Mas Fuerte

Stephen Rush

General Info

Year: 1992
Duration: c.
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: C. Alan Publications
Cost: Score and Parts - $0.00   |   Score Only - $0.00

Instrumentation

Player I: Timbales, Bass Drum, Claves, Snare Drum
Player II: 5 Concert Toms, Large Ride Cymbal, Large Cowbell, Bass Drum
Player III: Snare Drum, 14" Hihat, Bongos, Small Suspended Cymbal, Woodblock
Player IV: Snare Drum, Bongos
Player V: Timbales, Finger Cymbals, 5 Woodblocks, Bass Drum, Small Suspended Cymbal
Player VI: 5 Concert Toms, 15" Hihat, Maracas, Bass Drum

Program Notes

Mas Fuerte was written for Percunits A2 on the occasion of their American and Spanish tour in the summer of 1992. Mas Fuerte loosely translated, means “more loudness” or “more force”. The title is the Spanish version of a rather clumsy working title “Louder and… (louder and …)”. The piece is a study in non-pitched loudness, and reflects a strong Afro-Caribbean influence, specifically influences of Congolese dance musicand the Costa Rican version of the Calypso. The transitions are very reflective of transitions found in Congolese drumming, that of dynamic culmination followed by metric changes.

On a more personal level, the work is an etude on my own maleness, and a celebratory embrace of what the disdained masses call “machismo”. Strength (fuerte) is a characteristic associated with male sexuality (rightly or wrongly) and this piece points to the beauty found in raw strength and force, and the commitment to causal unity found metaphorically in both rhythm and dynamic concurrence. My hope is to express the musical metaphor for a strong human vitality for all people, despite the fact that the work was written for and premiered by six men. - Rush

Recent Performances

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Emporia State University Percussion Ensemble - November 29, 2017 - Albert Taylor Concert Hall - "Doomsday" Concert

Works for Percussion by this Composer

Mas Fuerte - Percussion Sextet