Senior percussion recital : an honors thesis [(HONRS 499)]

This recital marks the culmination of four years of study as a percussion performance major. Its program includes six pieces representative of my studies in performance. The accompanying program notes help the listener to better appreciate and enjoy the music I performed.In the recital, I performed four pieces on the marimba, one on timpani, and one on snare drum. This is representative of my studies, which focused on the marimba, but did include study on the timpani and the snare drum. I opened the recital with the first movement of the Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra, by Anders Koppel. This piece helped to take my four-mallet technique to new levels, requiring much more than any of the other pieces. The next piece, Canaries, by Elliot Carter, demonstrated not only my ability to play the timpani; it also emphasized a significant idea in music theory: metric modulation. Keiko Abe's Michi is representative of the large selection of music for marimba composed by Japanese percussionists. The first two movements of Guy Gauthreaux's American Suite for Unaccompanied Snare Drum demonstrate the two main styles of snare drumming that I have worked with at Ball State, the concert style and the rudimental style. Paul Creston's Concertino for Marimba and Orchestra is one of the major works studied by developing percussionists. Its three movements cover a wide range of styles and require a well-developed technique, both with two-mallet and four-mallet playing. The Three Preludes for Marimba are representative of the works of Ney Rosauro, one of the leading contemporary percussion composers.