Works for Percussion

I am very fond of writing for the percussion. The infinite variety of sounds possible fascinates me and drives me to be as daring as possible in my writing. All of the works that feature percussion require the performers to be diverse and quick on their feet! I have been fortunate in having some masters of percussion premiere most of my works involving percussion, especially the late Don Wherry in St. John's. I will always be grateful to him for his support and inspiration.

9. Kluskap, a Micmac Legend for Children, Op. 56 (1997) Kluskap was written for the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival and was premiered brilliantly there with soprano Wendy Neilsen. It is scored for Soprano, Violin, Violoncello, Clarinet, Percussion and Piano. While it is designed for children, it is a fairly complex and sophisticated work that creates some enjoyable challenges for all the performers.

8. Orgia, Op. 50 (1994) This work is scored for 3 Percussion and 2 Actors/Speakers. It is one of my most dramatic works for percussion. The work consists of two parts: Attis (a setting of poem 63 by the Roman poet Catullus) and a setting of "Looking Back on a Conference Trip with Sister Williamina" by the Newfoundland poet John Steffler. Only Part I (Attis) is completed. The Percussionists are required to improvise throughout most of the piece to coincide with the text spoken by the actors.

7. "...and a roll on the gong," Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra, Op. 36 (1987) This concerto was written for the brilliant Newfoundland percussionist Don Wherry. It is an extremely difficult work both for the soloist and the orchestra. The American conductor and composer David Amram discovered it and has performed the third movement with several orchestras in Canada (the Toronto Symphony) and the US (Minneapolis Symphony). While originally written for one soloist, it can also be performed by several.

6. Bacchae, Op. 30 (1983) Bacchae was written for a production of Euripides' play in 1983. It is scored for 3 Clarinets, Piano and Percussion. The music is intended to be performed with either the Greek or English text for the six choruses of the play; there is also some incidental music in the score. The percussion part is particularly important since it is reponsible for maintaining the complex rhythms of the original Greek text which have been incorporated into the score.

5. Shanadithit, Op. 29 (1983) This work was commissioned by the Victoria International Festival in 1983, a year that celebrated the arrival of Sir Humphrey Gilbert to Newfoundland in 1583. Even though the work was to be premiered as far away from Newfoundland as possible and still be in Canada, I decided to focus on a Newfoundland theme and to create a work based on the tragic extinction of the Beothucks, the aboriginal inhabitants of Newfoundland. Shanadithit was the last of the Beothucks and the work describes and pays tribute to her life and death. It is scored for string trio, woodwind quintet, piano (harpsichord), and percussion. It has been performed many times and usually creates quite a stir!

4. Tessares, Op. 24 (1979) Tessares (Greek for "four") is scored for Violin, Clarinet, Contrabass and Percussion. It is a set of four variations in which each of the instruments has its own notational series and candenza. It is an early and fairly difficult work.

3. Blomidon, Op. 23 (1978) Blomidon, scored for Flute, Trombone, Viola, Violoncello, Piano and Percussion, takes its title from the Blomidon mountain range just outside Corner Brook, Newfoundland. It is quite a descriptive work. A television broadcast of the piece was matched with actual photos of the mountains and it all worked very well.

2. Neachora, Op. 22 (1977) Neachora (Greek for "new land") was the first major composition written since my move to Corner Brook. It is a setting of five poems by the Newfoundland poet Al Pittman and is scored for Soprano, Flute, Clarinet, Horn, Violin, Violoncello, Contrabass, Piano, and Percussion. While still a youthful work, it does contain some interesting and effective moments.

1. Olympians XIV, Op. 14 (1973) Olympians XIV is a setting of the 14th Olympian ode by the classical Greek poet Pindar. While it explores the complex rhythms of the original Greek text, it is also rooted in my version of traditional Greek folk music.