School of Music
U N C G
Wes Robertson
percussion
Susannah Steele, piano
assisted by:
Josh Cvijanovic, percussion
Sara Wood, percussion
Michael Wood, percussion
Keyan Peterson, percussion
Graduate Recital
Thursday, March19, 2009
7:30 pm
Recital Hall, School of Music
Program
Off Axis (1995) Lynn Glassock
(b. 1946)
Canticle (1972) Stanley Leonard
I (b. 1931)
II
Brief Pause
Carousel (1985) David Friedman and Dave Samuels
(b. 1944 and 1948)
Concerto No. 2 for Marimba (2008) David R. Gillingham
I. Slow and Mysteriously (b. 1947)
II. Chaconne
III. Fast and Lively
Wes Robertson has studied percussion with John R Beck and C. William Rice
________
In partial fulfillment of the degree requirements for the
Master of Music in Performance
Program Notes
Off Axis – Sounds that we hear directly are considered to be “on axis” while the sounds
that come to us indirectly (those reflected from walls, ceilings and other surfaces in any
given space) are said to be “off axis.” The total sound that we hear, therefore, may be
greatly influenced by these “off axis” sound waves. This is one of the reasons why a
particular piece of music will be heard differently in different environments even when
performers and instruments remain the same. In this case, the marimba is the primary
sound source and the quartet becomes the reflecting surface, which colors the ideas that
are originated by the solo instrument. By reflecting a hard, fast and more exacting
response during some sections and adding a totally different type of “off axis” color in
others, the primary goal of the ensemble is to enhance the sound of the marimba and,
ultimately, the total sound experience. The title refers to the conscious effort made during
the compositional process to always work toward a total sound concept.
-Lynn Glassock
Stanley Leonard achieved prominence in the music world during his thirty-eight year
tenure as Principal Timpanist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He performed
internationally with the PSO in concerts, television productions, and recordings.
Additionally, as a solo artist, he premiered several major, new works for solo timpani and
orchestra. Leonard's extensive compositions for percussion and other musical mediums are
published in the United States and Europe and performed around the world. He is author of
Pedal Technique for the Timpani, a well-known method book that is unique in its field.
Leonard can be heard performing and directing his compositions for percussion on the CD,
Canticle, distributed by Ludwig Music. He has also presented master classes at leading
conservatories and universities in the United States and abroad. Currently Leonard serves
on the PAS Symphonic Committee. He has taught for many years in an adjunct capacity at
Duquesne University and Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Canticle is a two-movement work for timpani that utilizes the timpaniʼs ability to use its
pedals to create a melody. Movement one begins with a slow and free introduction, where a
main motive is introduced. The movement then progresses to a slow marching section
where the left hand plays an ostinato in the center of the drum and the right hand plays the
melody, which is pedaled between the two middle drums. Movement two is marked
“joyous” and is much like a traditional gigue. The melody is dispersed and pedaled among
all four drums making this movement very exciting and challenging for the timpanist.
Dave Friedman (b. 1944) has been the Professor of Jazz Studies at the Hochschule der
Künste in Berlin since he began the program in 1989. An internationally renowned jazz
vibraphonist and marimbist, Friedman has shared the stage with performers such as Bobby
McFerrin, Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver, and John Scofield. Recognized for his fresh sound
and creative approach to mallet percussion, Dave Samuels (b. 1948) has performed with
many jazz greats, including Gerry Mulligan, Oscar Peterson, Chet Baker, Stan Getz and
Pat Methany. Additionally, he has been voted “Best Vibes Player” in Jazziz and Modern
Drummer magazine, and has received numerous Grammy nominations.
In 1974, the two formed the marimba/vibe duo Double Image. Their recordings and live
performances of jazz standards, original compositions, and spontaneous improvisations
have been called “spellbinding.” Recorded live on March 5, 2006 for their CD “Moment to
Moment,” Carousel is a fast and challenging work. Loosely based on an ABA form, the
work is largely improvisatory, with solo passages and demanding a great deal of
communication between the performers.
The Concerto No. 2 for Marimba is a commission by a consortium of schools and
performers headed by Professor Marc Wooldridge of Northwestern College, Orange City,
Iowa. The work exploits the full range of the technical and expressive ability of the five-octave
concert grand marimba. It is cast in the standard three-movement format.
The first movement uses sonata-rondo form and begins with a slow introduction and quasi-cadenza
by the marimba. An animated first theme follows in G-minor accompanied by
clarinets and tambourine. A contrasting second theme area follows featuring chromatic
mediant progressions and descending chromatic lines. The return of the first theme utilizes
a slightly different accompaniment. The development section reworks all the thematic
material in different guises. The recapitulation presents the first theme, verbatim, as it was
in the exposition. The second theme, however, changes the mode to major. The return
alternates the marimba on the theme with the winds playing the theme in augmentation.
The marimba quietly ends the movement with an ascending and descending arpeggiated
passage.
The second movement is a chaconne with eight variations. The marimba states a rather
haunting chorale-like melody in Bb minor. The first variation features the low brass on the
chaconne theme with the marimba on the variation. Variation II uses marimba, clarinet,
bells, and vibraphone and Variation III uses marimba, oboe, and horns. Cascading muted
brass against the augmented chaconne theme in the flutes and clarinets are indicative of
Variation IV. Variation V changes the slow pace to fast using marimba, brass, timpani, and
bells. A haunting Variation VI utilizes bowed marimba on the chaconne theme accompanied
by piano and bells. Variation VII features the low brass on the chaconne theme against
triplets in the upper brass. Rolled arpeggiated chords highlight Variation VIII along with a
solo alto saxophone on the second half of the variation. A somber coda brings the
movement to a close.
The third movement, like the first, is in sonata-rondo design and is cyclic, bringing back and
combining the thematic material of the first and second movements. The first theme, in D-minor,
is angular and spirited, accompanied by clarinets and tambourine (reminiscent of
Mvt. I). The second theme brings back the second theme of the first movement followed by
the return of the first theme, now accompanied by saxophones and tambourine. The
development combines and works thematic material from all three movements of the
concerto. The recapitulation begins with the bassoons on the first theme, followed by the
horns/trumpets and finally, the marimba. The second theme brings back the chaconne of
the second movement, this time in major with the marimba accompanying using rhythmic
material taken from the first theme of the third movement. There is no formal return of the
first theme. Instead, the marimba plays a cadenza in which the first theme material and the
second movement chaconne are developed. A galloping presto (coda) follows, ending the
movement in D major.
- David R. Gillingham
