Füm Drum

Brian Slawson

General Info

Year of Published: 2019
Publisher: Tapspace
Difficulty: Intermediate
Duration: 00:04:20
Cost: $40.00

Description

Fum Drum by Brian Slawson is a two-movement piece telling of the journey of the three wise men. The first movement represents a slow, arduous trek, reflected in the slow tempo and the heavy textures throughout. The second movement is a fast-moving, upbeat, Afro-Cuban style piece with a ton of energy to keep performers and audience members engaged!

Movement

1. Into the Light
2. Füm Drum

Instrumentation

Glockenspiel
Xylophone
Vibraphone
Marimba
Chimes
Timpani
Drumset with Cowbell
Suspended Cymbal
Tam-tam
Bongos
Concert Bass Drum
Bell Tree
Tambourine
Piano

Recent Performance

The Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy Percussion Ensemble 2 performs Into the Light

The Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy Percussion Ensemble 2 performs Füm Drum

Review

“Füm Drum” is a unique interpretation in two movements based on the Catalonian Christmas carol “Fum, Fum, Fum.” This work features nine players, and at just over four minutes, this is the perfect addition for the holiday percussion ensemble or a symphonic band concert looking to spice up the program with a short percussion feature.

“Füm Drum” begins with the movement, “Into the Light,” which depicts the slow-moving voyage of the three wise men “en route to witness their newborn King.” This movement maintains an ominous texture through narrow melodic range and rhythmically simple parts that afford even the beginning player the opportunity for increased attention to producing the slow-moving tone colors evoked by the sparse minor timbres. The narrow range of the mallet parts coupled with the simple rhythms make this movement musically rewarding and straight-forward to learn.

The second movement, “Füm Drum,” treats the carol “Fum, Fum, Fum” to the syncopated stylings of an Afro-Cuban Mozambique. “Füm Drum” is packed full of energy and is every bit as exciting as “Into the Light,” is ominous. True to form, this Mozambique features layers of syncopated percussion parts pitted against an agile melody that hovers over the syncopated accompaniment. Within this danceable texture there are a few tricky syncopations within the mallets and piano parts; however, they feature simple rhythms and are repetitive, making this piece a great opportunity for challenging players who are less comfort- able with mallet percussion. Additionally, solos within the bongo, timpani, and drum set parts are fun and engaging, making this piece appropriate for the advanced middle school or high school percussion ensemble. Written by Quintin Mallette

Works for Percussion by this Composer

Solos

Two-Beat Tango
Dynamic Solos for Timpani
Dynamic Solos for Mallets
Dynamic Solos for Snare Drum
Cricket
Animal Cracker Rag

Percussion Ensemble

A Little Malletmusik
Angels in the Moonlight
Animals
Bongito
Candlesticks - Percussion Octet
Christmas Day
Dreams From the Dark Forest
Füm Drum
Jokers Wild
La Vida de la Noche (Mallet Ensemble)
La Vida de la Noche (Percussion Ensemble)
Little Lullabies
Nanigo Navidad - Percussion (11)
Odd Duck - Percussion Quartet
Opa! - Percussion 10
Pelican - Percussion (9)
Pistoleros - Percussion (13)
Pop Drop
Rockbox - Percussion Nonet
Santa's Strut
Tale of the Dragon
The Three Buccaneers
Top Tank
When You Hear the Drum
Winterland - Percussion Octet

Percussion Ensemble with Other Instrument

An American Dream - Percussion Ensemble & Trumpet