Phifer, Larry- Construction #2, for 3-6 instruments (Digital Download)

For 3-6 instruments. A single score sheet of graphics allows each player to respond to what they see within the limitations of rules set out by the composer. This work can be played with any combination of from 3 to 6 instrumentalists, including at least one percussionist. Duration: ca. 5

Print size: Legal/ 8.5 x 14"

Review from Percussive Notes (2022):

Interpretation is key in this re-release of Larry Phifer’s 1969 work, “Construction #2.” This brief work for flexible instrumentation, which lasts between four and six minutes, is a unique introduction to performing indeterminate music. While not as free as Earle Brown’s “December 1952,” “Construction #2” does offer an entryway into score mobility.   

“Construction #2” is presented as a series of parallelograms, each of which features oblong interconnected musical staves. Despite their unique presentation, each staff features traditional staff notation without a clef, a characteristic that allows the range to be determined by performers and the constraints of their instruments. The particular path through each parallelogram is left to the performer, leaving ample opportunity for interpretation.   

Despite the open nature of the piece, a few instructions guide the performers and limit total freedom. Amongst them, the piece may be conducted and must contain three performers, at least one of whom should be a percussionist. It should be noted that while the piece is conducted, that person’s interpretive role is limited to that of timekeeper, allowing this role to be substituted for a time-keeping device visible to all performers.   

While there are many indeterminate works to choose from, the reissue of this work offers the curious performer an opportunity to explore indeterminacy and score mobility with the aid of traditional score notation. While indeterminacy may not be a student’s chosen musical taste, it offers musicians the opportunity to further develop their self-efficacy in performance realization, a skill that is not bound by a given piece or style.   

—Quintin Mallette