PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
Ralph Sorrentino, Director TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020 WARE FAMILY RECITAL HALL SWOPE MUSIC BUILDING 8:15 PM
PROGRAM Babybot ................................................................................................................. Andrea Mazzariello (b. 1978) Sean McWilliams, Nate Gittelman, Dan Farnum, Luke Thurston
Three Pieces for Drum Quartet .................................................................................. James Tenney (1934-2006) III. Crystal Canon for Edgard Varèse Luke Thurston, Zach Volturo, Tori Fritz, David Sabella
The Whistler .......................................................................................... George Hamilton Green (1893-1970) arr. B. Becker (b. 1947) Sean McWilliams, xylophone Jacob Scheidt, Kathleen Carter, Anthony Maldonado, and Luke Thurston; marimba Nate Gittelman, trap set
Knocking on Wood ...................................................................................................... Tyler Eschendal (b. 1993) Cameron Davis, Brett Gillott, Sean Hayes, Fred Spaziani
Londonderry Air ................................................................................................................................... Traditional arr. G. Peters (b. 1931) and P. Tanner (b. 1936) Kelly Lawrie, Dan Kucharik, Caitlyn Scanlan, Kris Nelson, and Neel Patel * This performance of Londonderry Air is dedicated to the memory of Mr. Alan Abel
Sharpened Stick ...................................................................................................................Brett Dietz (b. 1972) Cameron Davis, Luke Thurston, Nate Gittelman, Anthony Maldonado, and Dan Farnum
West Chester University Percussion Ensemble Kathleen Carter Cameron Davis Dan Farnum Tori Fritz Brett Gillott Nate Gittelman Sean Hayes
Dan Kucharik Kelly Lawrie Anthony Maldonado Sean McWilliams Kris Nelson Neel Patel David Sabella
Please silence cell phones and electronic devices.
Anton Saliaris Caitlyn Scanlan Jacob Scheidt Fred Spaziani Luke Thurston Zach Volturo
PROGRAM NOTES
Babybot asks performers to create their own tabletop instrument out of found objects: flower pots, tin cans, metal
pipes, wood slats, and glass bottles. The patterns, though, approach these assembled objects as drum kits, pushing through grooves that morph and shift over the course of the piece. - Andrea Mazzariello
Three Pieces for Drum Quartet consists of three short compositions: Wake for Charles Ives, Hocket for Henry Cowell, and Crystal Canon for Edgard Varèse. Crystal Canon is written for four snare drums, and the primary motivic material
is drawn from the snare drum part in Varèse’s Ionisation. Fragments of the theme are first introduced in canon, as the texture gradually becomes more dense. The second section then explores the theme in retrograde canon with snares off. The final section begins with players 1 and 3 alternating fragments of the theme with snares on, and the piece concludes with a unison statement of the theme.
The Whistler is a novelty ragtime xylophone solo written in the style of a foxtrot. Composer George Hamilton Green
was a prominent xylophone virtuoso during the first half of the twentieth century, and he enjoyed a successful career as a soloist, composer, and author. Bob Becker and NEXUS championed Green’s music and revived interest in the novelty ragtime genre. Becker’s arrangement of The Whistler features a xylophone soloist with marimba quartet accompaniment.
Tyler Eschendal composed Knocking on Wood in 2014, and the George Mason University Percussion Ensemble performed the piece during the PASIC 2016 New Percussion Literature Showcase. The composition requires each performer to play a resonant piece of wood (e.g., partial 2 x 4, wood slab, etc.) and a wood block, with both types of instruments graduated high to low from player 1 to player 4. Tyler Eschendal is a composer and percussionist whose compositions explore his interest in adapting structural elements of electronic music to acoustic and live instruments.
Londonderry Air is a widely-known melody that is attributed to County Londonderry in Ireland. Though the melody
was listed as an anonymous air in the 1855 publication of The Ancient Music of Ireland, the transcription of the air is generally attributed to Jane Ross. This arrangement was published by Gordon Peters (former Principal Percussionist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra) and Peter Tanner (former professor at the University of Massachussetts). We would like to dedicate this performance to the memory of Mr. Alan Abel (former Associate Principal Percussionist of The Philadelphia Orchestra and member of the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame), who passed away in April 2020. The West Chester University Percussion Studio was honored to host Mr. Abel for four on-campus percussion masterclasses throughout the last 20 years, and these classes left indelible impressions on our students.
The Sharpened Stick is a Native American war song and dance that is in the "fish-step" style. It is said that the Charleston, a popular 1920s dance craze, was derived from this dance. At several points during the piece, the performers shout "Yo-Ho" - in Native American music, this is sounded by the lead singer and signifies a change of direction in the music as well as a change in the direction of the dance. Composer Brett Dietz is Associate Professor of Percussion at the Louisiana State University School of Music.
UPCOMING WELLS SCHOOL OF MUSIC EVENTS For full event details visit www.wcupa.edu/music or call (610) 436-2739
COVID-19 STATEMENT In Person Audiences Are Not Permitted for Fall 2020 Events Sunday, November 29, 2020, 3:00 PM Wind Ensemble Concert Andrew Yozviak, director Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre Performing Arts Center
Tuesday, December 1, 2020, 7:30 PM Symphony Orchestra Concert Joseph Caminiti, director WCU Foundation 202 Carter Drive
Wednesday, December 2, 2020, 8:15 PM Flute Ensemble Concert Kimberly Reighley, director Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre Performing Arts Center
Thursday, December 3, 2020, 11:00 AM WSoM Fall Convocation Recital Ralph Sorrentino & Emily Bullock Ware Family Recital Hall Swope Music Building
Thursday, December 3, 2020, 8:15 PM Statesmen & Jazz Combos Concert Daniel Cherry, director Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall Philips Memorial Building
Saturday, December 5, 2020, 3:00 PM 99th Annual Holiday Program Ryan Kelly, director Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall Philips Memorial Building
Sunday, December 6, 2020, 7:30 PM Collegium Musicum Mark Rimple, director Ware Family Recital Hall Swope Music Building *Tickets required for this event.
Steinway & Sons Piano Technical, Tuning and Concert Preparations by Gerald P. Cousins, RPT A majority of performances are available to watch via live stream at Facebook.com/ArtsAtWCUPA and LiveStream.com/wcupa. Mr. Robert Rust, Audio & Visual Technician Events at the Wells School of Music are often supported by individual sponsors and organizations. Contributions to the Wells School of Music may be made out to: West Chester University Foundation 202 Carter Drive, West Chester, PA 19382
For further information, please call (610) 436-2868 or contact Dr. Christopher Hanning, Dean. If you do not intend to save your program, please recycle it in the baskets at the exit doors. The Wells School of Music | West Chester University of Pennsylvania Dr. Christopher Hanning, Dean