Jeff Greathouse - 2024

Artist's Statement

HEADPHONES RECOMMENDED

Percussion has been a part of my life for a very long time. As I thought about what I wanted to do for this project, writing an indoor percussion show was one of the first things that came to my mind. Indoor percussion is a competition-based performance most commonly done in the WGI (Winter Guard International) circuit. Although this piece of music will likely never be performed, I wanted to convey a message through this style. This style of music isn’t one that too many people know about, so I am hoping that I can expand the musical taste of a few people. Indoor percussion instruments most commonly consist of marimbas, vibraphones, glockenspiels, crotales, timpani, auxiliary percussion, and synthesizers. In some cases, drum sets and guitars are also present. The most notable instruments are in the drumline, which consist of snares, tenors (also commonly called quads), basses, and sometimes cymbals.

As I was deciding what to compose, I wanted to be able to tell a story through my show. Taking some inspiration from David R. Gillingham’s “Vital Signs of Planet Earth” and Owen Clayton Condon’s “Fractalia”, I organized my thoughts and began to write. “Calamity: Earth in Peril” is split into four parts, or movements, throughout the course of five minutes. Part One sets the stage, providing an ominous feeling with sounds that seem archaic, and a bass drum providing an occasional heartbeat, representing the living planet. Chaos begins to ensue as the sounds of modernity trickle in and the archaic sounds become cluttered, demonstrating the environmental chaos that has been present in our day.

Part Two continues with some of the archaic sounds, but they gradually get pushed away as they are replaced with the drumline and metallic instruments, which can represent industry taking over and affecting the natural world. As Part Two becomes Part Three, we can hear the music turn cold, serving as a reminder of the ice and glaciers that are present on our planet, but are leaving due to the increasing temperature on Earth. The sounds of the hi-hat at the beginning and end of the movement replicate the sounds of ice cracking. Part Three ends with one final heartbeat, the quietest one in the whole show, which can be interpreted as Earth’s final cry for help before it becomes drowned out by the louder sounds of the world.

Part Four begins abruptly, giving us the shocking reality of the state that we put the earth into. The chaos returns and can bring a sense of panic with the fast movement across the drums. The synthesizers now act as the voice of the people, proclaiming that we need to save the earth from impending doom if we remain apathetic about our situation. The marimbas also provide an “echo and response” type of effect, which represents the whispers of the past, echoing into our ears today. The show ends with the chaos becoming more uniform, giving the feeling of hope, and that all is not lost.

The great thing about music is that it can be interpreted in infinite ways. How do YOU interpret this show?