Title: Confricatio
Year Completed: 2001
Duration: 8 mins
Instrumentation: Percussion Quartet (see below for specific instruments
Credits: Commissioned by the Four Gallon Drum percussion ensemble
Premiere: 2002 Vancouver, B.C.: Four Gallon Drum



Purchase/Rent: Canadian Music Centre



Confricatio was written for the Four Gallon Drum percussion ensemble in association with the Vancouver Composers Collective. It employs superball mallets and proportional notation, a slight off take from his previous works in an attempt to free his music from previous self imposed limitations. Based on a walk along the shores of Lake Erie, the composition transforms the experience into a sound world of rubbed percussion. This composition will be slightly different for every performance because of the indeterminate nature of superball mallets and notation employed. On the top right of each system is a duration marked off in seconds, 0'10", 0'20" and so on. Each half system is approximately 5 seconds and each full system is about 10 seconds. A page will therefore be roughly 40 seconds. Use a stopwatch to stay close to these indications. All events are relative to this scale but have not been precisely marked. Be aware of what others are playing – it is crucial that everyone plays from the score. There will be a tendency to play slow at first. Try to keep up with the stopwatch. If a player falls behind for any reason, they should finish the event they are playing and then enter in a reasonable spot with the other players. Sections where there is a tempo marking ­ usually quarter note = ca. 80 should be played in time, regardless of the other players. When more than one player is playing in different tempo markings, refrain from compromising the time and playing together!

Instrumentation:

Player 1

bongos
small sus. cymbal
large sus. cymbal
2 superball mallets any size, so long as they produce a steady tone when rubbed on the head of the bongos
bow

Player 2

snare drum
medium sus. cymbal
2 superball mallets any size, so long as they produce a steady tone when rubbed on the head of the snare drum
bow
wire brushes

Player 3

large timpani
large Japanese temple bowl
sizzle cymbal (not sus.)
2 superball mallets any size, so long as they produce a steady tone when rubbed on the head of the timpani
bow

Player 4

5 tom toms
large sus. cymbal
small Japanese temple bowl
2 superball mallets any size, so long as they produce a steady tone when rubbed on the heads of the tom toms
bow

derek charke confricatio
4 Gallon Drum