Slide (Perc Ens 15 + Piano)

Conceived as a companion piece to one of Dave Hall's other works, "Surfacing," Slide is dedicated to his three children, who are filled with such joy with the simplicity of going down a slide after the hard work of climbing the stairs to get there.

Genre: Percussion Ensemble | # of Players: 15 + piano
Level: Medium Difficult | Duration: 7:10

Instrumentation
Vibraphone 1
Vibraphone 2
Vibraphone 3
Vibraphone 4

Marimba 1 (5-octave)
Marimba 2 (5-octave)
Marimba 3 (5-octave)
Marimba 4 (5-octave)
Marimba 5 (5-octave)
Marimba 6 (5-octave)

Timpani
Percussion 1 (rainstick, timpano, crotales [2-oct])
Percussion 2 (timpano, bells)
Percussion 3 (sizzle cymbal, timpano, sandpaper blocks, suspended cymbal)
Percussion 4 (rainstick, sandpaper blocks, bass drum, suspended cymbal)

Piano (rainstick)

Program Notes
Slide is a quasi-minimalistic work scored for percussion orchestra. Throughout the piece, driving repeated rhythms produce a choral effect of long sustained phrases. The title of the piece refers at the same time to smooth, continuous motion and also falling or sliding gestures (resonator and timpani glissandi and descending chromatic runs for example). Slide was composed as a companion piece for my percussion orchestra work “Surfacing.” Slide begins in the same sonic world and then proceeds to fixate for the rest of the piece on the plagal cadence at the end of Surfacing.

My toddler loves going down slides on the playground, and I am sure in a year or so my infant twins will too. There is something so beautiful about how effortlessly and happily a child goes down a slide after the hard work of climbing the stairs to get there. I’ve found it to be apt metaphor for music: after the work of an arduous period of preparation a performance is the effortless and joyful reward (as long as the preparation is true).

Slide is dedicated to my three children Ariadne, Emily, and Porter; and composed for my “other kids”: the 2016 UNL Percussion Ensemble for their showcase concert at the 2016 Percussive Arts Society International Convention.

– D.H.