Program Notes
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Drumming No.5 for Six Percussionists
by Yiu-kwong Chung
This
15-minute piece for six percussionists was commissioned
by the Ju Percussion Foundation in 2000. Employing
a unique I-Ching Compositional System (ICCS), the composer
brings out the Yang element (the animal drum-head sound
and instruments with indefinite pitch) and Yin element
(the plastic drum-head sound and instruments with definite
pitch) at the outset of the piece.
The
composition consists of 64 sections, illustrating the
complete interaction stages of Yin and Yang elements
as represented by the structures of the 64 hexagrams.
Two new elements, the human voice and the wooden sound,
as the by-products during the course of Yin-Yang interaction,
are introduced in the middle part of the piece.
The
six players also represent the six hexagram lines.
The changes of their rhythmic structures and instruments
are governed by the changes of the hexagram structures
during the Yin-Yang interaction. The rhythmic ideas
are primarily taken from Ghana drumming and Chinese
village festive drumming patterns.
Yiu-kwong Chung’s music, which has won large and enthusiastic
audiences all over the world, is distinguished by its
profound Chinese philosophical background and expressive
range. Chung, currently a professor of the National
Taiwan University of the Arts in Taipei, teaches composition
and percussion.
Moving Moonlight
Atayal Tribe folk song
Arr. by Chien-Hui Hung
This piece originated from the Atayal Tribe folk song
‘watching the moon’ in Taiwanese aborigines’ songbooks.
Because the beauty of rhythm, the composer specially
arranged this piece and tended to have it performed
with four Marimbas representing soft and wonderful sound,
aiming to enrich this piece with exquisiteness and touchiness.
The
Romping Golden Pheasants (Gong-Drum Music from
Tu Jia Tribe)
Arr.
by Tian LongXin / Li Zhengui
This piece is divided into five sections: "The
Spring in the Mountain," "Joyful Way Home,"
"Playing along the Stream," "Encounter
with Adversary," and "The Triumph."
The Composer vividly depicts Golden Pheasants playing
around on their way home from the mountain. The arrangers
use the touba cymbal, erba cymbal, and other Chinese
percussion instruments to present the complicated rhythm
and diverse timbres.
Persona
Toshimitu Tanaka
Written
in1984 by one of Japan's great composers, this piece
for marimba solo and Japanese Ohtaiko, Persona,
was composed in the style of the Gosin Gyotaiko a musical
tradition from Nigata County in the Noto Peninsula,
in which a number of performer play the taiko
simultaneously.
This
work creates a dramatic effect through the competition
of one group of roto tom-toms (marimba plays a leading
role) tuned to 12 different pitches with another group
of masked taiko drummers playing and shouting
spontaneously.
Composing Persona marked the culmination of
six years of field research on Japanese folklore by
Mr. Toshimitu Tanaka.
José-beFORe JOHN 5
Aurél Holló
The basic idea of José came from the composer’s listening to
the recording Oriental Bass by the contrabass-player
Renaud Garcia-Fons. The composer was inspired to present
Garcia-Fons’ Spanish style with Arabic and Gipsy effects
in an original percussion composition instead of an
adaptation.
Besides Garcia-Fons’s recording, the composer also used a theme by
Paco de Lucia. Marimba has the lead through in this
short but stylish piece: two players standing face to
face play virtuosic complementary motives. Most of these
figures are based on the traditional xylophone music
of Africa, yet the scale is typically flamenco. These
motives are enriched by the other two players who make
many interesting and exciting sounds with the Spanish
cajon or the favourite instrument of Gipsy folk music,
the simple sheet-iron can to name a few.
This piece is dedicated to the composer’s
friend, Josep Vicente, artistic leader of the Amsterdam
Percussion Group.
Dancing Rhythm
Hong-Chi Ho
Any object can be a form of percussion instrument as
long as sounds are created through beating and hitting.
For example, “Human body” is actually an excellent percussion
instrument. We can use mouths, hands, feet and other
parts of bodies to create various sounds easily. Music
shows emotions of the sounds, while dancing speaks for
the body expressions. In this piece, the performers
use striking, clapping, stepping, and padding to create
wonderful rhythms and tempos, showing how music flows
from human bodies.
Shiny Day Mashiko
Saeki
“In a fine and comfortable afternoon , everyone brings along
all kinds of musical instruments and prepares for a
lively celebration . At this time, only Mr. Sun is looking
in the sky, smiling. It is a peaceful afternoon like
that .”
The percussion musician Mashiko Saeki , who studied
percussion in Japan National Music University , has
written down an explanation about this song . The composer
tries to express warm atmosphere . Using the deep voice
of African drum as the foundation , the composer adds
with folk music instruments and modern percussion instruments
, such as talking drums , steel drums , balafon ( African
Marimba ) . Flourishing with brisk atmosphere , the
music also applied with the most instant methods of
percussion such as hands , feet , and flutes.
