Cahn-Raga #1-4T

Raga No. 1 was composed in 1968 , and was performed by the composer, William Cahn, at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. The idea for the piece was inspired by hearings of the music of North India, and especially by the rhythm and techniques used on the tabla, the traditional drums of North Indian classical music.

Number of Players: 1
Difficulty: Grade 5+
Instrumentation: 4 Timpani

Bill Cahn has been a member of the NEXUS percussion group since 1971, and was principal percussionist in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra from 1968 to 1995. Born in Philadelphia in 1946, Bill has performed with conductors, composers, ensembles, and artists representing diverse musical styles - Chet Atkins, John Cage, Aaron Copland, Chuck Mangione, Mitch Miller, Seiji Ozawa, Steve Reich, Doc Severensen, Leopold Stokowski, Igor Stravinsky, and Paul Winter. He has conducted programs with symphony orchestras, and his compositions for solo percussion, percussion ensemble and percussion with orchestra/band are widely performed. His fourth book, "Creative Music Making," on freeform improvisation was published by Routledge Books in 2005.