Infra: the bottom stanza is scored for revolver.
Erik Satie during the first world war composed the music for the ballet 'Parade'. He collaborated with Cocteau, Picasso, Apollinaire, Massine, and Diaghilev. It was the original surreal, and intended to raise scandal. Percussion section was kept busy: high siren, low siren, foghorn, rattle, lottery wheel, typewriter, revolver, botellófono, bass drum, tambourine, snare drum, cymbals, xylophone, vibraphone, triangle, and woodblocks.
I heard a live performance last month, at St. Paul Episcopal Cleveland Heights, by Heights Chamber Orchestra. They did not have all the instruments, so substitutions occurred. Substitutions occur usually for pieces with less diversity. I came to hear Stephen Caudel's Edel Rhapsody for Wagnerian tuba.
I like to hear works beyond the usual repertoire. I have many classical records, but it was not easy to get everything on disc or tape, so i am glad to go hear these pieces live. Then using youtube search, and so much of it is there. Yesterday, i heard for the first time the complete Koussevitzky's Double Bass Concerto; and to-day Rimskij-Korsakov's Trombone Concerto. I liked those both, then i encountered some versions of Malcolm Arnold's A Grand, Grand Overture for 3 Vacuum Cleaners, 1 Floor Polisher, 4 Rifles. The cleaning equipment was just extraneous sound effects, and did nothing musically, although some people find vacuums similar to bagpipes. I think the rifles were to be a pantomime firing squad; could not find them, even though one performance was in Texas where they would not have too much problem of firing off ordinance.
For
a long time i knew Tchaikovskij used cannons and church bells, and
Verdi and Wagner used anvils; and they are musical, and relegated as
percussion. The usual percussionist has tympani. There are works that
call for cymbals, triangle, xylophones (and similar hammered tuned
bars), chimes. There are also auxiliary percussion instruments beyond
drums, that are like children toys and produce claps, shakes, bangs. Especially after the Arnold piece, i have come to the conclusion, that much of this is sound effects—just add the coconuts and plumber's helpers.
I heard a live performance last month, at St. Paul Episcopal Cleveland Heights, by Heights Chamber Orchestra. They did not have all the instruments, so substitutions occurred. Substitutions occur usually for pieces with less diversity. I came to hear Stephen Caudel's Edel Rhapsody for Wagnerian tuba.
I like to hear works beyond the usual repertoire. I have many classical records, but it was not easy to get everything on disc or tape, so i am glad to go hear these pieces live. Then using youtube search, and so much of it is there. Yesterday, i heard for the first time the complete Koussevitzky's Double Bass Concerto; and to-day Rimskij-Korsakov's Trombone Concerto. I liked those both, then i encountered some versions of Malcolm Arnold's A Grand, Grand Overture for 3 Vacuum Cleaners, 1 Floor Polisher, 4 Rifles. The cleaning equipment was just extraneous sound effects, and did nothing musically, although some people find vacuums similar to bagpipes. I think the rifles were to be a pantomime firing squad; could not find them, even though one performance was in Texas where they would not have too much problem of firing off ordinance.
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