Je danse, J’apprends
Since this composition has one musician playing a variety of instruments, I’ve created this page to provide some notes on the instruments themselves, and their use in this composition. Below is an image of the percussion array, with some specifics, but I give a lot of leeway to the percussionist in instrument selection. (The trapezoid is the marimba.)
Concert toms come in several sizes, from 6″ to 14″+. They’re mounted on stands, and are usually “single-headed” (with a striking surface, but nothing covering the bottom of the drum), which makes the sound a bit more resonant and “tuneful” than the two-headed toms common to rock music drum sets. Concert toms are sometimes tuned to pitches, but since the movement using them (the Reel) goes all over the map harmonically, and since the drums are primarily used for fast percussion color, I’ve not required such. The arrangement from large/left to small/right matches the demands on the stick work of the percussionist.
Suspended cymbals are also mounted on stands which allows them to be played with sticks and mallets. They also come in a variety of sizes and timbers. I’ve asked for only two — an 18″ concert cymbal which does most of the work, and a splash cymbal which provides emphasis, and an occasional change in play timbre with sticks — in that pursuit, I’ve referenced where on the splash cymbal I’d like it to be struck. The movement Gavotte/Musette uses the cymbals in an introduction, and for rhythmic detail in the musette, but otherwise are used mostly for color and dramatic effect.
Snare Drums are well-known to all music listeners, providing a snappy rhythmic push to anything using them. Rhythmically, the gigue is the most jagged and forceful of the movements, so the snare helps a lot. I haven’t included much for snare drum size and type in my notes, assuming that the percussionist will select something familiar — all will do the job.
Marimbas are conceptually different than the non-pitched percussion instruments above, since they’re laid out (and used) like a piano’s keys for melodic, harmonic, even thematic purposes — it carries the melody more than once in La Spagnoletta. But they’re struck with mallets and sticks, hence their inclusion in the “percussion” family, and my use of it for rhythmic enhancement. All that power is why the opening movement uses this instrument, and is longer than any of the others.
Below is my idea of how things might be arranged on stage.
Jeffrey L. Jones, Composer 