Instrumentation
- Player 1
- Maracas
- Snare drum
- Bongos
- Cowbell
- Player 2
- Maracas
- Tambourine
- Claves
- Player 3
- Several small rocks or dice
- Slide whistle
- Log drum
- 5 plant pots of various sizes
- Player 4
- Hi-hat
- Guiro
- Temple blocks
- Rhythm crasher
Program Notes
This work was written for the iKtus Percussion Quartet and they exercised enormous patience in waiting for false’s completion. I asked each performer to list the 4-6 smaller and more portable instruments that they enjoy playing. The players were not to coordinate their list with any other member in the quartet.
I then took this list and ran in a bunch of different directions. After many rewrites, throwaways, false starts, and other distractions, the work before you finally emerged. The title is in tribute to all the music I wrote for this piece but threw away.
false is a work more about texture than motive although there is a melody that tries to exert itself from time to time. I am thankful to the iKtus quartet for allowing me to write them a piece and providing such an interesting assortment of sounds for me.
