For five percussionists. Instrumentation: 1. Three timpani, triangle, five temple blocks, vibra-slap; 2. Metal snare drum, orchestra bells, tambourine, xylophone; 3. Bongos, castanets, marimba, three cow bells, cuckoo; 4. Bass drum, small gong, two wood blocks, two suspended cymbals; 5. Finger cymbals, tubular chimes, large gong, guiro, claves, small ratchet. Good high school or college program material! Duration: ca. 6'
Review from Percussive Notes:
Clocks
Frank McCarty
Frank McCarty’s quintet “Clocks” is scored for a wide variety of keyboard, non-pitched, and ancillary percussion instruments. It is comprised of 10 unique gestures per player followed by a rhythmically unison coda section. Employing elements of chance to determine the number of repeats, these gestures can be performed in any order, but no two successive cues can be played on the same instrument. It is best suited for an advanced high school or college percussion quintet with an interest in indeterminate music.
While most of the gestures could be sight read, players need to familiarize themselves with specifics such as implement requirements and playing area. For example, player five is instructed to drag a triangle beater along the ridges of a gong, while player three must spin coins on heads of bongos. Because players choose the order of the gestures and number of repeats, a conductor is suggested by the composer to facilitate structural shifts in performance.
The greatest challenge with this work is maintaining dynamic contrast. With only one exception, there are no written dynamics in any of the gestures. McCarty states that each gesture is to begin pianissimo and crescendo to mezzo-piano, only to decrescendo back to pianissimo over the course of 10–20 repeats. Player five is the only individual with a notated forte, written on the long ratchet roll. This, coupled with the recommended duration of six minutes, may make it difficult to sustain musical interest. Nonetheless, “Clocks” utilizes very unusual timbral effects and would work well in a variety of performance situations.
—Danielle Moreau
