Composition for Eight Instruments

Lost Time for Percussion Ensemble

For my second composition for 'three or more' instruments, I decided to write for eight instruments. This piece went through considerable development before reaching its finished state.

Initially I wanted to design an abstract work, with sparse texture that really showed off the timbre of each percussion instrument. I worked with this concept for some time, but found that by striving for an abstract sound, and trying to work with all eight instruments simultaneously, I was losing all signs of consistency and coherence in the piece. After much consideration I decided to scrap the original idea and try a new direction.

This time I wanted a solo instrument  to take the lead in the main thematic material, then at suitable places I could explore instrumental timbre in a more controlled way. My solo instrument was initially a marching bass drum, but not entirely happy with the sound, eventually substituted it with the side drum, moving the marching bass drum to a subsidiary role.

I was also clear in my mind that I wanted this piece to be an opportunity to experiment with variable metre, and quickly decided on a 3/8 up to 6/8 (and back again) progression. Having never worked with or played variable metre before, this presented its own challenges, whereby I wanted a piece where you could clearly hear the variable metre at work, but also that there was a clear and discernible rhythm. My metre progression is in place all the way through the piece, except for a couple of areas where I wanted something different to shake things up.

At bar eight I decided to time was right to play with texture and timbre. I was inspired in particular by Beethoven's Symphony No.1, and Berlioz' Symphony Fantastique, where different instruments play each note of a melodic line, or a thematic fragment is passed in quick succession between different instruments. Between bars eight and nine I have a 'falling waterfall' effect, where for a brief moment each instrument is heard alone. I do have the tambourine continuing underneath in a simplified version, as I felt this kept the forward momentum going, and the sound wasn't as bare. For this section I temporarily put the variable metre on hold, and both bars are in 3/8 time, followed by a bar in 2/8. Variable metre then returns with the main theme.

All of the material up to bar 18 is then repeated, to firmly establish the main theme. I then introduce a solo passage for the side drum, a written out cadenza in 4/4 time lasting for four bars, eight including the repeat. Here I wanted to further reinforce the side drum as the primary instrument to the listener, and also have a break from the busy texture up til this point. Once the cadenza is finished, the main material returns, but as an ending instead of creating new material, I gradually drop the number of instruments playing, until the side drum has the final say, backed up with the marching bass drum. The overall dynamics in the piece have no gradation as I felt that once I had balanced the volume of the instruments at the beginning of the work, I wanted to keep the forward momentum going throughout, and that introducing gradation of tone in this particular work would disrupt this flow.

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Composing for Three or More Percussion Instruments

Dance for Percussion Trio

For my first composition for more than two instruments, I decided to write for three as this would allow me to experiment with a slightly different approach to my previous works for percussion duet without being too complex at this stage. In this piece I wanted a clear leader throughout, with the other two instruments performing a supporting role.

I chose a time signature of 6/8, and fairly quickly I established that I wanted the clear and bright tone of the woodblock as my main instrument. I then created my principle idea based on a semiquaver triplet. This motif is reiterated throughout the piece, with variations to keep interest, and bars 10-13 provide a development of the idea.

The maraca part was a process of development, initially being comprised of continuous semiquavers, as I wanted a constant 'backdrop' to the woodblock theme. Next, I decided to give the maraca part some more shape by placing accents at each quarter of the bar. I felt this was much better, but thought I could do more with the instrument. I wanted to create more interest with the maracas without inadvertently turning it into the main instrument! I carefully placed some semiquaver rests in every other bar to briefly break up the continuous flow, and also alternated the dynamics between forte and piano. I was very pleased with the end result for this instrument, and feel I have the right balance between making it interesting but ensuring it stays within a supporting role.

For my final instrument I initially wanted a fairly deep drum of some kind, to perforate the texture at suitable moments. I tried several different instruments including the tenor and bass drums but couldn't quite find exactly what I wanted. Eventually I tried the bongos, which has two different (unspecified) pitches. I was very pleased with how the sound worked with the other instruments, and decided to take a different direction than initially conceived. I created an ostinato type pattern which alternated between the two pitches of the bongos, and which would stay constant throughout. Again, I needed to be careful with my writing here so that the bongo's didn't become the dominant instrument. I used a 'trill' and an acciaccatura in opportune places for the instrument to generate interest.

In terms of the overall structure of the piece, I didn't want to create too lengthy a work this time, instead I wanted to work around a small idea. It is a fairly standard 16-bar setup, with an additional 17th bar in the middle with a change of time signature to 5/4. The longer note values and pause sign here slow the forward motion, and provide anticipation for the development section in the following four bars.

Working with multiple instruments provides a new set of challenges, and also a new set of freedoms. I found in this piece I had to plan and write carefully, making sure I didn't over-complicate all instruments involved and that there was a firmly established hierarchy, without individual parts being too bland. I think I succeeded in my aims, and I'm happy with the final result.

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