Sideman

From Wind Repertory Project
Mason Bates

Mason Bates


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


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources

  • Bates, M.; Green, G.; University of Miami. Wind Ensemble. (2015). Sideman: For Percussion & Wind Ensemble [score]. Alphra Music: [California].