« Palette »
for percussion

1973
Duration : 3 minutes

was commissioned by the Boulogne-Billancourt’s Conservatory (Conservatoire National de Région) on Alain Louvier’s initiative.
The piece aims at checking the technical acquirements of young students in percussion and concerns both elementary and medium levels.
Nomenclature :
- 3 kettledrums
- 1 snare drum
- 3 tom-toms
- 1 xylophone
- 1 gong (or tam-tam)
- 4 temple-blocks
- 3 triangles

The piece juxtaposes four distinct sequences.
1st section : ketteledrums only
Within 4/4 and 2/4 bars, with quarter notes to be performed at M.M.= 60, a number of patterns of value in different groupings are stated. They are enriched with irregular stresses which can take place on the strong beat or at weak moments as well.
Some rollings and a change of tune can be noticed.
2nd section : snare drum only
The tempo remains identical (M.M.= 60). The time signature changes from 2/4 to 6/8 in the course of the section.
Here it is essentially a matter of rhythms, of articulations (such as some attacks with « flas » borrowed from military band technique), and stresses which sometimes are superimposed on rollings.
The music tends to get gradually louder (in crescendo)
3rd section : xylophone (soft beaters) and gong (or tam-tam)
Here the tempo is rather free.
In contrast this passage develops in a very flexible way. Any feeling of pulsation is momentarily lost. A bit of expressive melody appears, imitating the modulations of a voice which stretches in a rather large ambitus.
4th section : temple-blocks, xylo, triangles, gong, tom-toms
This section, which varies the first one, leads through the tom-tom episode to the culminating point of the work, in other words its end.

Heugel Publisher
Distributor : Leduc

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