Four Dances

Rick Dior

General Info

Year: 2014
Duration: 00:08:30
Difficulty: Intermediate
Publisher: Tapspace
Cost: $42.00

Movements

1. Minimalistic Dance
2. Festive Dance
3. Eastern Dance
4. Percussive Dance

Instrumentation

Player 1: Xylophone
Player 2: Glockenspiel
Player 3: Timpani
Player 4: Snare Drum & Bongos & Tambourine & Suspended Cymbal & 3 Opera Gongs
Player 5: Congas & 4 Concert Tom-toms
Player 6: Concert Bass Drum & Tambourine & Claves (High & Low)
Player 7: Shaker & Caxixi & Triangle & Wind Gong & Temple Gong & Crash Cymbals & Suspended Cymbal
Player 8: Marimba & Finger Cymbals & Wind Chimes & Suspended Cymbal & Tam-Tam

Program Notes

Four Dances for Percussion Ensemble by Rick Dior gives 8 (or more) percussionists the chance to explore sounds heavily influenced by traditional South American, Asian, and African percussion. This groove-central piece is entertaining for both the players and the audience. The first movement, Minimalistic Dance, relies on a repetitive timpani figure based on an African rhythm. Then comes Festive Dance, inspired by Flamenco clapping, Central/South American melodies, and (oddly enough) an Irish Jig. The third movement, Eastern Dance, utilizes some sounds the audience might not be used to hearing: opera gongs, bowed cymbals, a Vibratone and more. The piece ends with Percussive Dance, a frenzied homage to orchestral percussion. Add this piece to your percussion ensemble concert to give everybody a taste of the outside world.

Performance Notes

Four Dances for Percussion Ensemble requires 8 or more players with the following instrumentation:
Mallets: Xylophone & Glockenspiel & Marimba
Drums: Timpani & 4 Concert Tom Toms (10" + 12" + 14" + 16") & Concert Bass Drum & Concert Snare Drum & Field Drum / Tenor Drum & Bongos & Congas
Cymbals: Suspended Cymbals & Tam Tam & Temple Gong & Wind Gong & 3 Chinese Opera Gongs
Auxiliary Percussion: 2 Small Tambourine & Orchestral Tambourine & Wind Chimes (Wooden) & Finger Cymbals & Claves (High + Low pitch) & Shaker & 2 Caxixi & Vibratone (LP)

Instrumentation substitutions: Instead of a xylophone, an African Balafon may be used. If you lack three Chinese Opera Gongs, you may substitute with three differently pitched splash cymbals (or small crash cymbals). Other effect cymbals may be used as substitutions for the temple gong or wind gong.

Additional players: More players may be added by doubling the xylophone parts on marimba and / or the glockenspiel parts on vibraphone.

Recent Performances

To submit a performance please join the TEK Percussion Database

Works for Percussion by this Composer

Solo

Till the Cows Come Home - Timbales with foot percussion

Small Ensemble

Equinox - Percussion Nonet
Flesh and Bone - Percussion Octet
Heavy Metals - Percussion Octet
Wiggle Room - Percussion 10

Large Ensemble

Minor Infraction - Percussion 13
Science Fiction - Percussion 12
When Worlds Collide - Percussion 12

Flexible Ensemble

Four Dances