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Histoire du Soldat
by Igor Stravinksy- First piece for multi-percussion
- Born out of necessity for a music/theater act that is small and can easily travel (Stravinsky had left Russia due to the Bolshevik Revolution)
- 3 versions of the percussion score/set-up by William Kraft, Morris Lang, and James Blades (the latter is the most commonly used)
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La Création Du Monde
by Darius Milhaud
* The earliest chamber orchestra piece to include drumset
* Inspired by jazz and focuses on the African myths of creation
* Was originally a ballet -
Ballet Mécanique
by George Antheil- Originally with film, though the piece ended up being twice as long as the film
- Antheil wrote the piece as a statement about the increasing importance/presence of machines, akin to Futurist manifestos
- The 1953 revision is scored for glockenspiel, small and large airplane propeller sounds, gong (tam-tam), suspended cymbal, woodblock, triangle, military drum, tambourine, small and large electric bells, tenor drum, bass drum, 2 xylophones, and four pianos
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The Nose
By Dimitri Shostakovich
* The opera's entr'acte was written solely for ten percussionists
* Shostakovich's percussion writing for the opera was demanding, especially for the xylophone
* The extensive percussion writing contributed to the bad reviews of the opera -
Ritmicas No. 5 & 6
by Amadeo Roldán- Considered the first percussion ensemble piece
- Scored for 4 sets of claves, guiro, cencerros, maracas, quijada del burro, bongos, timbales, timpani, bombo, and marimbula
- The short pieces are both based on 3-2 son clave
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Concerto pour batterie et petite orchestra
by Darius Milhaud
* First concerto for percussion soloist (excluding timpani concertos)
* Scored for 4 timpani, triangle, suspended cymbal, cowbell, woodblock, a pair of crash cymbals, castanets, slapstick, ratchet, tambourine, tam-tam, and 3 graduated drums w/o snares -
Ionisation
by Edgard Varèse- Though not the first percussion ensemble piece, it was by far the most influential due to Varèse's prestige and the piece's construction, timbral strength, and "organized sound"
- Scored for 13 percussionists, utilizing 40 percussion instruments
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Quartet
by John Cage -
IV
by Johanna Beyer -
Auto Accident for Percussion
by Harold Davidson -
Trio
by John Cage -
Dance Rhythms
by Doris Humphrey -
Three Inventories of Casey Jones
by Ray Green -
Tambourin Chinois
by Fritz Kreisler (for violin and piano)
Arranged by George Hamilton Green (for xylophone and piano) -
Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion
by Béla Bartók
* The percussion writing explored extended techniques, per usual with Bartók's music- The percussion not only added color and accentuated the piano parts, but also took on melodic/soloistic roles as well (esp. Movements 2 & 3)
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Bomba
by Lou Harrison -
First Construction (in Metal)
by John Cage -
Pulse
by Henry Cowell -
Suite for Percussion
by Lou Harrison -
Double Music
by John Cage and Lou Harrison -
Fugue
by Lou Harrison -
Third Construction
by John Cage -
Credo in US
by John Cage -
October Mountain
by Alan Hovhaness -
Imaginary Landscape No. 3
by John Cage -
Imaginary Landscape No. 2
by John Cage -
Amores
by John Cage -
27' 10.554" for a Percussionist
by John Cage -
Zyklus No. 9
by Karlheinz Stockhausen -
Circles
by Luciano Berio -
Knocking Piece
by Ben Johnston -
Conversation
by Akira Miyoshi -
King of Denmark
by Morton Feldman -
Sonata for Xylophone Solo
By Thomas Pitfield
*the first piece written for xylophone that requires more than one mallet per hand -
Touch & Go/Plot/Stalks & Trees & Drops & Clouds
by Herbert Brün -
Mutatis Mutandis
by Herbert Brün -
Drumming
by Steve Reich -
Clapping Music
by Steve Reich -
Music for a Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III)
by George Crumb -
Three Pieces for Drum Quartet
by James Tenney -
Psappha
by Iannis Xenakis -
Branches
by John Cage -
Pléïades
by Iannis Xenakis -
Rain Tree
by Toru Takemitsu -
Marimba Spiritual
by Minoru Miki