I’m very pleased to share the studio recording (see below) and performance video of Sequences (2000 rev. 2024), featuring the University of Delaware Percussion Ensemble directed by Dr. Gene Koshinski, who gave the concert premiere of the piece in April 2024. The recording and video shoot were done in the weeks following the premiere. My thanks to the UD team for showing such care towards my work.
I composed Sequences at the start of a 20-year hiatus from the arts world, when I was composing in private and before any of my notated music had been played. I’d always hoped it would one day be performed, and it’s wonderful that it can have its own rebirth and reach listeners.
The title refers to sequences both in the sense of a musical phrase that repeats with a variation in pitch each time (in this case, with a variation in rhythm as well), and in the sense of arrangements programmed electronically using a sequencer.
The piece is a study in diatonic rhythms (the different phases of a 7-stroke pattern in a 12-beat cycle) which are paired with harmonically diatonic melodic canons. With each change of chord root, the overall pattern changes once or more. Four chords are used exclusively: D dominant, C major, G major and A minor, i.e., V – IV – I – ii in the key of G. There is a separate chordal flow and cadence on E minor in the bridge section.
Parameters vary within a narrow range: harmony, rhythmic phase, register that expands or contracts symmetrically from pattern to pattern, and interval quality, i.e., one pattern may feature predominantly small intervals and another, widely spaced ones. As the piece progresses, new sets of patterns emerge on the same four chords. Harmonic rhythm is slowed through increased repetition and variation.
Sequences shares some material in common with my string quartet Madra, as these compositions emerged during the same period (along with Kalimba Canon). My primary interest during this period was fusing a pop sensibility with minimalism derived from West African traditional structures.
The piece is not unlike a pop song in terms of its structure, duration, and harmonic character; however, a tension exists between this aspect and the statistical regularity of the material from beginning to end. The marimba parts require virtuoso players, while the “beat” is a relatively straightforward alternation of kick and cross stick with constantly varying accents in 3/2 metre, in response to the marimba music. The beat should support but not overpower the marimbas.
The piece initially included a TR-808 style electronic kick drum tuned to a single pitch, and in 2020, I expanded this part into a bassline for a tunable kick sound/bass synth. This can be played on a keyboard or pads, with the range of pitches being G0 to E1. The bassline exactly doubles the rhythm of the unpitched kick; the two lines should blend without either sound dominating the other.
Depending on tech setup, the piece can be performed as either a trio or quartet.
In 2024, I extended the piece with additional repeats, added a few subtle transitions in the beat/bassline, and created a new ending.
Recorded May 2024, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
Shared with permission
Ensemble:
Haolin Li and Joe Tremper, marimbas
Gene Koshinski, bass synth and drum kit
Audio (mixing and editing):
Gene Koshinski
Video and Lighting:
Ben Hausman
Music and composer’s notes copyright Bruce A. Russell 2024
EL MAHBOOB 