Compositions
Introduction:
Six of my compositions have been recorded by Nexus: Remembrance, Lullaby for Esmé*, and four arrangements of Toru Takemitsu songs for mixed chorus: Sakura, Will Tomorrow I Wonder, Be Cloudy or Clear?, A Song of Circles and Triangles and All That the Man Left Behind When He Died.
Dance Movements for Harp and Marimba (2000) was written for the Toronto duo ArpaTambora – Sanya Eng and Ryan Scott – who commissioned the work. ArpaTambora has recorded Dance Movements and the CD is available at their web site. ArpaTambora premiered Dance Movements at the American Harp Society International Harp Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dance Movements was written with funds provided by the Laidlaw Foundation of Toronto, Ontario.
A marimba solo, She Dances was completed in 2003. Songs for Soldiers, an arrangement for brass quintet and military field percussion instruments contains four historic songs associated with military history: Handel’s See the Conqu’ring Hero Comes, van Hagen’s Funeral Dirge on the Death of General Washington, the anonymous Celtic folk song Pretty Girl Milking the Cow and Daniel Emmett’s Dixie’s Land. The Canadian Brass and Nexus premiered Songs for Soldiers in the Glenn Gould Theatre. Songs for Soldiers was featured on the C.B.C. Television show Opening Night broadcast in February 2003.
N.B. The compositions listed above are available from the composer.
All music, scores and parts, are printed on sturdy paper, scores bound with wire spine, card stock front and back with clear plastic covers. Score and parts are shipped in music folders.
* Not available for purchase.
A rudimental snare drum solo titled Clean it up… Please! was composed for A Nexus Portfolio of Drum Solos and is available from the publisher, HoneyRock Publishing Co. Clean it up… Please! is in the “Ancient” or open rudimental style.
Left to live on…(1999), a twenty five minute work for percussion and large choir, was commissioned by the Amadeus Choir of Toronto, and written in collaboration with its director Lydia Adams. Left to Live on… was premiered by Nexus and the Amadeus Choir in the George Weston Recital Hall in North York, Toronto. The subject of Left to live on… is the internment of Japanese – Canadians during the 2nd World War and the texts are from Japanese journals, Haiku, and the requiem mass.
Military Drumming:
During the early 1970′s, I became interested in the large rope tensioned field drums in use by armies and navies from the 16th through the 19th centuries. I began collecting historic fife tunes and fife and drum tutors associated with armies of that period. I also began to read and collect books on the history of military camp duties, campaigns and tactics so as to better understand the development of the drum and the lives of drummers prior to the 20th century.
I have arranged dozens of historic tunes for various instrumental combinations and am preparing a book tracing in rhythm, melody and song the history of Field drumming from Renaissance England to the end of the Civil War in the United States.
I was the artistic director of a critically acclaimed concert for the November 2002 Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Columbus, Ohio called The Drummer’s Heritage Concert. The concert was a survey of drumming styles and music from the War for Independence in the U.S. to the present and featured field drum artists from Scotland, Switzerland, Canada and the United States, along with university, college and elementary school marching units. Funds from the concert DVD sales are being used to underwrite annual Drummer’s Heritage Events, presentations of music and scholarship relevant to the drumming heritage common to percussionists.
COMPOSITIONS:
All music, scores and parts, are printed on sturdy paper, scores bound with wire spine, card stock front and back with clear plastic covers. Score and parts are shipped in music folders.
REMEMBERANCE 9’15
or Percussion quintet and optional Brass trio – Trumpet, dbl. piccolo Trumpet- Tenor trombone – Bass trombone or Tuba.
Interlocking rhythms on metal bells-open & muffled- metal & wooden blocks, accompany Darabuks, Lion’s Roar cadenza and New Orleans blues. A raucous finale with field drum, Taxi horn and piccolo trumpet obligato over “Battle Hymn of the Republic”.
PERCUSSION. I: Taxi horn – small Ch’ang Chiki – 2 piccolo wd. blks, 1 large wd. blk.
PERCUSSION II: medium Ch’ang chiki – 2 bells – Waterphone, bowed.
PERCUSSION III: large Ch’ang chiki – 2 bells
PERCUSSION IV: 2 Almglocken – Lion’s roar – Military drum – Metal sound sculpture (Cideo Ihos).
PERCUSSION V: Large Darabuka.
Price: $50.00, plus postage for Score and Parts.
SHE DANCES 5’00
Marimba solo – 4 mallets.
A quiet choale introduces a sprightly syncopated main theme. This is followed by a Tango inspired central section which sets up the return of the main material. Though the musical intention is always clear, many expressive decisions are left to the performer, when and how to roll, tempi, rubato and dynamics.
Price: $25.00, plus postage,for Score and Parts,.
(Parts on sturdy paper, score bound with wire spine. Score and parts in labeled folder.)
DANCE MOVEMENTS 10’30” (2000)
Harp and Marimba
Commissioned by ArpaTambora, Sanya Eng,, harpist & Ryan Scott,, percussionist, who premiered the work at the 2000 American Harp Society International Harp Competition in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Harp, (edited by Sanya Eng) – 5 octave Marimba, Tam-tam and two bowed crotales (B & F#).
CD recording “Sacred and Profane” available from ArpaTambora:. www.arpatambora.com3]
Price: $50.00, plus postage for Score and Parts.
SONGS for SOLDIERS 9’00
brass and percussion quintet
Four historic songs associated with soldiers: See the Conquering Hero Comes, Funeral Dirge on the Death of General Washington, Pretty Girl Milking a Cow & Dixie Land.
There is a demanding high trumpet obligato in the Funeral Dirge on the Death of General Washington , as well as an extended Horn solo in Pretty Girl Milking a Cow, but otherwise the brass writing is playable and effective.
Percussion is scored for rope tensioned field drums, Tenor drum, Based drum and cymbals.
Price: $65.00, plus postage for Score and Parts.
FOUR SONGS by TORU TAKEMITSU
for mixed chorus arranged for Percussion Quintet
1. ALL THAT THE MAN LEFT BEHIND WHEN HE DIED 4’50
Two marimbas -,Bass drum w/cymbals attached, Glockenspiel – snare drum
2. A SONG of O’s (Circles) and ^’s (Triangles) 3’36
Two marimbas and Vibraphone
3. SAKURA (Cherry Blossoms) 4’00
Two Marimbas – Glockenspiel, Triangle. Finger cymbal pitched ‘E’ – Crotales, two octaves
4. I WONDER, WILL TOMORROW BE CLOUDY, OR CLEAR? 3’25
Two Marimbas, Vibraphone, Glockenspiel and Snare drum w/brushes & small ‘splash’ cymbal.
Price:US $38.00 per arrangement, plus postage for Score and Parts.
OTHER COMPOSITIONS
FIFE and DRUM ARRANGEMENTS
I have arranged dozens of historic tunes for Fifes and Drums and keyboard percussion and drums. For concert performances these arrangements can be organized in various combinations and programatic themes. If fifes are not available, xylophones, marimbas, glockenspiels and chimes will create brilliant sounds to accompany field drums.
If you contact me regarding your concert plans, I will be happy to suggest titles and number of tunes to suit your needs. Prices vary as to length and number of parts, but they are quite reasonable. Specific costs can be determined when needs are defined.
FANFARE for PERCUSSION
Percussion sextet. This is an early work written in college and recorded on Golden Crest by Warren Benson and the Ithaca College Percussion Ensemble. FANFARE is a short work utilizing field drum, timpani, xylophone, triangle, cymbal and bass drums. Alternating loud rhythmic passages with quiet ostinati, FANFARE is a dramatic work suitable as a concert overture, closer or encore.
AN ADVANCED RUDIMENTAL DRUM SOLO
Clean it up Please!
This solo is included in Portfolio for Snare Drum, four works by members of Nexus. published by Honey Rock Publishers.
US $19.95 plus postage and handling.
TWO ELEMENTARY RUDIMENTAL DRUM SOLOS
Written in high school, these solos are two pages
Rudimental Singles
Westminster 6/8
US $6.00 each plus postage and handling.
DANCE du DIABLE
(from Soldier’s Tale, Igor Strawinsky, arr. R.E.)
Percussion Quintet. This too was written while I was in college. One of my prized possessions from that time is a letter signed by Stravinsky giving me permission to write the arrangement, It is scored for Bass drum and wooden box, small cymbal and anvil, 3 players, each with 4 tom-toms, all graduated from high to low.
Score and parts US $28.00.
SPEAK SOFTLY
Fifes and Drums
Speak Softly has two fife parts and the field drum part is written in an open style and employs the Poing Stroke as described in Hazeltine(1810) and Robinson(1820). A rudimental Bass drum part is included.
Four scores, US $20.00.
SOLEMN MARCH
Fifes and Drums
Two fife parts, field snare and Bass drum.
Four scores, US $20.00.
Request Info
All inquiries about compositions should be sent to:
fifa coins
February 26, 2016 at 8:14 am
You always know the right thing to say.