Monolith
Instrumentation
Player 1: Crotales & Rain Stick
Player 2: Glockenspiel & Chimes & Shakers
Player 3: Xylophone & Crash Cymbal
Player 4: Vibraphone 1
Player 5: Vibraphone 2
Player 6: Vibraphone 3 & Suspended Cymbal
Player 7: Marimba 1
Player 8: Marimba 2
Player 9: Marimba 3
Player 10: Marimba 4
Player 11: Timpani & Suspended Cymbal
Player 12: Piano
Player 13: 4 Concert Tom-toms & 2 Suspended Cymbal (Large & Small) & Ride Cymbal & Bell Tree & Tam-tam (Small)
Player 14: Tam-tam (Large) & China Cymbal & Marching Bass Drum & Splash Cymbal & Mark Tree
Player 15: Concert Bass Drum & Sizzle Cymbal & Suspended Cymbal (Medium) & Triangle (Small & Medium) & Claves
Description
For several years now, the creative genius of Stanley Kubrick’s films have been a tremendous inspiration for me as an artist. While the visual poetry and dramatic storytelling of his entire oeuvre captivate the mind, one particular Kubrick work has fascinated me the most – 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the fifty years after its 1968 release, the film’s main narrative (an allegory on the nature of mankind) has spawned countless theories and analyses around the world, all with varying interpretations of the mysterious black monolith which plays a transcendental role across each of 2001 ‘s four acts.
In Monolith, I have loosely adapted this same role in a motivic sense against a myriad of other thematic, formal, and musical references to 2001. Beginning with a foreboding introduction, a simple ascending motif slowly propels the work through four main sections, guiding the musical textures to higher ‘aural’ dimensions.
Monolith was commissioned by Francis Burke and the Lake Dallas High School Percussion Ensemble (Corinth, TX).
PERFORMANCE NOTES
Coda: The final moments of this work should be treated as one single event, which organically unfolds from the final impact of m. 408. In an quasi-erratic fashion, all rolling/sustained figures in m. 409 should slowly but naturally decay with the timpanist’s octave-long pitch-bend.
Mallet Choice: Well-articulated contact sound which is neither thin, brittle, nor too round with a rich fundamental tone may work best for all players. Since many effects (such as echo and hocket) are utilized throughout, players sharing similar material should also match in character. For example, the xylophone should sound as an extension of the marimba sound rather than a separate instrument in color.
Cymbal Articulation Markings: Throughout the score, cymbal articulation markings in the percussion players’ represent desired timbres: marcato = sonicallypointed shoulder crashes; tenuto = “color crashes” with a mellow attack. Any notes without these indications are left to the individual player’s discretion.
Works for Percussion by this Composer
Aether- Percussion 12
Affinity - Percussion 14
Chakalaka - Multiple Percussion
Citadel of the Stars - Percussion 13
Ephemera - Mallet Sextet
Fuerza Negra - Percussion Sextet
La Fractura - Percussion Trio
Monolith - Percussion 14
Nalu (Percussion Ensemble) - Percussion 13
Nalu (Marimba Quartet) - Marimba Quartet
Selva Luminosa - Mallet Quartet
Tesseract (Ensemble Version) - Vibraphone & Mallet Sextet
Time Dilation - Percussion Octet
Volcán de Fuego - Percussion Quartet
Voyager (Perez) - Percussion 12