1

Tennessee Tech University

Percussion EnsembleDr. Eric J. Willie, Director

In A Special Performance for the Percussive Arts Society International Conference

Thursday, November 1, 2012 at 4:00 p.m.The Austin Convention Center

Austin, Texas

The

New Literature for Percussion Ensemble

2

THE TENNESSEE TECH PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE

Jacob Alegria – Gallatin, TennesseeMaison Barnett – Elizabethton, TennesseeMatthew Bimstein – Nashville, TennesseeMontel Chan – Johnson City, TennesseeAustin Crowder – Livingston, TennesseeCourtney Dodd – Tullahoma, TennesseeNicholas Eberhart – Crossville, TennesseeLucas Garner – Chattanooga, TennesseeAllison Graham – Franklin, TennesseeDakota Guidry – Tullahoma, TennesseeDalton Hawkins – White House, TennesseeDeJuan Hogans – Chattanooga, Tennessee

Andrew Littleton – Knoxville, TennesseeAdam McInnes – Dickson, TennesseeColton Morris – Tullahoma, TennesseeAshton Namynanik – White House, TennesseeKevin O’Conner – Cookeville, TennesseeChristopher Parker – Kingsport, TennesseeTerrance Ralph – Clarksville, TennesseeChristopher Roberson – Nashville, TennesseeJordan Robinson – Cookeville, TennesseeJacob Rollins – Cleveland, TennesseeEric Roundy – Sevierville, TennesseeKonstantine Vlasis – Chattanooga, Tennessee

THE TENNESSEE TECH PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE, directed by Dr. Eric Willie, plays a significant role in the per-cussion curriculum at TTU. Comprised of an all-undergraduate membership, the ensemble performs an average of four concerts annually, in addition to monthly campus presentations with the TTU Percussion Club. The ensemble has performed with such noted artists as Bob Becker, Josh Jennings, Kris Keeton, Brian Mason, and Dan Moore. They have commissioned and/or premiered works by Paul Lansky, Christopher Deane, Blake Tyson, Christopher Adler, John Psathas, D.J. Sparr, and Leroy Osmon. Members of the TTU Percussion Ensemble have studied at the Leigh Howard Stevens’ Marimba Seminar, the So Percussion Summer Institute, and the Nief-Norf Summer Festival. Several members have marched as members of Carolina Crown, Music City, Phantom Regiment, Southwind, and Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps. On campus, a percussion student has been awarded the coveted TTU Department of Music’s “Outstanding Music Major” for three consecutive years. The ensemble’s performance at PASIC 2012 marks their first appearance at the convention. To find out more about the TTU Percussion Ensemble or the TTU Percussion Club, visit these respective web sites http://orgs.tntech.edu/percussionstudio, and www.tntechpercussionclub.com.

3

DR. ERIC J. WILLIE is Associate Professor of Percussion at Tennessee Tech Univer-sity in Cookeville where he teaches applied percussion, directs the Classical and Pop Percussion Ensembles, and arranges for the Golden Eagle Drum Line. Eric is also the President of the Tennessee Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society and is a member of the PAS Education Committee.

Dr. Willie performs regularly with the Nief-Norf New Music Ensemble and the Eclectic Chamber Players. He has performed six times at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, and has also performed at the 2009 Eastern Trombone Workshop, the 2005 Florida Electroacoustic Music Festival, the 2003 World Saxo-phone Congress, and the 2001 Bands of America National Percussion Festival. He has also performed with the Nashville Symphony, the Nashville Ballet, the Nashville Philharmonic, the Murfreesboro Symphony, the Lexington Philharmonic, the Beloit/Janesville Symphony and serves as the principal percussionist with the Bryan Sym-phony Orchestra. Dr. Willie has also appeared several times on Public Radio’s Live in Studio C.

An advocate for new percussion works, he has commissioned and/or premiered pieces by Christopher Adler, Greg Danner, Christopher Deane, Paul Lansky, Blake Tyson, and James Wood. He has also been featured on the title track of the Brass Arts Quintet album entitled, Serengeti, and has also recorded with the Bain Percus-sion Group, the TTU Legacy Tuba Ensemble, and for Arranger’s Publishing Company in Nashville. A new CD of works for trombone and percussion entitled, ej, recorded with Dr. Josh Hauser was released in late 2011.

Dr. Willie has worked as an instructor and/or arranger for the Spirit of JSU, South-wind, Carolina Crown, the Madison Scouts, and the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps. His arrangements have been performed by drum lines at the University of North Texas, the University of Kentucky, Murray State, and Tennessee Tech. He has also been on staff with the University of North Texas “A” Line, Music City Mystique, and has served as an arranger for the University of Kentucky indoor drum line. He has also been on the faculty for the Bands of America World Percussion Symposium.

In 2007, Dr. Willie presented a session at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. He has appeared at several state music educator’s conferences through-out the midwestern and southeastern United States. His educational articles have appeared in the Instrumentalist and Percussive Notes. He has also contributed to edu-cational resources for Innovative Percussion, Sabian Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, and Black Swamp Percussion. From 2008 until 2011, Dr. Willie served as the New Music/Literature Reviewer for the Percussive Notes journal.

Eric holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas, the Master of Music degree from the University of Kentucky, and the Bachelor of Science in Music Education degree from Austin Peay State University.

Eric and his wife Rebecca (a violinist with the Nashville Symphony) live in Baxter, Tennessee with their son Aiden, Lucy the dog, and Peaches and Moukie the cats.

4

Din (2010) ............................................................................................................................................ Andy Harnsberger (b. 1967)Published by Paragon Percussion / Medium-Advanced / Requires 3 kick bass drums, 3 separate bongos, and multi-limb coordination from the performers. DIN is in A-B-A form and incorporates many compositional styles and musical influences to propel it for-ward. From rudimental marching “grooves” to odd time signatures and polyrhythms. World music is alluded to via temple blocks and opera gongs in the B section.

Moonrise (2012) ............................................................................................................................................Blake Tyson (b. 1969)Published by Blake Tyson / Intermediate / Requires two 5.0 octave marimbas. Moonrise was commissioned by the Tennessee Tech Percussion Studio and premiered in the Spring of 2012. The work is structured in two movements: (1) The Moon Holds My Heart, and (2) The First I Saw the Moon. The composer writes, “Not long after my grandparents were married, they had their picture made at the county fair as they sat next to each other on a crescent moon. Pictures like these were common at the time and thousands of these ‘paper moon’ photos can still be found in old family albums. The last time I saw my grandmother, she was too weak to get out of bed, but was still in good spirits. We spent those days looking at a lot of old pictures while she told me stories about my family. When we had finished looking at the pictures, my grandfather sat down beside the bed, took my grandmother’s hand, and they talked about how they had known each other since they were barely teenagers. Time and illness had clouded many memories, but I could tell that the love they had for each other over seventy years ago was still there, and its power was overwhelming. I could see it in their eyes and hear it in their voices. And, for just a moment, as they looked at each other, I saw their faces exactly as they must have looked the day they sat together on the paper moon.”

Legacies (2012) ..................................................................................................................................Nathan Daughtrey (b. 1975)Published by C. Alan Publications / Intermediate / Requires one 5.0 octave marimba. Legacies was commissioned by the North Carolina Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society to honor re-nowned composer, percussionist, and educator Lynn Glassock, who recently retired from his position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Night Hunter (2012) ............................................................................................................................ James Campbell (b. 1953)• World-Premiere Performance •

Published by Row-Loff Percussion / Intermediate / Requires one 4.5 octave marimba as well as cajon and djembe. The title Night Hunter refers to vampires, the mythological creatures who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures. Vampire folklore originates almost exclusively from early 18th-century southeastern Europe. In modern fiction (and in this work), the vampire tends to be depicted as a suave, charismatic villain. Alone in his castle, he appears only at night to hunt his prey. In the end, the hunter becomes the hunted and is eventually destroyed.

Parts & Sums (2005/rev. 2012) .........................................................................................................N. Cameron Britt (b. 1974)Published by N Ron Music / Intermediate / Requires maraca foot pedal and performers have dual responsibility of simultaneously playing pitched & non-pitched percussion. Parts and Sums explores the idea that music is greater than – or at least different from – the sum of its parts. It began as an experiment with canons at the unison, but I quickly discovered that the combination of contra-puntal voices (the sum) caused melodies to emerge that were not present in any individual voice (the parts). The piece follows these emergent melodies, allowing them to dictate how closely the canons are followed (not always very closely, as it turns out!). Parts and Sums was written in 2005, but revised this year for Eric Willie and the Tennessee Tech Percussion Ensemble.

PROGRAM

5

Migraine Sketches (2011) .......................................................................................................................... Kevin Bobo (b. 1974)Published by PercMaster Publications / Advanced / Marimbists required to perform on prepared marimba with paper and to perform pitch-bending with rubber mallets. Simultaneous performance in different tempi required. One 5.0 octave marimba is required. Bobo states: “I used to get the occasional migraine when I was younger and often wondered what could possibly be the cause of such intense pain. Migraine Sketches seeks to travel deep into the mind of one who suffers from these severe headaches. While on the journey, the listener will pass through various clusters of thoughts and memories in an effort to seek out the source of pain, only to find that it is sometimes the simplest things that can be the cause of such unusually painful events.”

Patterns (2012) ............................................................................................................................................... Paul Lansky (b. 1944)Published by Carl Fischer / Advanced / Requires two 5.0 octave marimbas. Lansky states: “Patterns was commissioned by the Tennessee Tech Percussion Studio directed by Eric Willie in 2011. The piece is about 11 minutes long and scored for two marimbas, two vibraphones, and a few metal and wood toys. The piece attempts to create interlocking patterns whose textures are articulated by the large variety of sustaining and staccato capabilities of these instruments, and emerge as one large mallet instrument. One of the challenges in composing the piece was to create transparent and clear textures despite the presence of 16 mallets. Other than that there is no subtext. It’s just intended to be 11 minutes of fun.”

Trap Door from “Beyond Basic Percussion” (2011) ..................................................................... Ralph Hicks and Eric RathPublished by Tapspace / Beginner / Perhaps the most useful, didactic collection of percussion ensembles in our repertoire. Beyond Basic Percussion was developed with one concept in mind: to help young percussionists become musically independent so the teacher can spend more time making music and less time worrying about logis-tics. This progressive collection includes ten beginning-level percussion ensemble pieces that address the most common obstacles young percussionists and their teachers face in class. A DVD of performances and technique instruction is included.

Chess Pieces (1943/2009) .................................................................... John Cage (1912-1992)/Arr. Brian Nozny (b. 1977)Published by C.F. Peters / Intermediate / Finger cymbals on glockenspiel and one 5.0 octave marimba are required. It is also preferable to have a pedal glockenspiel to correctly perform marked articulations. Nozny states: “The original Chess Pieces is a unique work on many levels. In addition to being a piece of music, it also was a piece of visual art. Strictly looked at as a musical work, it is somewhat of a skeleton piece. There is no tempo indication, no dynamics, no indications of phrasing, and no actual indication of what the instrumentation is. My goal in arranging this for percussion ensemble was to stay completely true to the materi-als that Cage had provided, and merely expand upon what he had provided. None of the original material was changed in any way.”

Colossus (2002/rev. 2010)................................................................................................................................Eric Rodis (b. 1982)Konstantine Vlasis, Timpani Soloist

Published by Tapspace / Intermediate-Advanced / Five timpani and one 4.5 octave marimba are required. Rodis says that his “goal was [to] simply feature the melodic capabilities of the timpani while keeping the music as approachable and idiomatic as possible for the soloist . . . . The end result became less a demonstration of the instrument’s capabilities and more a musical battle pitting the timpani against it’s own bipolar nature.”

PROGRAM

6

Postludes for Bowed Vibraphone, VI. (2012) .......................................................................................Elliot Cole (b. 1984)Self-published / Beginner-Intermediate / Eight double-bass bows needed. Cole states: “Postludes is a book of eight pieces for a familiar instrument played in a new way. Four players, with eight double-bass bows play interlocking lines on a single vibraphone. The interplay of bows and hands tapping, muting, and touching harmonics weaves an intimate and intricate counterpoint that is as beautiful to watch as it is to hear: fragile, tender, and haunting.”

Cyclone (2010) ................................................................................................................................................. Jim Casella (b. 1970)Published by Tapspace / Advanced / Strong multi-perucssionists and marimbists needed. Cyclone is an ambitious work for percussion ensemble featuring a quartet of marimbas (sharing two facing instruments) who are accompanied by piano and seven percussionists. Consisting of two main parts, the piece progresses from an optimistic approach set in motion by the marimbists (the inspiration of climbing Mt. Everest) to that of “vulnerable and unpredictable energy” depicted by the frenetic colors coming from each multi-per-cussion set up. The piece’s genesis comes from one of Casella’s closest friends who, along with his father, faced dangers of Cyclone Leila in 2010 when they were conquering Mt. Everest.

Concerto for Drumset and Percussion Ensemble (2012) ................................................... Jamie Whitmarsh (b. 1988) Nick Eberhart, Drum Set Soloist

Published by C. Alan Publications / Advanced / Requires one 5.0 octave marimba. Jamie Whitmarsh’s Concerto for Drumset and Percussion Ensemble won the 2012 PAS Composition Contest. Whitmarsh states: “I wrote this piece as a way to explore multiple facets of the drumset. However, my goal was not to encompass everything that is possible on the drumset. The drumset has a lot to offer, and this piece is intended to give one interpretation of some of the possibilities. It is my hope that this piece will be a good ‘showcase’ piece for festivals, exhibiting the skills of the soloist as well as the musical and technical skill of the ensemble.”

Praeludium, From Holdberg’s Suite, Op. 40 (1884/2012) .................................................... Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) ................................................................................................................................................ Arr. Dan C. Armstrong (b. 1953)Published by Dan Armstrong / Intermediate / Can be played with or without a vibraphone player. Features fast, two-mallet, double-stop passages. Requires one 4.5 octave and one 5.0 octave marimba. Armstrong states that “This is the first movement of Grieg’s Holberg Suite. This work was originally com-posed for solo piano in 1884 and dedicated to Frau Erika Lie-Nissen, a well-known Norwegian pianist in her day.” The suite consists of five movements reminiscent of the Baroque dance suite form used by Bach and many other composers. This arrangement uses elements of both the piano and string orchestra versions of the work.

Gamelan-bound/beFORe2 JOHN, Part II (2008) ............................................................................... Aurél Holló (b. 1966)Published by 153rd Music Publications, Hungary / Extremely Advanced / Requires numerous “found sounds” and exotic percussion instruments. Performers must be able to perform interlocking patterns throughout the composition. Requires two 5.0 octave marimbas. The inspiration for Holló’s work is the music produced from the traditional gamelan ensembles found in Indonesia. These ensembles function on the premise of the entire ensemble working together to form a musical union. There is no room for individual attention. The majority of the music is based on the premise of interlock-ing parts, called kotekan (referred to as hocket in European art music), where the sum of two separate parts produce one linear melody. You will hear the kotekan represented in the drum parts, marimba parts, car horns, as well as in the opening portion for vocals and clackamores.

PROGRAM

7

Tennessee Tech University is a public, co-educational, comprehensive university located in Cookeville, a city of about 30,000 residents. Though located in some of Tennessee’s most beautiful countryside, the campus is just over an hour from three of the state’s largest cities: Nashville (82 miles west), Knoxville (109 miles east) and Chattanooga (96 miles south). Tennessee Tech is known as Tennessee’s technological university, but houses six strong academic divisions - the College of Agricultural and Human Sciences (which includes the School of Nursing), the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the College of Education, the College of Engineering, and the College of Interdisciplinary Studies and Extended Education. With an enrollment of 11,487, more than 370 faculty members, and more than 60 percent of classes having 30 or fewer students, strong faculty/stu-dent relationships are a hallmark of a TTU educational experience.

Formerly known as Dixie College, the school opened its doors to students in 1912. The school’s founders deeded the campus to the governments of Cookeville and Putnam County in 1915, and the act creating Ten-nessee Polytechnic Institute in Cookeville was signed into law by Governor Thomas Rye on March 27, 1915. By 1929, the State Board of Education had authorized a complete college program and the first class of four-year graduates received bachelor’s degrees that June. Tennessee Polytechnic Institute gained university status in 1965, becoming Tennessee Technological University.

TENNESSEE TECH UNIVERSITY

THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC

Tennessee Tech provides a stimulating environment for young musicians. Over one hundred and eighty music majors study with twenty-three full-time fac-ulty members and work toward the Bachelor of Music degree in music education (instrumental/general licensure, vocal/general licensure, dual certification), music performance (composition, instrumental, jazz, piano, vocal), or music business.

Classes and rehearsals are held in the Bryan Fine Arts Building which houses faculty offices, practice rooms, classrooms, a percussion studio, a newly renovated keyboard and computer lab, a recital hall and recep-tion room, the Haste Rehearsal Hall, and the 460 seat

Wattenbarger Auditorium. Renovated in 2007, the auditorium features a new stage surface as well as new audio and lighting systems designed by Technical Innovations of Nashville. Large performing ensembles include the Wind Ensemble, the Symphony Band, the Concert Band, the Golden Eagle Marching Band, the Troubadours and the Trouveres Jazz Ensembles, the Concert Choir, the Tech Chorale and the University Orchestra. The department is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.

Photographs of Derryberry Hall and the Bryan Fine Arts Building are by TTU Photographic Services – Dean Carothers, Director.

This program was prepared by the Department of Music. Tennessee Tech University is an AA/EEO employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Diversity and Legal Affairs, PO Box 5164, Cookeville, TN 38505. (931) 372-3016. R056-PRNT-13

DR. ERIC J. WILLIETennessee Tech Department of Music

Box 5045, Cookeville, TN 38505(931) 372-6082

ericwillie@tntech.eduorgs.tntech.edu/percussionstudio

SPECIAL THANKS

Without the support of our new university president Dr. Phillip Oldham, our new dean Dr. Matt Smith, and our new chair Dr. Jennifer Shank, the TTU Percussion Ensemble would not have had the resources to make this trip possible. I want to extend special thanks to Dr. Shank for her relentless efforts to ensure that the Ensemble had the time and equipment to adequately prepare for our performance and for understanding the importance of the Percussive Arts Society’s International Convention. I want to thank Konstantine Vlasis and the TTU Percussion Club who helped gather resources for equipment and travel. The students in the TTU Percussion Club did the majority of the fundraising needed to travel to PASIC. Without Jim Bailey at Evans Drumheads, we wouldn’t be able to sound as great as we do today! Many thanks also go to Innovative Percussion, Sabian Cymbals, Dynasty/Bergerault, and Black Swamp Percussion for the ad-ditional support provided to the TTU Percussion Ensemble. Dr. Eric L. Harris, our Associate Director of Bands, is an avid supporter of the TTU Percussion Studio and de-signed this program for us. Thank you Dr. Harris!

Warren “Buddy” LaFever, of LiveWell Photography, did a great job on photos for the program. Thanks! My wife, Rebecca, provided much-needed support, encouragement, and assistance in preparing for this trip and our performance. Thanks sugar. Lastly, thank you for attending today’s concert. Your interest shows that you support the creation of new music for percussion ensemble. If you have an interest in a specific composer’s music, do not hesitate to ask him/her to compose a piece for you. You can find resources to cover the composer’s fees through campus grants, NEA grants, regional/state grants (such as the Tennessee Arts Commission), as well as simply creating a consortium of colleagues to help cover the costs.

Printed on 100% recycled paper.