A Sky Full of Stars

Heng Liu

General Info

Year: 2017
Duration: c. 10:00
Difficulty: Advanced
Publisher: Edition Svitzer
Cost: Score and Parts - €80.00   |   Score Only - $0.00

Instrumentation

Player 1: Chimes
Player 2: Glockenspiel
Player 3: Xylophone
Player 4: Vibraphone
Player 5: Marimba 1
Player 6: Marimba 2
Player 7: Marimba 3 & Bass Drum
Player 8: Marimba 4 & Bass Drum
Player 9: Marimba 5 & Bass Drum
Player 10: 3 Tom Toms (12" & 14" & 16") & Bass Drum
Player 11: Bass Drum & Cymbal (12") & Snare Drum & Trash Cymbal
Player 12: Tam tam & Ride Cymbal (20") & Sizzle Cymbal (18") & Suspended Cymbal (16") & Hi-hat & Bass Drum

Program Notes

A Sky Full of Stars, is a piece for 12 percussionists. Each of us is a Star in the Sky. Because of music, we are connected. Different Stars like our tutors and ourselves connected and handed down from generation to generation.

Review

Composer Heng Liu states, “Each of us is a star in the sky. Because of music, we are connected. Different stars, like our tutors and ourselves, (are) connected and handed down from generation to generation.” These sentiments are reflected in Liu’s composition, as individual musical fragments appear discreetly and are combined gradually over the course of this 10-minute work. The harmonies are largely tonal throughout, creating a complex web of sound characterized by interlocking rhythms across the ensemble. The final section of the piece features unison statements from non-pitched instruments with the keyboard percussion instruments executing repetitive figures whose counterpoint almost invokes a Steve Reich-like texture on a grand scale. Liu offers two codas from which the conductor can choose: one ending softly and the other loud.

While the scoring is dense, especially in later sections of the piece, all parts are idiomatically written to be playable by intermediate to early-advanced players. Four-mallet writing is chordal (either as block or broken chords) with the exception of a brief passage featuring an eighthnote melody and accompaniment in one of the marimba parts. Many of the non-pitched parts are unison or easily coordinated with the aid of a conductor.

“A Sky Full of Stars” would make a good “cornerstone” piece on an intermediate/advanced college percussion ensemble concert. In addition to the programmatic beauty of the music, it will provide a strong vehicle for ensemble playing and listener engagement.

—Jason Baker

Recent Performances

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Works for Percussion by this Composer

5imple Quintet - Percussion Quintet
2620 STARS - Percussion Ensemble (12)
A Sky Full of Stars - Percussion Ensemble (12)
All River Run Into Sea - Percussion Quintet
Anxiety - Two Movements for Marimba Solo - Marimba
Atoms for 4 - Percussion Quartet
Brave Troops - Percussion Duo
Dance for Yao People - Marimba
Delay - Marimba, Electronics
FACE2FACE - Percussion Duo
Fly - Hand Pan, 4 Percussion; Percussion Quintet
Gazing on Mountain TAI - Chinese Traditional Percussion
The General - Percussion Duo - Marimba and Chinese Traditional Percussion
Impression (Liu) - Percussion Quintet
Impression II - Percussion Duo
LIBER TANGO X - Percussion Sextet
Memory - Percussion Trio - Mallet Trio
Monkey Play - Percussion Quartet
Oub-duO - Percussion Duo
Rain the Blind Monk - Multiple Percussion
Saturn's Rings - 4 players on 1 Marimba and percs
SPACE TIME - Snare Drum, Cymbal and Tape
When Spring Comes - Marimba
When the sun goes down - Solo for Hand-Percussion-Setup and Tape
Wild LEO - Marimba
Vermillion Bird - Marimba
Yes!!! - Marimba and Electronics