PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE MUSIC BY MICHAEL UDOW

ACOUSTIC COMPOSITION # 1 (1973)				Difficulty:V - VI
(1 - 5 perc. + stereo cassette tape) [13 Minutes] Logical instructions provided to assist in the interpretation of graphic, spatial and proportional notations, specific instructions presented to encourage the design of new sound sources, the use of found objects and/or the use of standard percussion instruments; ideal for a professional concert or degree recital. Premierd by the Blackearth Percussion Group. [V - VI]
AS THE WIND COLORS (1980)				Difficulty: III
[30 minutes] This THEATER/MUSIC composition was commissioned and premiered by The Random Aesthetic Ranch in Minneapolis and is composed for 4 gong players each in a canoe paddled by two canoeists in each of four boats; detailed costume and canoe art designs are given; with the continuing need to allow cultural diversity with greater global communication, this work of new mythology has it's creative roots in First Nation rituals.
A BIRD WHISPERED, "Your Children Are Dying" (1979)				Difficulty: IV
[11 minutes] This quintet instrumentation includes marimba (4 or 4 1/3), chimes, 4 slapsticks, 4 crotales (substitute glock bars), and hand clapping; four performers playing crotales encircle the audience accompanying the opening marimba solo which then moves into a melodic cross-rhythmic section for chimes and four hand clappers/slapsticks; this dissolves into the final section where the quintet shares one marimba playing in the style of an African Mbira, (thumb piano) commissioned and premiered by the late Pat Hanley and the Webster Groves High School.
BOG MUSIC (1978)				Difficulty: V - VI
(solo perc. and 3 percssionists) [15 minutes] Three movement work; soloist:     Mvt. I: vibraphone,     Mvt. II: timbrepad of 12 standard idiophones,     Mvt. III: 12 tom toms; The other 3 percussion parts consist of small multiple percussion set-ups and are also challanging; changing meters, intricate rhythmic interlocking of weaving timbres between the performers; appropriate for a professional concert or degree recital; this work won the Percussive Arts Society's 1st Prize Award for composition for percussion ens. Premiered by Karen Ervin & Tintabulum. Recorded on the Equilibrium Label: SM0019.
COYOTE DREAMS	NEW!			Difficulty: V
(for marimba - 5 octave - and 3 percussionists) [18 minutes] Commissioned by Ron Samuels, President,Marimba One, for Katarzina Mycka, 1996 winner of the World Marimba Competition-Stuttgart, and 1995 winner of the Luxembourg International Marimba Competition. The premiere will take place at the 1997 Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Aneheim, CA the third week of November. Instruments include 5 octave marimba, shimedaiko (bongos), taiko (congas), O-daiko (bass drum), musical saw, cymbal on timpano, amplified cymbal, idiophones which may include log drums, piccolo wood blocks, metals, etc., wooden box. This is a powerhouse tonal high energy work with mix meters and cross-rhythmic interlocking rhythms. The middle section has a lyrical choral which develops into a highly contrapuntal extended harmonic "Bachian Invention". Not for the faint of heart!
DANCE for J.P.C. (1988)				Difficulty: II - IV
[1 - 4 minutes] This quartet (doubling of any of the parts is permissible) was composed in Tokyo in June of 1988 when the composer was asked by Akira Komaki, to whom the work is dedicated, to write a short piece for young percussionists at a master class in the Japan Percussion Center (J.P.C.); composed in 7/8 time with, at first, similar sub-groupings of 3+2+2 and then shifting to overlapping sub-groupings, each part is written for one unspecified sound source; the performance tempo is flexible - (to be determined by the timbres selected and performance level of the ensemble), and at a sprightly tempo, the composite rhythms moving at sub-divisions of the quarter note can be challenging for an advanced high school level ensemble.
DINOSAUR DANCE (1991)				Difficulty: V
[6 minutes] This work for solo timpanist and percussion quartet (4 or 5 timpani, vibraphone, glock, chimes, metals) demands a high level of interlocking inner pulse skills with across the bar-line phrasing. Timpani tuning is reasonable and logical; appropriate for public performance and recital repertory. The percussion quartet parts are equally challenging. Premiered by Jonathan Haas and Drumfire with Benjamin Herman, timpanist.
FLASHBACK (1990)				Difficulty: VI
[13 minutes] A percussion quartet for vibraphone, 2 marimbas, and a fourth player with glock, 2 hi hats, 7 toms and 5 Peking opera gongs is a virtuoso ensemble work which demands the highest level of interlocking inner pulse with a solid grasp and comfort in playing in 7/8, 11/8, 12/8 and 4/4 meters while at times playing melodic material over the bar lines for extended periods of time; this is a composition which will only work if performed by four superb players; the concept and impetus for this work comes from the composer's admiration for the transcendental energy of master musicians, Alan Abel, Gary Burton, and Percy "Mr. Bones" Danforth. Commissioned by the Atmos Percussion Group and premiered by them at the 1990 Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Philadelphia.
FOUR MOVEMENTS (1974)				Difficulty: V
[8 minutes] The Movements, "Shake, Scrape, Rub and Strike" utilize maracas, guiros, sandpaper blocks and hand clapping (+ one bottle player), respectively; ALL INSTRUMENTS FIT INTO ONE SMALL SUITCASE! ideally a certain subtle theatrical performance posture and attitude will develop as the players, seated in the traditional string quartet configuration, perform each movement. Premiered at Chicago's Mooing Theater as part of an Equilibrium Concert. "STRIKE" recorded by Cincinnati Percussion Group, Opus One # 80/81.
ILLUSION I (1980)				Difficulty: III - IV
(See Reality I & Illusion I)
LIMITS (1977)				Difficulty: V
(Trio: Unspecified Instrumentation) [8 minutes] This time/space score for a trio of actors, dancers, mimes, and/or musicians gives explicit instructions for interpreting a series of Pictograms which constantly mutate related, yet distinct, materials selected and/or created by the interpreter/performers. Premiered by The New Verbal Workshop.
MUSIC FOR CROSS-CULTURES NO. 1 (1983)				Difficulty: IV - V
[8 minutes] This work for twelve percussionists uses ham boning (body slapping) along with 2 marimbas (4 octave) 2 vibes, 10 toms, 10 roto toms, 5 timbales, 5 bongos, 2 bass drums, 4 suspended steel plates, 2 gliss gongs; aside from the fact that the music is presented in text rather than through verbal instructions the work is learned not unlike the way gamelan musicians would learn a new work; this piece is quite appropriate for a university ensemble in which developing skills of memorization, strong inner pulse, understanding of shifting cross-rhythms and performance bravura are goals. Commissioned and premiered by George Frock & The University of Texas Percussion Ensemble.
POLE WRAPPING (1976)				Difficulty: II
[20 minutes] This minimalist performance art work for one dancer and tape (to be recorded by four performers) was a collaboration between the composer and visual artist, Karen Watts; the sound notation for stones, voice, dripping water, camera shutter, 2 desk bells and sandpaper blocks is graphic, proportional, and can be performed by non-percussionists; specific instructions for making fabric objects which cover a wooden tree limb are given as well as movement instructions indicating how these objects are to be manipulated during the performance. Commissioned & premiered by Mary Fulkerson, Dartington, England.
REALITY I & ILLUSION I (1980)				Difficulty: III - IV
[2 minutes each] These are two separate works for 5 perc. & non-optional conductor which should be programmed together on the same concert; in Reality I the conductor conducts the five clave players; in Illusion I, the conductor plays claves and the 5 performers conduct individual metric patterns with distinct flare and penuche; Reality I & Illusion I may be programmed consecutively, opening up each concert half or opening and closing a concert. Premiered by UMKC Percussion Ensemble.
SANDSTEPS I. (1988)				Difficulty: IV - V
[Variable length ca. 7 - 12 minutes] This percussion duo begins with both players performing a slow lyrical contrapuntal melody at a 4 1/3 octave "low A" marimba which melds into a second section completely improvised with free instrumentation; the third section for marimba and auxiliary instruments (as determined by the performers) is a folk music-like, mixed metered melody which begins slowly, and ends fast and allows for improvisation. Commissioned and premiered by SANDSTEPS (Alison Shaw & Craig Wigley).
SHADOW SONGS I (1986)				Difficulty: III - IV
[9 minutes] This work is for twenty-one performers playing 6 timp., xylo, 3 marimbas (4o C - C), 1 marimba(4 1/3), 2 glocks. chimes, bongos, timbales, 4 toms, bass dr., 2 susp. cyms., 2 tams.; the melodic material is derived from the work, Over the Moon, (composed from images of Japanese Haiku), as well as from West African and North Indian drumming; for a director who conducts several groups, the 9 keyboard players can be rehearsed as one group while the remaining 12 players can form another ensemble with both groups coming together for final rehearsals. Commissioned and premiered by Joan Wenzel and New Philadelphia High School at the Mid-West Band & Orchestra Association Convention.
SHADOW SONGS IV (1988)				Difficulty: V
[8 minutes] Composed for Ms. Keiko Abe, this work, for solo marimba and 3 - 8 percussionists, is appropriate for a recital or professional concert; the melodic material, composed from images of Japanese Haiku, is derived from the work, Over the Moon, as well as from concepts of West African and North Indian drumming.
THE SHATTERED MIRROR (1987)				Difficulty: V - VI
[45 minutes] Considered a new art form, this "Percussion Drama" is composed for a variable number of performers; the work must be memorized and would be a full semester's performance project for a good university level or professional percussion ensemble; the composer/director has a performance role in the composition and, thus, must be in residence for the final two weeks of rehearsals to direct and work with the ensemble; - Grand Rights Apply - contact EQ PRESS for detailed information. Premiered by The University of Michigan Percussion Ensemble
SUITE FOR JAZZ DRUMS & 4 HAND CLAPPERS (1965)				Difficulty: II
[5 minutes] A bassa nova, a waltz, and a 5/4 jazz section comprise the three movements for this, the earliest work in the catalogue; the hand clapping, in the style of Warren Benson and Jack McKenzie, requires low to high pitch inflections; the drum set chart allows for extensive improvisation. Premiered by junior high school students at the National Music Camp, Interlochen 1965.
THOUGHTS FROM ALMOST NEAR SOMEWHERE (1988)				Difficulty: V - VI
[12 minutes] This suite, for a variable number of performers above six, combines materials from the percussion drama, The Shattered Mirror, with new musical materials; the precise sonic and visual energy, both delicate and bombastic, makes this work a must for any good college or professional ensemble.
TIMBRACK QUARTET (1978)				Difficulty: IV - V
[4 minutes, 30 seconds] Each performer has a like set-up twelve idiophones, arranged on foam pads in a keyboard configuration; the keyboard notation thus specifies location of timbres rather than frequency; "call and response" and flamenco-like sixteenth note inner-weaving of the voices (including a section for claves sounding like a gathering crickets) is the operative style for this work which ends in a lively, syncopated, unison crescendo.
TOYAMA (1993)				Difficulty: NR
[3 - 4 minutes] Composed for the 1993 Toyama, Japan Percussion Festival, this work combines additive rhythmic compositional concepts utilized in the music of Frederick Rzewski and cycling rhythmic concepts familiar in the music of Steve Reich.. Toyama is easily memorizable, yet develops high levels of concentration and attention to a strong sense of inner-pulse. Premiered by The Toho Gakuen Percussion Ensemble and The University of Michigan Percussion Ensemble.
TWO TRANSPARENT STRUCTURES (1969)				Difficulty: III - IV
[8 minutes] for solo marimba & perc. quartet tom tom, tam tam, "E" crotale; chimes, 2 tri., 2 timp.; 5 coffee cans, log drum; tri., susp. cym., bass dr.; both movements are lyrical & modal in the "October Mountain" tradition; sensitive timbre balancing and solid inner pulse with shifting meters makes this early work valuable for the high school or average freshman level perc. group.

RECORDED AND AVAILABLE FROM EQUILIBRIUM
	COMPACT DISC #EQ1 - Includes Rock Etude #7, Bog Music, A Bird Whispered,"your children are dying", Timbrack Quartet, The Shattered Mirror
	COMPACT DISC #EQ2 - Also includes: Rouse - Ogoun Badagri, Daugherty - Lex, Hollinden - Whole Toy Laid Down, Vayo - Border Crossing, Shapiro - Sextet
	COLLECTORS LP #LP1 - Includes: Bog Music, A Bird Whispered,"your children are dying", Timbrack Quartet - Including: Extensive booklet, Composer's notes, Score examples, Instrument set-up, Photographs, and an Overview by Williams Brooks