information on the 115-plus pieces that were submitted to us for consideration:
music.ucf.edu/percussionliterature We plan to frequently update and make this resource available through the 2015 Percussive Arts Society International Convention. If you have an important new work to share, please let us know.
ABOUT THE UCF PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE The University of Central Florida Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Thad Anderson, Kirk Gay, and Jeff Moore, offers students a well-rounded experience in all facets of ensemble playing. The group prides itself on offering varied programs that feature significant works for idioms such as chamber, mallet, large, historic, and world ensembles. UCF Percussion also frequently works with composers to commission and premiere new works for percussion ensemble. Some of these recent projects have included collaborations with Marc Mellits, Jonathan Kolm, Bill Ryan, D.J. Sparr, Paul Lansky, David Bennet Thomas, Charles Griffin, James Norman, and Zack Browning. The ensemble maintains an active performance schedule regionally, throughout the state, and internationally, including a tour through Lithuania and Poland. The debut UCF Percussion album, Patterns, is due out in November and will feature new quartets for two marimbas and two vibraphones. For additional album information, see ucfpercussion.bandcamp.com.
To learn more about the UCF Percussion Ensemble and Percussion Studies program, visit
music.ucf.edu/percussion
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UCF PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
New Literature for Percussion Ensemble
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014 • 4PM Percussive Arts Society International Convention • Indianapolis, IN Indianapolis Convention Center, Sagamore Ballroom
UCF PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE Thad Anderson, Kirk Gay, and Jeff Moore, directors Matt Albano, Oviedo, FL
Will Huth, Winter Springs, FL
Chris Baird, Melbourne, FL
Alex Jones, Orlando, FL
Nicholas Cabiness, Panama City, FL
Joe Jones, Melbourne, FL
Nicholas Chase, Orlando, FL
Jacob Kight, Lakeland, FL
Calvin Chiu Chi Him, Hong Kong, China
Jay Knosp, Middletown, NY
Kelley Flinn, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Chris Marsh, Orlando, FL
John Gavin, Fort Myers, FL
Christian Martin, Palm Bay, FL
Anthony Grande, Fort Pierce, FL
Laina Moyer, Old Town, FL
Mitchell Gribbroek, Melbourne, FL
Joey Noble, Melbourne, FL
David Haight, Fort Myers, FL
Wesley Strasser, Greenville, SC
Griffin Harvey, Winter Park, FL
Austin Warren, Orlando, FL
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DIRECTORS THAD ANDERSON is an Assistant Professor of Music at the University
of Central Florida where he coordinates the percussion studies program, directs the percussion ensemble, and teaches courses in music composition and technology. Joining the faculty in 2009, Anderson also presides over the Collide Contemporary Music Series and Festival. Anderson is a versatile performer and pedagogue with focused interests that span contemporary music, historic American percussion ensemble repertoire, composition, design, electro-acoustic music, conducting, and technology.
KIRK GAY obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Percussion Performance
from Northern Illinois University. He later went on to study with Paul Yancich and Richard Weiner at the Cleveland Institute of Music where he received his Master’s Degree in Timpani Performance. In 1998, Mr. Gay toured Europe with the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. He has performed with the Walt Disney World Orchestra, The Fort Wayne Philharmonic, The Orlando Philharmonic and currently is the Principal Percussionist with The Brevard Symphony Orchestra. At UCF, Mr. Gay teaches student lessons and is the director of “Black Steel”, the UCF steel drum ensemble.
JEFF MOORE is a Professor of Music and Director of the UCF School of
Performing Arts. Receiving his appointment to the music faculty in 1994, Professor Moore’s teaching duties include applied percussion lessons, percussion pedagogy and literature, and conducting the percussion ensemble. Active in all facets of percussion, he has performed with symphony orchestras and is a frequent performer of chamber music. He also performs on drum set, and is an international clinician, lecturer, and soloist. He is a contributing author to the third edition of Teaching Percussion by Gary Cook and has two method books, Fundamental Drumstick Control and Drumstick Control published with Alfred. Jeff has served as the Percussion Director of the internationally acclaimed Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps, and as Program Consultant/Percussion Arranger with several European, Japanese, Thai, and Indonesian drum corps and bands.
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UCF PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
PROGRAM Hurtling Through Space...At An Unimaginable Speed (2011)*
David Maslanka
Red Wagon (2011)**
Ben Wahlund
Archipelagos (2012)
David Hall
Performed by Frank Check, Adam Cowger, Doug Bratt, & Ben Wahlund
Selections from Gordon B. Peters Library (2012-14)** Concerto for Snare Drum (2014) I. Through Camps and Castles Dark Passenger (2014)**
Various, arr. Gordon B. Peters Ney Rosauro & Jeff Moore
Jeff Moore, snare drum
Andy Harnsberger
Performed by Victoria Boler, Cory High, & Trey Phillips
Soliloquy & Rondo (2012)*
Eric Ewazen
Denkyem (2013)
Joe W. Moore III
Pursuing Pegasus (2014)**
Kirk Gay
Performed by Mitchell Gribbroek, Wesley Strasser, & Karen Toney
Glacier (2013)
Benjamin Finley
Perpetual Motion for Four Diverse Snare Drums (2011)
Richard Weiner
Gradient 2.0 (2012)**
Baljinder Singh Sekhon II
University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire Percussion Ensemble, Jeff Crowell, director • Doug O’Connor, saxophone Andrew Bocher, Jeff Crowell, Jack Donovan, Elliott Rittenberry, & James Sonnentag, percussion
River of Life (2013) 4BY4 (2012)**
Wesley Strasser, tenor pan
Performed by Omar Carmenates, Tommy Dobbs, Matt Filosa, & Luis Rivera
Gravity (2013)*
Tom Morgan John Psathas Marc Mellits
All performances given by the 2014 UCF Percussion Ensemble unless otherwise noted *Today’s performance features an excerpt from the complete work **These works are featured as video excerpts from earlier performances
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PROGRAM NOTES Hurtling Through Space... At An Unimaginable Speed by David Maslanka Maslanka Press / Intermediate / 14 players (requires double bass and piano) The impetus for this piece was a cartoon that I doodled some few years ago at a concert: “Hurtling through space at an unimaginable speed”—which is what we are doing on planet Earth. Considered abstractly this is a terrifying idea. Who knows where we are going, what we might hit, what might hit us? Earth and its life are the tiniest of tiny specks in a universe of billions of galaxies. What we don’t know about all this dwarfs into the ridiculous of what we do know. It “smalls” us. On the other hand, we are not separate from the universe. Our living minds and bodies are a manifestation of the same life force that brings us the sun, the moon, the planets, the stars, and the weirdness of the idea of time. It is not inimical to us. At the core of the core of the core of the all-that-is, is the heart of love. —David Maslanka
Red Wagon by Ben Wahlund Bachovich Music Publications / Intermediate / 4 players Red Wagon is composed for four drum set performers and explores jazz-fusion, rock, and Afro-Cuban concepts. This offers opportunities for performers to exchange solos and ends in an extended soli fashion. The title comes from a thought that, like red wagons, drum set quartets almost always conjure playful, childlike ideas. —Ben Wahlund
Archipelagos by David Hall C. Alan Publications / Beginner / 7 players (requires tuned clay pots and metal pipes) Archipelagos is a short interlude scored for seven percussionists. This piece was inspired by the music of Indonesia, specifically Balinese and Javanese gamelan. The music is buoyant and aggressive at times and delicate and austere at others. The piece features unique textures, timbres, and instruments like flowerpots and tuned aluminum pipes to emulate the sounds of the gamelan. Archipelagos was commissioned by the Shadow Ridge Middle School Honors Winds under the direction of Chris Meredith and Alicia DeSoto for their performance at the 2012 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, IL. —David Hall
Selections from Gordon B. Peters Library Self-published / Beginner to Advanced / 7 players (requires double bass) Sheet music arrangements for the marimba ensemble include the Musser, Bethancourt, Peters and the Marimba Masters libraries. Around 2005, I started transcribing more compositions from the symphonic, operatic, ballet, and piano repertoires, focusing on diversity of composers, periods, styles, techniques, and different levels of difficulty. In the near future, these works, currently numbering about one hundred, will be distributed on the Web. All of these compositions are of high musical quality, and have lived on through the ages. They are most listenable and fun to play, even though some are very technically difficult. A bonus to the players is that they will now have the opportunity to actually experience the music they have been learning about in their music theory and music history courses. Also, this new “Gordon B. Peters Chamber Music Library for Marimba Ensemble” will both compensate for the comparative limits of orchestra/band opportunities of participation, and, in a sense, make them all “first violin players” instead of embellishing the rest of the instruments. The percussionists can now play the nucleus of the compositions! —Gordon Peters
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UCF PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
PROGRAM NOTES Excerpts from the following selections will be presented: 1. Terpsichore by Michael Praetorius 2. The Prince of Denmark’s March, Trumpet Voluntary by Henry Purcell 3. Symphony No. 1, III. Scherzo by Ludwig Van Beethoven 4. Symphony No. 9, III. Scherzo by Ludwig Van Beethoven 5. Suite from The Nutcracker, March, Op. 71a by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 6. Suite from The Nutcracker, Trepak, Op. 71a by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 7. March Hongroise, Op. 24 by Hector Berlioz 8. Die Fledermaus Overture by Johann Strauss Jr. 9. Suite from the Gayne Ballet, III. Sabre Dance by Aram Khachaturian 10. Dance of the Bouffons from The Snow Maidens by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov 11. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas
Concerto for Snare Drum by Ney Rosauro and Jeff Moore ProPercussao Publications / Intermediate / 7 players featuring snare drum During our annual summer percussion camp, Ney proposed that we collaborate on a snare drum concerto with full orchestra. I jumped at the chance of working with Ney on the project. The three movement piece has had a long gestation period, as we worked together to make sure the solo snare drum part satisfied both composers. The first movement, Through Camps and Castles, takes inspiration from Jannisary music, ancient rudimental (including the Three Camps) and contemporary, mixed meter music. In addition to the traditional concert and rudimental elements, timbral explorations on the snare drum via extended techniques and implement changes also appear in the movement. The version heard today is the first movement of the Concerto for Snare Drum in the percussion ensemble reduction. —Jeff Moore
Dark Passenger by Andy Harnsberger Paragon Percussion / Intermediate / 3 players The primary concept behind Dark Passenger is both the visual and aural elements. It was designed to be viewed from above the instruments in order to see the patterns between the each of the players. The instrumentation requires 6 bongos (3 sets), which are graduated in pitch, 3 opera gongs, 1 tuned gong, 1 small gong, and 5 optional temple cup gongs. —Andy Harnsberger
Soliloquy & Rondo by Eric Ewazen Theodore Presser / Beginner-Intermediate / 5 players (requires a 5-octave marimba) This work is written for five percussionists and is dedicated to the Nexus Percussion Ensemble. The piece is actually an arrangement of a concerto grosso written for wind ensemble and percussion ensemble called The Eternal Dance of Life. This piece was premiered by the Nexus Percussion Ensemble and the Southern Methodist University Wind Ensemble in November 2008. After the premier of the concerto grosso, the members of Nexus requested that two of the movement be arranged for just the percussion ensemble so they could perform it on their solo concerts. The result is Soliloquy and Rondo, of which we will be performing the Soliloquy movement today.
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PROGRAM NOTES Denkyem by Joe W. Moore III C. Alan Publications / Intermediate / 5 players Denkyem is the West African Adinkra symbol for the crocodile. The word Denkyem refers to the crocodile’s adaptability – the fact that it breathes air but lives under water. This idea of adaptability is used throughout the piece as the motivic material is passed from player to player, adapting to the instruments used and the everchanging time signatures. Denkyem was written for the Denkyem Percussion Group from Florida State University. —Joe W. Moore III
Pursuing Pegasus by Kirk Gay Self-Published / Advanced / 3 players Pursuing Pegasus is dedicated to Thad Anderson & Jeff Moore and was written in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the University of Central Florida. The piece is inspired by a scene from the 1981 movie Clash of the Titians. The scene depicts Perseus and his comrades attempting to capture the winged horse Pegasus. The work alternates between ensemble and solo sections that feature each of the three players. —Kirk Gay
Glacier by Benjamin Finley Tapspace Publications / Intermediate / 13 players (requires one 5-octave marimba) Glacier for percussion ensemble represents a snapshot of the ever-changing (and ever-fleeting) geologic wonders around us. One has only to visit an iconic national park such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, or Grand Canyon to witness the landscape-sculpting power of time and the elements working in concert. Through a variety of smooth, blended keyboard textures, juxtaposed angular percussive motives, and cold metallic punctuation, I’ve attempted to tell a short story in imagery of a typical “geologic day” in the life of a glacier—perhaps spanning a few million years in real time. Glacier was commissioned by Jay Cloar and the Ada High School Percussion Ensemble from Ada, Oklahoma. —Benjamin Finley
Perpetual Motion for Four Diverse Snare Drums by Richard Weiner Self-Published / Intermediate / 7 players Perpetual Motion for Four Diverse Snare Drums by Richard Weiner was premiered at a special concert of the Cleveland Orchestra in 2009. Since, it has been performed by the orchestra many times at educational and special performances. The piece was originally written for just the four snare drums however in 2011 the piece was expanded to include timpani, bass drum, and cymbals to allow additional players to participate. As the title suggests the piece consists of entirely 16th notes in the snare drums with interlocking accents. Near the end of the piece the composer calls for each player to improvise their part while keeping within constant 16th notes. Richard Weiner was the principal percussionist with the Cleveland Orchestra for 43 years and currently on the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music. He is still active playing with many orchestras around the country and giving clinics and masterclasses. —Richard Weiner
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UCF PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
PROGRAM NOTES Gradient 2.0 by Baljinder Singh Sekhon II Glass Tree Press / Advanced / 5 percussionists featuring alto saxophone Scored for alto saxophone and five percussionists, Gradient 2.0 was composed at the request of saxophonist Doug O’Connor and premiered by the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire Percussion Ensemble. The original version of this work was composed in 2008 and is scored for saxophone and prepared piano. In this revised version, I sought to replace the various piano timbres with percussion instruments that have similar timbral qualities to that of the various prepared-piano sounds. I was working with two different spectrums throughout this piece: one that has the saxophone and percussionists on opposite ends with characteristics of both instruments intersecting in the middle, and another spectrum that contains all of the sounds from both of these instruments with similar sounds from each instrument occupying the same area of the spectrum. While this piece is an exploration of sound, my compositional approach was a process-oriented one that dealt with the evolution of, and relationship between, pitch and rhythmic material. —Baljinder Singh Sekhon II
River of Life by Tom Morgan Self-Published / Intermediate-Advanced / 9 players featuring tenor pan River of Life features solo steel pan in a unique setting. While the music contains references to the traditional calypso style, so typical of music for steel drums, River of Life attempts to exploit more of the expressive qualities of the pan and its ability to blend with other percussion instruments to create interesting timbres. The piece represents the idea of life as a journey, flowing like a river, and complete with all the changing moods and experiences that one encounters along the way. —Tom Morgan
4BY4 by John Psathas Promethean Editions / Advanced / 4 Players 4BY4 is a strictly written piece but with the sense of multiple improvisational trap drummers. Its compelling rhythms drive through constant ostinatos in each player’s bass drum. The piece begins with a pulse of four beats per measure in the bass drums but later switches to a pulse of three beats and then intermixes both feels between the ensemble as well as the individual players. There are three major sections: the first is the introduction of the thematic materials that is present throughout the rest of the piece, the development section arrives after a hi-hat impact, and the recapitulation of the introduction arrives after unison triplets to energize the final push. —Angel Briseno
Gravity by Marc Mellits Dacia Music / Intermediate / Versions for 4 and 5 players Gravity is scored for mallet quartet: two vibraphones and two marimbas. There is an alternate version for mallet quintet which includes an additional bass marimba part added to the existing quartet (this is the version you will hear today). The work features varied sections that explore driving minimalist ideas inherent in much of Mellits’ music. Throughout the work, Mellits uses the wood and metal to create various timbres and to blend the colors to form a single instrument. Mellits explains that “the main objective is to get a rich blend and matched sound between the ensemble.” Gravity was commissioned by a consortium of ensembles including Clocks in Motion, Colorado State University, Furman University, NEXUS, Percussions Claviers de Lyon, Temple University, Robert Bridge & Friends, Talujon, Tennessee Tech University, Texas Tech University, Third Coast Percussion, University of Central Florida, University of Michigan, University of North Florida, and University of South Alabama. —Thad Anderson
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SPECIAL THANKS We would like to extend a special thank you to the administrators within the UCF School of Performing Arts (specifically Dr. Steve Chicurel, Ms. Barbara Kelly-Hursey, and Professor Jeff Moore) for their relentless support and assistance in the months leading up to this trip. It is reassuring to know that our administration understands the importance of this session and attending the Percussive Arts Society’s International Convention. Thank you to Anthony Grande, Griffin Harvey, and other leaders of the UCF Collegiate Percussive Arts Society, our campus registered student percussion organization. The students involved in CPAS worked tirelessly to make this trip a possibility. Thank you to the UCF Student Government Association for recognizing the significance of this opportunity for the percussion majors and for their financial support. We have many talented artists on the UCF campus. One such talent is graphic designer Matthew Dunn who works within the College of Arts & Humanities. Thanks to Matthew for designing this terrific program. Also, a big thank you to Austin Warren for serving as our studio photographer. He has an incredible eye and talent. We received over 115 submissions for consideration to present at today’s session. Thank you to all of the composers and publishers who gave us an opportunity to get to know their music. Trimming this program down to a 60-minute session was an incredible challenge. Without Troy Wollwage and his team at Yamaha Percussion, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to play such high quality instruments. As always, thank you for the continued support. Lastly, thank you for attending today’s concert. Your interest shows that you support the creation of new music for percussion ensemble. We are all eager to continue watching this genre grow for the foreseeable future.
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UCF PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA The University of Central Florida is a public multi-campus, metropolitan research university that stands for opportunity. The university anchors the Central Florida city-state in meeting its economic, cultural, intellectual, environmental, and societal needs by providing high-quality, broad-based education and experienced-based learning; pioneering scholarship and impactful research; enriched student development and leadership growth; and highly relevant continuing education and public service initiatives that address pressing local, state, national, and international issues in support of the global community. UCF is one of the most dynamic universities in the country. The 1,415-acre main campus provides modern facilities, most of which have wireless connectivity, with 600 acres set aside for lakes, woods and an arboretum. UCF has 12 colleges, including the newly established College of Medicine. More than 60,000 students attend classes on UCF’s main campus and its 9 regional campuses located throughout Central Florida. UCF has granted more than 250,000 degrees in its 45 years of offering classes. The incoming freshman class for the academic year 2012-13 of 3,638 students continues UCF’s rise in academics with an average SAT score of 1244 and a high school grade-point average of 3.9. The Burnett Honors College incoming class has an average SAT score of 1390 and a 4.3 grade-point average. We know that’s a lot of numbers—and we’re happy to share them. What is most important about UCF, however, is our pioneering spirit, our commitment to making life better in the classroom and the community and our student-centered approach to everything we do.
UCF SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS — DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC UCF’s School of Performing Arts offers a dynamic music program with over 340 music majors and 26 full-time faculty at the second-largest university in the nation. Faculty members and students present more than 150 concerts annually on the UCF campus and in the Central Florida area. The Performing Arts Center’s sophisticated, modern design features special acoustical treatments in each teaching and rehearsal space, advanced smart classrooms, and keyboard and computer labs with the latest technology. Phase II of the Performing Arts Center will include new instrumental and choral rehearsal spaces, a recital hall, and large concert hall. The Department of Music recognizes that music is basic to the human condition; that music promotes inclusiveness, diversity and understanding in a global society; that music enhances creativity, the source of all human progress; and that music elevates the human spirit. The primary mission of the Department of Music is to promote the musical arts by providing our students with the best education possible and by providing meaningful and diverse experiences in performance, education, composition, scholarly research, and service to the university, Orlando metropolitan area, state, and beyond.
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MUSIC.UCF.EDU/PERCUSSION