We Shall Overcome, for two steel pan players each playing double seconds, includes two scores. This piece is based on the traditional spiritual by the same name.
Print size: Letter (8.5 x 11")
Click here to view a performance on YouTube.
Review from Percussive Notes (Dec. 2020):
We Shall Overcome
David Macbride
This special arrangement of the traditional American spiritual “We Shall Overcome” was completed by the late University of Hartford composer David Macbride. The arrangement calls for two percussionists, each playing a pair of double second steel pans in different ranges. Player 1 requires the higher range from F-sharp below middle C up 2 1/2 octaves to a high C-sharp. Player 2 requires a slightly lower range of F-sharp below middle C up 2 1/3 octaves to A.
The song is arranged in seven sections, each with varying tempi, moods, and styles. Timbrally, performers are required to play dead strokes and non-pitched areas of their pans between pitches in the second section. The notation is clear, but the package contains only a single score. Performers will need to read the score to follow each other’s part, as there is liberal use of rubato and chromaticism.
A full audio-visual performance is linked from the publisher’s website to YouTube. This arrangement is a great addition for percussionists to gain experience on tuned world percussion without the need to learn a new style of music culturally, as the genre throughout remains within the classical academic world. However, learning to read on a non-standard instrument such as steel pan will be one of the challenges for performers new to the instrument. There are also some moments of improvised ad lib, which would make this piece excellent material for percussionists to further their craft with.
—N. Scott Robinson
