Moto Perpetuo
General Info
Year of Published: 2023
Publisher: C. Alan Publications
Difficulty: Advanced
Duration: 00:05:00
Cost: $40.00
Instrumentation
Player 1: Glockenspiel
Player 2: Vibraphone 1
Player 3: Vibraphone 2
Player 4: Xylophone & Crotales
Player 5: Marimba 1
Player 6: Marimba 2
Player 7: Marimba 3
Player 8: Marimba 4
Player 9: 5 Timpani
Player 10: Earth Plate & 4 Concert Tom Toms & Temple Blocks & Anvil & Suspended Cymbals (Medium & High) & Hand Cymbals
Player 11: Hi-Hat & Kick Drum & Snare Drum & Bongos & Suspended Cymbal (Medium)
Player 12: Ribbon Crasher & China Cymbal (Large) & Gong & Chimes & 4 Metal Bowls
Program Notes
Moto Perpetuo is a high-octane musical fantasy for large percussion ensemble that explores the concept of perpetual motion and the possibilities of AI-generated music. While the piece was not AI-generated, the composer considered what could happen if you gave AI a few prompts and asked it to improvise a new piece.
Beginning with a single note, the piece catapults into a frenetic interplay of shifting melody, harmony, and tonal center, often teetering on the verge of collapse. At a pivotal moment, the music compresses into a swirling mass of twelve-tone harmony, losing all sense of tonal center, leaving only the constant eighth-note rhythm intact. This “system reset” serves as a springboard for the music to reconstruct itself, culminating in a triumphant ending.
Nodding to famed works of the same name, like Paganini's violin showpiece, Moto Perpetuo also functions as a musical allegory for the constant whirlwind of life experiences—capturing moments of joy, struggle, and triumph. In doing so, it pays homage to a long-standing musical tradition and pushes its boundaries, serving as a testament to the possibilities and complexities of modern music and life.
Works for Percussion by this Composer
Baroque Suite - Timpani (5)
Concertino for Marimba (Rice) - Marimba, Percussion Octet
Entangled States - Multiple Percussion, Percussion Trio
Fantasie in A for Marimba - Marimba
I Ching (Rice) - Percussion Ensemble (12)
Moto Perpetuo - Percussion Ensemble (12)
Quartet No. 1 in F - Marimba Quartet
Septet - Percussion Septet
Sonata No. 1 for Marimba - Marimba
Variations for Marimba - Marimba
Warp - Percussion Ensemble (11)
Arrangements
Claire de Lune (Debussy) - Mallet Ensemble (8)
Reverie (Debussy) - Mallet Ensemble (8)