Firmament (2012)
Six Percussionists
This piece was written in late 2012 as part of my second year composition portfolio at university.
'Firmament’ refers to the constant movement of the heavens and the earth, and this composition therefore works in patterns that move in their own way. The heavens are represented by four metal instruments and the earth by four wood instruments.
The piece is divided into three sections: the first for metal instruments alone, the second for wood instruments alone, and the third for both types together.
The first part involves long, quiet, sparse notes, over a big range of metal idiophones. The second part builds up a 3-bar pattern on the dry wooden instruments. This builds up to a climax until the returning tam-tam announces the third section, which brings both patterns together in a slightly irregular manner.
The down-bow sign over the cymbals means they must be bowed. The (+) sign over the claves represents a dampened note, while the circle represents a normal note.