For solo percussion, includes instructions and score. Suitable for contest at the Jr. or High school level, this musical work requires a snare drum without snares, tom-tom, suspended cymbal, triangle, two wood blocks, xylophone and two timpani. Duration: ca. 2'
Print size: Instructions- Letter (8.5 x 11"), Score- (11 x 17")
Review from Percussive Notes:
G. Allan O’Connor – Multi-Percussion Solo No. 2
“Multi-Percussion Solo No. 2” seems to be governed by the rules of practicality. The publisher includes three copies of the single-page score in order to facilitate the different reading stations required by the piece. The entire setup, although not particularly small, consists of instruments that should be available in any public school band room, and in fact the piece could reasonably be attempted by the average high school percussionist or particularly gifted middle school percussionist. I feel the piece could also be suited as a brief undergraduate assignment, serving as an easy-to-digest precursor to the William Kraft suites. At just three minutes in duration, the work falls victim to the cliché of percussion pieces that take longer to set up than to play, but once the gear has been assembled, percussion students will find ample opportunity to develop their craft and explore the medium, and teachers will have plenty to discuss in their lessons that can be applied to other areas of percussion. Despite its brevity, the piece is able to establish a musical identity as an efficient episodic journey that cycles across the setup (one almost wonders if the composer intended a coy wink at Stockhausen’s “Zyklus No. 9”) before losing anyone’s interest. There does not seem to be an appreciable level of artistic meaning or depth beyond introducing the performer to the challenges of multiple percussion, but it succinctly and effectively accomplishes that goal in no uncertain terms, and as such the piece would be a wonderful and useful addition to any band library.
—Brian Graiser
