University Musical Society Program
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UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY Global Music Master Percussionists Bob Becker William Cahn John Wyre Robin Engelman Russell Hartenberger Assisted by Christopher McCourry, David Jackson, and Daniel Harris Friday Evening, March 8, 1991, at 8:00 Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan PROGRAM Fauna ............................ William Cahn Marubatoo ............................ John Wyre Gankogui ............................ an. Nexus Remembrance ........................ Robin Engelman Assisted by Christopher McCourry, trumpet, David Jackson, trombone, and Daniel Harris, bass trombone, U-M School of Music graduate students INTERMISSION Mudra ............................. Bob Becker Kichari ............................. arr. Nexus Teddy at the Throttle (a Mack Sennet film) .............. arr. Cahn Nexus is represented by Great World Artists Management Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada. U.S. Representation: Betsy M. Green Associates, Inc., Wayland, Massachusetts. The box office in the outer lobby is open during intermission for purchase of tickets to upcoming concerts. Copies of this title page are available in larger print; please contact an usher. Thirtieth Concert of the 112th Season Twentieth Annual Choice Series Program Notes Fauna(1988) Remembrance (1988) WILLIAM CAHN ROBIN ENGELMAN auna was composed in April and ld familiar tunes, in whole or May, 1988. It is an experimental in part, frequently come to piece combining electronic instru mind. A rhythmic motive or a ments and acoustic instruments, and particular succession of tones it is also programmatic in nature. can spontaneously remind one FThe electronic instruments are used to gen ofO music heard in the past. The resulting erate reproductions of natural sounds (water, juxtaposition of what is being heard and the loons, voices), as well as reproductions of intrusion of the familiar tune are often bi acoustic musical instruments (drums, marim zarre, but not irreverent. Remembrance was bas, Chinese opera gongs, penny whistles). written in 1988 because of these experiences. These sounds are combined with acoustic instruments such as Australian didgeridoo, Mudra(1990) conch shell trumpet, melodion, Brazilian BOB BECKER rainstick, marimbas, and Chinese opera udra consists of music that gongs, to produce music that is constructed was originally composed to around a single melody, harmonized, and accompany the dance repeated in several series of variations. Inspi UrbhanaMudra by choreog ration for the piece arose from experiences in rapher Joan Phillips. Com seeing the gentle and incredibly vulnerable Mmissioned by INDE '90 and premiered in wildlife of Australia during the first visit of Toronto in March 1990 as part of the Du- Nexus to that continent in 1986. Maurier Quay Works Series, UrbhanaMudra was awarded the National Arts Centre Award Marubatoo(1988) for best collaboration between composer and JOHN WYRE choreographer. The music was subsequently arubatoo is the expansion of edited and reorchestrated as a concert piece Maruba, commissioned by for Nexus during May 1990. Mudra is scored Ex Tenebris with the support for marimba, vibraphone, songbells, glocken of the Ontario Arts Council. spiel, crotales, muffled drum, and bass drum. Maruba is a recent composi UrbhanaMudra was created, for the Mtion for marimba and tuba, written for Bev- most part, using the "dance first" approach, erly Johnston and Scott Irvine in the summer in which the music is composed to fit pre-ex of 1987. In developing Marubatoo for Nexus, isting choreography. Thus, in this instance, the composer says, "I have given the melody the rhythmic structure and overall form re (tuba line) to bass marimba and have added flect the episodic and gestural character of the crotales (tuned antique cymbals) to support original choreography. In Joan Phillips' the melodic line. I have also added another words: "The content of the piece is set within marimba part and a vibraphone part so that a multi-cultural urban infrastructure that al there are three voices (two marimbas and one lows the conflict of traditional and modern vibraphone) to support the melodic lines in issues to surface." Two main sources of inspi the bass marimba and crotales." Marubatoo ration for the choreography were the "system was completed in October 1988. of expression" theory advanced by Francois Delsarte and Ted Shawn, as well as Ms. Gankogui Phillips' personal study with Indian choreog arc. Nexus rapher and dancer Menaka Thakkar. The ankogui is a Nexus arrangement term "mudra" refers in general to the system using traditional African mel atic use of facial, torso, and hand and arm odies and instruments, includ gestures in many Indian dance forms. ing the mbira (thumb piano- The composer writes: "In this piece, I gourd), log drums, and gan- knew I wanted to use an instrumental ensem G kogui (iron bells). ble in an accompaniment role similar to that found in traditional Indian dance concerts where a solo drum is the principal voice. I Kichari did not, however, want to use Indian instru arr. Nexus ments, nor did I wish to imitate an 'Indian' ichari is a word from the Hindu, sound with western instruments. In response meaning "mixture."Thispiece is to the choreographic approach, I wanted to an improvisation and varies with allow my awareness of classical Indian musical every performance. Nexus first structures to influence the formal, rhythmic, came to world prominence be and harmonic aspects of the music. Kcause of its impressive improvisational abili "I first became interested in North ties and techniques, and the ensemble has Indian classical music in 1970. My involve been asked to improvise for theatre produc ment was, and continues to be, primarily with tions, dance performances, and film scores, the tabla drums. At the same time, I began as well as in its concerts. to study the theory of rhythm (tal) and melody (rag), principally as they are expressed in the vocal forms khyal and dhrupad. Al though Indian music is usually characterized Teddy at the Throttle as being elaborately melodic with no har (a Mack Sennet film 1916) mony, my personal experience from the be arr. WILLIAM CAHN ginning has been a strong sensation of implied t the height of the silent film harmonic movement. This subliminal effect era, from 1915 to about 1930, is clearly related to my cultural background many musicians were em and training in western classical music and is ployed by the movie theatres the type of uniquely interesting cross-refer to provide musical accompani encing always experienced when one strong mentsA to the films. Theatre orchestras, organ cultural expression encounters another. ists, and pianists were necessary to add a "I find this effect to be most pro crucial emotional background to the visual nounced in ragas (most simply defined as action. The music for "Teddy" has been generalized scales or particularized modes) arranged for Nexus from original theatre or that contain relatively few tones. In particu chestrations of that period, including the lar, the pentatonic modes containing no fifth following pieces: "The Wizard of the Nile" scale degree (for example, the ragas (1896) by Victor Herbert, "Dainty Games" Malkauns, Chandrakauns, and others) have, (1915) by Charlotte Blake, "Cupid's Garden" to my ear, the most ambiguous and intriguing (1901) by Max C. Eugene, "Fluffy Ruffles" harmonic implications. Rag Chandrakauns, (1918) by George Hamilton Green, "Zephyr" traditionally linked to the full moon and (1916) by George J. Trinkhaus, and generic late-night hours and with the scale degrees film music by Ernst Luz. tonic, minor third, fourth, minor sixth, and major seventh, has always attracted me. I used these interval relationships to determine both the melodic and harmonic content of this piece. "Rhythmically, Mudra is based on two important and common structures found throughout North Indian music: motivic de velopment (palta) and rhythmic cadence for mulas (ti hai). These structural devices are used most systematically in the final drum solo section of the piece, in which rhythmic rather than harmonic cadencing is used to create tension and, ultimately, accord." About the Artists Robin Engelman, Bob Becker, John Wyre, Russell Hartenberger, Bill Cahn ormed in 1971 by Bob Becker, Wil The same musicians also performed liam Cahn, Robin Engelman, Rus Takemitsu's piece, From me flows what you call sell Hartenberger, and John Wyre, Time, in Washington's Kennedy Center for Nexus has come to be recognized as the Performing Arts, causing the Washington one of Canada's premier chamber Post's reviewer to write: "The Concert Hall groupsF and one of the foremost percussion literally rang with opulent splendor ... the ensembles in the world. stage was surrounded by a huge battery of Nexus performs a wide and eclectic percussion instruments, including sets of bells range of music, much of which has been suspended from the top balcony and played composed and/or arranged by members of the from the stage by means of lengthy colored ensemble. Contemporary composers who ribbons. Takemitsu's latest exploration into have been commissioned to write for the his storehouse of subtle sounds has produced group include Warren Benson, John Haw- a work of mesmerizing beauty, whose mildly kins, Jo Kondo, Bruce Mather, Kirk Nurock, programmatic spirit the orchestra and soloists Steve Reich, Toru Takemitsu, and James captured superbly." This commission will be Tenney. To perform their unique repertoire, performed again in late 1991 in Tokyo's the members utilize a huge collection of Suntory Hall, celebrating the Hall's fifth instruments from all parts of the globe, in anniversary. cluding assorted drums and rattles, bird calls Since 1975, Nexus has traveled exten and bundt pans, marimbas and xylophones, sively, including tours of Australia and New and more exotic instruments such as Chinese Zealand, Asia (the first western percussion gongs, Japanese temple bowls, and West group to perform in the People's Republic of African drums. Their combination of reper China), and Europe, as well as regular appear toire and instruments has led to appearances ances throughout the United States and Can with symphony orchestras, in addition to ada.