by David Reeves
8 players
Instrumentation: Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Chimes, 2 vibraphones, 2 marimbas—low A, 4 timpani, Drums (bongos, 2 congas, 4 concert toms, 3 double-headed toms, concert bass drum), Cymbals (splash cymbal, china cymbal, sizzle cymbal, 18" suspended cymbal), Accessories (4 log drums, 4 cowbells, 4 brake drums, temple blocks)
Crosswalk was written for the Center Grove High School Percussion Ensemble under the direction of Mr. Josh Torres. The make-up of the score consists of fairly standard “western” percussion instruments commonly found in the average high school’s percussion inventory. Each player has a pitched instrument and four non-pitched surfaces.
Though the piece is not intentionally programmatic, the title does imply somewhat of an unusual gait to the overall rhythmic structure of the music. This is realized in the very first few measures with the short repeated phrases beginning and ending across the barline and seldom finding beat one. Walking implies forward motion, and the lack of downbeat arrivals give the music that constant leaning and falling forward into the next phrase. The tempo markings further illustrate this crooked promenade idea by using a walking reference (e.g., “moderate pace” or “nervous jog”) along with the metronomic marking.
This piece comes with a full, bound score and includes a CD-Rom containing an audio recording and all individual parts available for printing.
