Susman-Material Rhythms (SP)-Indeterminate wood/metal/skin instruments

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"Material Rhythms" is an engaging and exciting percussion quartet in 4 movements; each movement uses its own set of materials. The performers must try to find the most uniform-sounding instruments, so that the rhythmic interplay can be heard best. When my percussion ensemble performed it, we used wood slats (cut and tuned as best as possible by hand), cut metal pipes (which creates a marvelous Balinese gamelan sort of shimmering effect), and bongos. The score leaves a lot of room for instrument choice! "II. Metal" is probably the most good ol' fashioned fun, and "III.Skin" is the most challenging. The last movement ("IV. Mix") really unifies the piece, passing certain rhythmic phrases from the other movements in a layered manner across the instruments and players. The clave rhythm is used a good deal, but it's cleverly hidden within the lines of the parts. There are many layers of to this work, which reveal themselves over time. This is an excellent quartet (with a portable setup!) that more folks need to perform! I really love this music. Check out the video!

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