Program Notes:Ostantation for Percussion
by
Ishan Chatterjee
This piece is for timpani, triangle, temple blocks, and a low tom. I used the Finale 2004 program to create my piece. This is related to works made after World War II, in that there is no melody or harmony. It is purely simple rhythmic elements manipulated using augmentation, diminution, retrograde, permutation, and repetition.
The rhythm of this piece is quite straightforward. It has four beats per measure and the beats are broken up in to eighths and sixteenths to add the rhythm. Measures 1-5 are an introduction. From measures 6-10, I used shaping elements such as syncopation, dynamics, and accents to form and reinforce the climax at measure 10. At the end of the piece, measures 11-12 make up the Coda.
An aspect I liked about the piece was that it contained a logical organization in that there was clear introduction, rising action, climax, and Coda. If I was to change this piece I would try to improve on meshing the instruments together, the passage with syncopation, and possibly adding more instruments for variety.