by Brian Slawson
10 players
Instrumentation: Chimes*, Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Marimba—low A**, 2 Timpani (in A & D), Drumset (rack tom, floor tom, kick drum, large crash cymbal), Drums (bongos, 2 hand drums (high, low) snare drum, 2 concert toms, concert bass drum), Cymbals & gongs (2 pairs of crash cymbals, 3 suspended cymbals, large tam tam***, small tam tam), Accessories (2 pairs of claves, tambourine, triangle, maraca, vibraslap, finger cymbals, temple blocks), Piano
*Shared between Chimes and Xylophone
**Shared between two marimba players
***Shared between Snare drum and Piano
In When You Hear the Drum, Brian Slawson combines two anonymous traditional chants, “Sing We Now of Christmas” and “Fife & Drum,” into a modern groove-oriented holiday jam. There are opportunities for soloists to improvise, various syncopated rhythmic challenges, and tons of textural variety for the young percussion ensemble to sink their teeth into. A holiday program would definitely benefit from this little gem!
When You Hear the Drum was commissioned by Jim McCarl and The Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy Percussion Ensemble from Melbourne, Florida.
This piece comes with a full, bound score and includes a CD-ROM containing an audio recording and all individual parts available for printing.
