Length: 10 minutes total
Difficulty: Early Advanced (Grade 4)
Instrumentation:
Trombone with straight mute
4 Timpani with mutes
- Pair of general timpani mallets
- Pair of staccato timpani mallets
- Pair of duel sided timpani mallets (Wood/Felt)
This is my first duet for percussion and non-percussion instrumentation – a genre that is in desperate need of more repertoire. Each of the four movements explores a style of music highlighted by the duo.
I. Fanfare
Thematic and bouncy, this movement pays tribute to both instruments’ roles in fanfare music. The trombone plays the main melodic motif while the timpani punctuate in a characteristic manner and takes over the melody on occasion.
II. Waltz
Light and melodic, this movement passes the main theme between the players, first with the trombone, then later on the timpani. This movement can prove challenging for the timpanist - tuning changes are required often to play the melody.
III. Dirge and Dance
This movement is split into two main parts – the dirge, and the dance – and features some extended techniques and use of mutes on both instruments. The dirge is a slow funeral march. The chaotic dance that follows is in a mixed meter, with muted glissandi in the trombone part and muffled, rapid notes in the timpani. The timpanist is also required to play with duel-sided mallets – with wood on one side and felt on the other. The movement ends with a return to the introduction material, with a surprise effect in the final measures.
IV. Finale
Loud and exciting, the final movement shows off the loud and aggressive side of the duo. The timpanist provides the rhythmic drive with relentless sixteenth notes throughout the movement, while the trombone plays the melody. Halfway through the piece, a dramatic and slow crescendo occurs with a gradual timpani glissando and upward trombone movement. The piece then concludes with a return to the main theme.