Ozymandias (Solo Timpani + Percussion Quartet)

Ozymandias or The Earth Won’t Remember Me is a work for solo timpani & percussion quartet that explores the fleeting nature of human ambition and the inevitable decay of even the most monumental creations. Inspired by Percy Bysshe Shelley’s namesake poem, the piece examines the tension between pride and humility, creation and destruction, through a journey marked by moments of reflection and growth.

Genre: Percussion Ensemble + Solo Timpani | # of Players: 5
Level: Medium Advanced | Duration: 10:30

Instrumentation
Score (8.5"x11" stapled booklet)

Solo Timpani [5 drums]
Percussion 1: 2 Bongos, 2 Congas, Sandblocks, Multi-Bass Drum [shared w/ P2], Sizzle Cymbal
Percussion 2: Snare Drum, Splash Cymbal, Multi-Bass Drum [shared w/ P1], Glockenspiel, Crotales [low octave]
Percussion 3: Low Tom, Suspended Cymbal, Vibraphone [3- or 4-octave], Shekere
Percussion 4: 2 Low Concert Toms, China Cymbal, Concert Bass Drum, Tam-Tam, Ocean Drum

Program Notes
Ozymandias or The Earth Won’t Remember Me explores the fleeting nature of human ambition and the inevitable decay of even the most monumental creations. Inspired by Percy Bysshe Shelley’s namesake poem, the piece examines the tension between pride and humility, creation and destruction, through a journey marked by moments of reflection and growth.

The subtitle to this work is a title that I’ve wanted to use for over a decade. While planning this piece out, I considered how our contributions to the world only go so far beyond the time of our physical life. In finally using this title as a sort of reckoning, I embraced my own discomfort in knowing that my own contributions to music history will inevitably fade away.

The opening movement, Mirage of Glory, bursts with bold energy, embodying the illusion of grandeur. Here, the protagonist’s (soloist) ambition seems boundless, yet like a mirage on the horizon, it fades upon closer inspection and reveals the transience of all human endeavors.

In Sands of Time, the protagonist reflects on the passage of time and the erosion of past pride. The shifting rhythms evoke the ever-changing sands of a desert, symbolizing the introspective journey from hubris to humility. As the protagonist confronts their limitations, they come to understand that true progress is found in wisdom, not just ambition.

The finale, Eternal Horizons, brings the journey full circle. It reflects both the protagonist’s quest to transcend past limitations and the recognition that even the greatest achievements are subject to time’s ravages. Returning motifs from earlier movements echo like remnants of a lost civilization, while the horizon ahead remains ever distant—inviting the protagonist to continue the journey, knowing that creation, like time, is both infinite and impermanent.

Ozymandias serves as a reminder of the cyclical nature of human effort: achievements rise, fall, and fade, but the quest for meaning and growth continues, ever renewed.

Ozymandias was composed for soloist Dr. Chase Gillett and members of the Louisiana State University Hamiruge Percussion Ensemble. It was premiered as part of his final DMA recital on April 27, 2026.