UVM Percussion Ensemble - Fall 2023
Sequence – Sowah Mensah audio of performance with
Sowah Mensah (2007)
video
of performance with Sowah Mensah (2008)
video
of a Boboobo dance in Ghana, 2001
video of a
Gota dance by the African Ensemble of Ohio University
(led by the person I went to Ghana with in 2001)
Ghanaian Master Drummer
and composer Sowah Mensah
was a UVM James Marsh Visiting Professor from 2006-2011. While
at UVM Sowah appeared as a guest lecturer in classes in music,
dance, sociology, anthropology, and religion, as well as performing
his own compositions with the UVM Percussion Ensemble, Orchestra,
and Concert Band. Sequence is a four-part
piece Sowah created as a vehicle to introduce students to the
techniques and aesthetics of Ghanaian drumming. The first
part, "Follow the Leader," emphasizes the sound of the drums as well
as the hand-to-hand patterning. The second part (Part B) is
taken from Boboobo, a social dance of the Anlo-Ewe people of
southeastern Ghana. The third part, "Call and Response,"
features a steady accompaniment in the lead drum and interaction
between a soloist and the rest of the ensemble. The final
section (Part D) is taken from Gota, another social dance of the Ewe
people.
Part B - Boboobo
High
Drum (video)
Low
Drums - Part 1 (video)
Low
Drums - Part 2 (video)
Low
Drums - Parts 1 + 2 (video)
Lead
drum + rattle (audio)
Lead
drum + bell (audio)
Lead drum, bell, +
rattle (audio)
Lead drum + stick drum (audio)
Lead drum, bell, rattle. + stick
drum (audio)
High
+ low drums (audio)
Full performance + low drum (audio)
Full performance (audio)
[low drums do low part, then high drums do low
part]
Part D - Gota
Ensemble
Drums (video)
Alternate
Part (video)
Lead
drum, bell, + rattle (audio)
Lead drum +
stick drum (audio)
Lead
drum, bell, rattle, + stick drum (audio)
Lead drum +
ensemble drum part (audio)
Lead
drum, bell, rattle, stick, + ensemble drums (audio)
Full performance
(audio) [low drum doubles Lead drum]
Bossa Nova Brasil - Fink 2023
Brazilian YouTube video
Girl from
Ipanema (most famous bossa nova)
Bossa Nova Brasil, was arranged by Siegfried Fink, Professor
of Percussion and Timpani at the Hochschule für Musik in
Würzburg, Germany. The
bossa nova is a Brazilian musical genre that blends elements of
the Brazilian samba and American jazz. It was popular in the USA
in the 1960s (think "Girl from Ipanema"), and many bossa novas
have become staples of jazz repertory. In general, the style is
subdued (especially compared to samba) and uses extended harmonies
(7ths, 9ths, etc) from jazz.
Bongo part: on djembe
built up, on djembe
Maracas: on
djembe on
maracas
Surdo:
on djembe
Zoku
– Leonard Eto YouTube video
recent Facebook video
Zoku is a Japanese
taiko piece. The
tradition of taiko drumming is taken from a blending of the
percussion traditions of the ancient Imperial court music known as
Gagaku (the oldest continuing orchestral music in the world), and
the folk music of the Shinto festival, or matsuri. The most famous taiko
group is Kodo (meaning heartbeat) which was formed in 1981 on Sado
Island in the Sea of Japan. The
version of Zoku that we will perform is inspired by their
performance of the piece.
Videos: Intro
Letter A
Letter
B Letter D: Part
1 Part 2
Both
parts
Audio of drum
part
Quartet
for Percussion – John Cage FaceBook
video (Singapore)
YouTube
video (Maryland)
Quartet for Percussion (1935) is one
of John Cage's first percussion pieces. The four parts have
different note values with stems up and stems down notation but no
specific instruments indicated. This allows for a vast
number of variables in performance - each note value can use a
different instrument, stems up (right hand) can be struck with one
stick/mallet while stems down (left hand) struck with another - or
a variety of sticks/mallets can be used.