Rattle the Cage
General Info
Year of Published: 2016
Publisher: Tapspace
Difficulty: Advanced
Duration: 00:13:00
Cost: $48.00
Instrumentation
Player 1: Glockenspiel & Chimes & Sleigh Bells
Player 2: Xylophone & Suspended Cymbal & Sleigh Bells
Player 3: Vibraphone
Player 4: Vibraphone & Suspended Cymbal
Player 5: Marimba
Player 6: Marimba
Player 7: Marimba
Player 8: Concert Bass Drum
Program Notes
My recent compositions have focused on exploring elements of timbre and texture and Rattle the Cage is no different. With this in mind, I made the conscious effort not to ignore familiar musical components such as melody, functional harmony, rhythm, groove, and counterpoint. When I was approached by Dan Armstrong to write a work for keyboard percussion ensemble, I immediately had ideas of exploring these typical instruments through the use of extended techniques and varied implements as well as supplementing their palette with a small collection of non-pitched percussion instruments. After much experimenting, I decided on utilizing 3 marimbas, 2 vibraphones, xylophone, glockenspiel, and chimes mixed with a collection of non-pitched bells, siren, cymbals, brake drum, and bass drum (7-8 players total).
Rattle the Cage is not a program piece - it is instead an abstract exploration of the musical elements mentioned above (most notably timbre and texture). The bulk of the piece is rooted in the (0,1,4) pitch set (for example A, B♭, D♭), which provides much of the “germ" material, which is then developed and elaborated into something more complex. The title is taken from the sounds evoked throughout the composition.
Recent Performance
Works for Percussion by this Composer
Mallet Solo
Afternoon in March - Marimba
Caleidoscópio - Marimba
Memento - Marimba
Punchline
Prelude Nuevo
Variations (after Viñao) - Marimba
Snare Drum Solo
Homage to Carter
Swerve
Tom-Tom for Tom
Multiple Percussion Solo
Captions
Echo Song
Farewell
SyNc
Solo with Ensemble
BeyonD the bEnd - Multiple Percussion, Percussion Quintet
Concerto for Marimba and Choir with Percussion - Marimba; Percussion Trio; Choir
Jing Fling - Jing Cymbal; Percussion Sextet (Optional)
Prelude Nuevo - Marimba
Percussion Duo
And So the Wind Blew...
As One
Ceci N'est Pas Un Jouet
Impressions of Chinese Opera
Long Exposure
Ingrained
Sammy's Scales
Song and Dance
Together & Not
Whiz-Bang
Chamber Ensemble
BeyonD the bEnd
BOOMeRANG - 4 Players
Circuit Breaker - Percussion Sextet
Quench - Percussion Quartet
Ragtime Collection - Marimba Quartet
Rattle the Cage - Mallet Ensemble
Stir Crazy - Percussion Quartet
Streamline - Percussion Ensemble - (Hand Drums)
The Electric City - Percussion Trio
Works with Other Instruments
Free Spins - Percussion Duo; Bass Clarinet
Get It! - Multiple Percussion; Bassoon
Killjoy - Multiple Percussion; Guitar
Sky Songs - Multiple Percussion; Voice
soniChroma - Percussion Duo; Orchestra