Beautiful Waste (2015/16)

Beautiful Waste (2015/16) – Solo Brake Drums & Live Electronics

Published by Kreating SounD Duration: 13:46

Movements

I. Life is a Grindstone
II. Poem 456 (Bukowski)
III. Gamelan Shtyle

Instrumentation

5 brake drums (newer 2-piece style not the old 1-piece variety), cassette tape, and electronics; it requires the following implements: two medium rubber mallets, wire brush, bamboo skewer, two bass bows.

Notes

Beautiful Waste (2015-2016) is composed for 5 brake drums (newer 2-piece style not the old 1-piece variety, cassette tape, and electronics; it requires the following implements: two medium rubber mallets, wire brush, bamboo skewer, two bass bows. The title of the work refers to the brake drum-as musical instrument and it has a subtextual relationship (realized after the fact) to the narrative content in the second movement.

Movement one, Life is a Grindstone, is an exploration of repetition and subtle variation, monotony and minor difference, the day to day. The title will be self explanatory. The harsh, unforgiving electronic processing will be familiar. Rhythmic phasing is utilized between the hands in one section, and harmonics as well.

The title of movement two, Poem 456 (Bukowski), was inspired by Stuart Saunders Smith’s lovely composition, Poems I, II, III for five brake drums, cowbell, and narrator. Smith’s work also provided the realization that brake drums could be a viable sound source for a solo composition. The sample of Charles Bukowski reading his poem “Man Mowing the Lawn” followed by what appears to be an excerpt of an interview or conversation was found on a homemade, unmarked, cassette mixtape containing numerous excerpts of poets reading poetry and conversing; the original source is unknown.

Movement three, Gamelan Shtyle, applies a hand-dampening technique taken from gamelan performance practice and applies it to the brake drums. Additionally the extreme contrasts heard in Balinese gamelan music are reflected in this composition. The center of the movement features a blues-inspired cadenza, à la Barney Childs.

Recordings

Xtensions https://roncoulter.bandcamp.com/album/xtensions

Performances

Diabolical Records (Salt Lake City, UT), July 7, 2016, Performer: Ron Coulter
Wheeler Concert Hall, Casper College (Casper, WY), January 31, 2016 (World Premiere), Performer: Ron Coulter