Ceaseless Staircase-SAMPLE

CEASELESS STAIRCASE

for marimba and percussion quintet

Ceaseless Staircase by Matthew Kilby © 2024 Tapspace Publications, LLC (ASCAP). All rights reserved.

tapspace.com

Notice of Liability: Any duplication, adaptation, or arrangement of this composition requires the written consent of the copyright owner. No part of this composition may be photocopied or reproduced in any way without permission. Unauthorized uses are an infringement of the U.S. Copyright Act and are punishable by law.

TSPCE24-003

PROGRAM NOTES

M. C. Escher’s prints feature startlingly realistic images that could never exist, particularly staircases that never end or lie on each other in a disorienting labyrinth. Featureless beings walk up and down the staircases as if they are mindlessly going about their routine. To me, works like Escher’s Ascending and Descending (1960) represent a sort of madness from the monotony of life and an unfortunate tendency for people to recreate the same mistakes over and over again. Ceaseless Staircase depicts this monotony and madness using stairlike movements in blocks up and down in the marimba solo and mirrored figures in the melody (simultaneously ascending and descending). Like the figures in Escher’s print, the accompaniment is ritualistic and unrelenting. Distant harmony and pedal point represent the light and shadow that Escher masterfully uses to depict images that could never exist in startling realism.

Matthew Kilby

PERFORMANCE NOTES

In both vibraphone parts, frequent moments call for rattan on bars. In some performance spaces, a thinner metal dowel can help these parts have more articulation which can help other players find the pulse. Adding a slight accent to each beat may also help communicate the pulse. At letter A, vibraphone 1 can hold two dowels in one hand and a mallet in the other to facilitate the switch to letter B. Careful attention will need to be paid to the quality of the dowel so that it does not damage the vibraphone bars.

Some vibraphone pedaling is indicated using slurs and staccato markings. Otherwise pedaling is at the discretion of the performers.

In the djembe part, some strategic “touch” tones (up to the performer) can help maintain the feel and the integrity of the 16th note grid. At letter F, depending on the level and comfort of the performer with djembe, all 32nd notes can be omitted (see the alternate djembe staff).

The ribbon crasher can be played with a foot pedal or mounted and played with a stick, depending on the player’s preference and ability to coordinate off-beats with the bongo part. If playing ribbon crasher with a stick, the flam in m. 118 can be played using the ribbon crasher hand or the grace note may be omitted.

In the vibraphone 2 part, the pandeiro should be played with a typical Brazilian swing and, if possible, traditional pandeiro technique. If uncomfortable with this style, the player can substitute the notated triplet part on a concert-style tambourine.

PLAYERS AND INSTRUMENTATION

Ceaseless Staircase requires 6 players with the following instrumentation:

1. Marimba soloist (low A, optional low F)

2. Glockenspiel

3. Vibraphone 1

4. Vibraphone 2 + pandeiro (may substitute with tambourine)

5. Percussion — bongos, water triangle*, mark tree, snare drum, ribbon crasher (played w/ foot pedal)

6. Djembe

*May play triangle without water effect if necessary.

SUGGESTED SETUP

G l o c k e n s p i e l

V i b r a p h o n e 1

V i b r a p h o n e 2 + p a n d e i r o

4 4 4 4 4 & CEASELESS STAIRCASE Level: Med-Advanced Approx. playing time: 5'15" © 2024 Tapspace Publications, LLC (ASCAP). All rights reserved.

5

? MATTHEW KILBY

° ¢

&

&

4 =

P e r c u s s i o n b o n g o s w a t e r t r i a n g l e m a r k t r e e s n a r e d r u m r b b o n c r a s h e r ( p a y e d w / f o o t p e d a )

D je m b e

V

°

&

∑