innovative Percussion ELGPAS Passage

Passage was commissioned by the North Carolina Eastern District Bandmasters Association in honor of Professor Harold Jones for his many years of dedicated service. It was premiered by the East Carolina University Percussion Ensemble under the direction of Mark Ford on February 3, 1995. An opening fifteen-measure lyrically-slow introduction features the marimbas in their lowest register (the scoring requires four 4 1/3-octave marimbas). The piece makes a transition into a faster section that engages the entire ensemble in a faster, more rhythmic passage. Two metric modulations provide the performers with both musical and mental challenges before the third and fourth marimba performers start a wind-down section in 12/8, which again metrically modulates to 4/4 and a somewhat surprising--yet satisfying--soft, mellow ending. Tonally, Passage embraces a modal sound of a minor with free modulations to adjacent modes and tonal centers. This is an excellent keyboard percussion sextet, appropriate for the mature college percussion ensemble.