Percussion Ensemble Concert - Essay Example

While the same group of musicians performed all the specific percussion tracks, there was considerable variety within these performances. The first performance was of Christopher Rouse’s Ku-Ka-Ilimoku. Even as there was a large amount of musicians, the majority of the musicians in this piece or participated in minimal ways. Instead the main focus was on a group of 7-8 musicians. These musicians implemented snares, timpani drums, and a variety of wood percussion instruments. The sound was clearly influenced by Polynesian tribal songs.

In this way the rhythm advanced through an upbeat pace, as if the ensemble was performing tribal rituals for a war hunt. The pulsating and upbeat rhythm remained consistent throughout the song. In large part the melody and thematic undercurrents were established through juxtapositions between the specific percussion players. For instance, numerous times the snare and timpani would stop playing and the only thing that would be heard were the log drums and mallets. Still, in these instances the song’s high tempo was maintained. . While the previous song had a robust and rough around the edges feel, this song was considerably more fragile.

Indeed, I considered that the disparity of these songs was so great that outside of a concert hall they would never be performed in the same setting. Even though this song was fragile and minimal, the use of the xylophone allowed the percussion ensemble to produce more intricate and enjoyable melodies. David Skidmore’s Ritual Music followed this song. This percussion track primarily implemented the xylophone and timpani drums. One of the most notable aspects of this track was the minimalist beginning.

In these regards, the only thing the audience could hear was the clinging of the xylophone. After a few beats the rest of the ensemble joined in the track. To a large part this track was the most experimental track that was performed throughout the night. The rhythm greatly varied from low tempo to upbeat and frantic. There additionally was not a regular melody to follow, as the musicians instead focused on texturing the soundscape through innovative percussive techniques. Edgar Varese’s Ionisation and Christopher Deane’s Parallel Isometry followed this tracks.

Ionisation used the most traditional percussion arrangement, including snare drums, mallets, cymbals, timpani, and wood block. The song started off with a dampened sound, as if people were wandering around in the dark. In large part this was interesting for the contrast of instrumentation in creating the unique rhythmic progressions. This muffle sound ultimately gave way to a cacophony of noise. The final track was Parallel Isometry. While Ionisation used a rough and chaotic sound, this track began with a