Perfect Circles: 12 Intermediate Pieces for 4 Timpani

Brett Dietz

General Info

Year of Published: 2018
Publisher: C. Alan Publications
Difficulty: Intermediate
Duration: 00:21:00 (Total)
Cost: Score and Parts - $25.00   |   Score Only - $0.00

Contents

1. Spheres
2. Circles
3. Platonic Solids
4. Archimedean Solids
5. Vesica Pisces
6. Spirals
7. Torolds
8. Fractals
9. Cubes
10. Infinitesimal Points
11. Golden Ratio
12. Flower of Life

Instrumentation

Timpani

Program Notes

After 14 years of teaching at the university level, it became apparent to Brett Dietz that one of the issues with the solo timpani repertoire was the gap between advanced and elementary compositions. A student who became proficient with his skill on the different strokes and rolls could perhaps play one of Elliot Carter’s Eight Pieces for Four Timpani, but learning the nuances of Carter’s metric modulations would likely be problematic. As a student of Stanley Leonard, Brett Dietz is very aware of his incredible contribution to the repertoire, but many of his pieces require advanced pedal dexterity and can be frustrating for some students. John Beck’s Sonata for Timpani and Bill Cahn’s Raga are also very popular in Brett Dietz's studio but also require an upper-level intermediate player.

There are multiple timpani method books by Saul Goodman, Vic Firth, Mitchell Peters, Raynor Carroll, and other modern timpanists who contribute valuable studies to the literature without closing the gap. Once a student plays through the book, he moves on to the orchestral repertoire. This is, of course, a suitable method for moving through the curriculum. It is not, however the only path to the development of a strong timpanist.

What Brett Dietz have written is a set of 12 pieces that move through the circle of fifths, with the aim of supplementing the current repertoire to help fill the gap. The titles of the pieces are shapes and forms that are found in Sacred Geometry. None of the pieces require pedaling. The compositions are short and can be learned within a week’s time. This way, a student can progress through the pieces within a semester of study. For a public performance, Brett Dietz would recommend doing three or four of the pieces.

Recent Performances

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Books for Percussion by this Author

Concert Fantasies for Snare Drum
Concert Fantasies for Keyboard Percussion (Book 1)
Concert Fantasies for Keyboard Percussion (Book 2)
Perfect Circles: 12 Intermediate Pieces for 4 Timpani
Reflex: 15 Studies for the Intermediate Multi-Percussionist
Songs from the Infinite Plane: 15 Intermediate Duets for Vibraphone & Marimba
Die Glöcke
9 Miniatures & a Fantasy