Cosmic Lighthouse (Perc Ens 8 + Opt. Piano)

Cosmic Lighthouse combines antiphonal metallic instruments with rich extended harmonies and canonical rhythms in stage ensemble, to create a musical experience that’s both fun to play and listen to.

Genre: Percussion Ensemble | # of Players: 9
Series: N/A
Level: Intermediate | Duration: 5:40

Instrumentation
Vibraphone 1: Sizzle Cymbal, Sizzle Cymbal, 2 hard cord mallets, Bass Bow (shared w/ Vib. 2)
Vibraphone 2: Medium Suspended Cymbal, 4 hard cord mallets, Bass Bow (shared w/ Vib. 1)
Marimba 1: [4.3-octave], 4 yarn mallets
Marimba 2: [4.3-octave], 4 yarn mallets
Timpani: [3 or 4 drums], Large Suspended Cymbal, 1 wire brush / hot rods, 2 soft mallets, 1 hard felt mallet
Piano: [optional, but preferred]
Audience Left: Chimes: Low E-flat, High C | Metal Pipes: Low G, A | Low Crotales: C-sharp, F-sharp, 2 hard cord mallets, Chime hammer, Xylophone mallet
Audience Right: Chimes: Low C, High E-flat | Metal Pipes: Low G, A | Low Crotales: E, B, 2 hard cord mallets, Chime hammer, Xylophone mallet
Audience Back: Chimes: G, B-flat | Metal Pipe: D | Low Crotales: G, A, 2 hard cord mallets, Chime hammer, Xylophone mallet

Program Notes
Inspired by a photo posted on NASA’s social media accounts, Cosmic Lighthouse uses spatialization to explore the beauty of pulsars in space by placing three percussionists playing metallic instruments around the audience. Each of these musicians use different types of mallets to play chimes suspended on cymbal stands, individual crotales, and metal pipes to provide sonic representations of these pulsars. This spatial element, combined with rich extended harmonies and canonical rhythms in stage ensemble, creates a musical experience that’s both fun to play and listen to.

Cosmic Lighthouse was composed for Joseph Rangel and the Sharyland North Jr. High School Percussion Ensemble.