Stars of ours

Erik Griswold

General Info

Year: 2014
Publisher: Title Publisher
Duration: 00:10:00
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Cost: Score and Parts - $0.00   |   Score Only - $0.00

Instrumentation

Bass Drum & 2 Triangles & Splash Cymbal & Chinese Gong & Wind Chimes (Bamboo & Stone)

Program Notes

Stars of Ours is a series of sound textures or situations for percussion soloist, the third solo piece I’ve written for Vanessa Tomlinson (after “Hypnotic Strains” and “Spill”). I was inspired by the work of Vinko Globokar, Jean Charles François, and Vanessa herself to explore hybrid instrumental combinations. Starting with a small collection of instruments – bass drum, 2 triangles, splash cymbal, gong, wind chimes – the piece investigates a number of unconventional combinations. The instruments are not played individually, but rather in combination - one instrument plays another, resonates on another, or otherwise influences the sound of another.

The piece is presented as a series of cards, one for each section / texture / situation. The cards consist of a list and diagram of instruments, and a description of the action, sometimes including musical notation. For example, “hold the two triangles by the strings, and clang them against each other gently.” While developing the piece, both Vanessa and I became interested in the relationship of the description of the sounds, to the actual sounds. This duality has become a central part of the piece. Some of the triangle textures, in particular, seemed to have the shimmer of stars.

Recent Performances

To submit a performance please join the TEK Percussion Database

Works for Percussion by this Composer

Rope - Unknown
Rope Bridge - Percussion Duo
Three Tangos - Percussion Quintet