Fallen, for snare drum alone, includes one score.
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Review from Percussive Notes:
Fallen
David Macbride
“Fallen” is a short snare drum solo appropriate for advanced college students or professional players. It explores timbre and space while utilizing uncommon notational techniques. Traditional rudimental rhythmic figures one might expect to see in a snare drum solo are absent here, replaced instead with slow rolls that give way to shifting, quickening pulses juxtaposed with a solitary dissenting metallic voice, unaffected by the increasingly agitated playing happening around it. The unhurried voice wins and carries the piece to a delicate end that allots more time to silence than to playing.
Hard timpani mallets are the primary implements used throughout, with thin dowels briefly called for near the end of the piece. The rattles play a rather small role in the piece, and substitutions for the requested rattles could be made with minimal impact. Unconventional notation will take a while to get used to for many players. For example, notes to be played in the center of the head are written on the fourth space of the staff, rimshots are written on the first space, notes for the rim are on the first line, and all of those notes use the same notehead.
The quality of the score leaves a bit to be desired. The published score is a photocopy of the handwritten original. Even though the score was written very neatly, the copy quality is subpar and resulted in a blurry score. Paired with the inherent irregularities of handwritten scores, some parts are a little difficult to read. Don’t let that deter you from playing this, though. It’s certainly not a deal breaker, and this is an interesting snare drum solo. Check it out.
—Brian Elizondo, 2020
