Sideman
Subtitle: For Percussion & Wind Ensemble
General Info
Year: 2015
Duration: c. 14:55
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Aphra Music
Cost: Score and Parts - Rental | Score Only (full) - $150.00; (study) - $100.00
Instrumentation
Full Score
Flute I-II-III-IV (III & IV double Piccolo)
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III-IV
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Saxophone
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
C Trumpet I-II-III_IV
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Tuba
Percussion I-II-III, including:
- Bass Drum
- Crash Cymbals
- Crotales
- Finger Cymbals
- Hi-Hat
- Marimba
- Prayer Bowls
- Roto-toms
- Sandpaper Blocks
- Snare Drum
- Suspended Cymbals (3)
- Tabla
- Triangle (high)
Solo Percussion:
- Crotales
- Drum Kit
- Glockenspiel
- Log Drum
- Prayer Bowls
- Roto-Toms
- Tapan
- Vibraphone
- Wood Block
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Dedicated to Gary Green, with deep gratitude for his friendship and support.
- Program Note from score
Sideman was commissioned by the Frost School of Music and Mr. Howard Gourwitz for Svet Stoyanov and Gary Green.
- Program Note from YouTube recording of premiere
Featuring percussion as a solo instrument is akin to showcasing a chameleon. The basic premise of ‘one instrument per human” shatters when the soloist is able to jump from one sound to the next, and this gives rise to novel musical possibilities regarding foreground and background. While we often think of percussion bombastically (hence “percussion battery”), the opportunities to blend in abound, whether through quiet instruments or gentle playing.
That premise underlies Sideman, which begins with the percussionist residing in the wonderful ‘mid-ground’ grey area. The opening metallic percussion evolves to a miniature ‘woodblock drumset’ -- persistent yet quiet -- and it is not until a third of the way into the piece that the player becomes more assertive. Fractured jazz harmonies explode out of the band, but in tight coordination with it. The calmer middle movement features a lyrically virtuosic passage for vibraphone and crotales simultaneously, with the prayer bowls of the opening returning meditatively. A seamless transition on tapan, a Bulgarian drum that is one of the amazing Svet Stoyanov’s specialties, takes us to the frantic finale, when rhythms inspired by drum ‘n bass electronica overtake both soloist and ensemble.
- Program Note by composer
Media
(Needed - please join the WRP if you can help.)
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Arkansas Tech University Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Daniel A. Belongia, conductor; Ksenija Komljenovic, percussion) - 29 April 2018
- University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire Wind Symphony (John R. Stewart, conductor) – 10 March 2018
- University of Memphis (Tenn.) Wind Ensemble (Albert Nguyen, conductor; Bill Shaltis, percussion) – 1 March 2018
- Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Md.) Peabody Wind Ensemble (Harland D. Parker, conductor) – 28 April 2017
- University of Miami (Fla.) Frost Wind Ensemble (Robert Carnochan, conductor; Svet Stoyanov, percussion) – 17 March 2017 (CBDNA 2017 National Conference, Kansas City, Mo.)
- University of Miami (Fla.) Frost Wind Ensemble (Gary Green, conductor; Svet Stoyanov, percussion) – 26 April 2015 *Premiere Performance*
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release (arr. Thornton) (2018)
- Bootlegger's Break (2022)
- Chicago, 2012 (2014)
- Mothership (2012)
- Rusty Air in Carolina (2006/2015)
- Sea-Blue Circuitry (2011/2013)
- Sideman (2015)
- White Lies for Lomax (tr. Marinello)
Resources
- Bates, M.; Green, G.; University of Miami. Wind Ensemble. (2015). Sideman: For Percussion & Wind Ensemble [score]. Alphra Music: [California].