Six Poems (Percussion Duet)

Six Poems is a six-movement work for percussion duet that is based off literary forms instead of musical forms. This work is scored for alternating instrumentation with movements I, III, and V being scored for metallic percussion and movements II, IV, and VI are scored for four drums each. Six Poems is an exciting work for percussion duet that presents unique challenges to the performers.

Genre: Duet for 2 Percussion | # of Players: 2
Series: N/A
Level: Medium Advanced | Duration: 17:20 total

Instrumentation
Percussion 1: Crotales (2 octaves], Glockenspiel, 4 Drums
Percussion 2: Desk Bells [G, B-flat, D, E-flat, F-sharp], Vibraphone, 4 Drums

Program Notes
Six Poems is a six-movement work for percussion duet that is based on literary forms and utilizes alternating instrumentation. Movements I, III, and V are scored for metallic pitched percussion instruments, while movements II, IV, and VI are scored for four drums each. The forms used for each movement dictated certain aspects of the structure but also provided inspiration for the music itself. The forms used are soliloquy, blank verse, elegy, haiku, ode, and free verse and the movements are named accordingly. All melodic and harmonic material in this piece occurs in G Harmonic Minor.

– S.W.