Whiz-Bang (2021)
Commissioned by Academy of the West and Percussionists Michael Werner and Matt Decker.
Player 1: Low Drum, 6” Roto Tom, Crash Cymbal, 3 Junk Metals, Melodica
Player 2: Bass Drum (muted), 8” Roto Tom, Splash Cymbal, 3 Junk Metals, Melodica
- Performed by
Gene Koshinski and Tim Broscious (Quey Percussion Duo)
Whiz-Bang (also whizz-bang or whizzbang) can have several meanings, ranging from “lively” or “sensational" to “fast-paced.” Whiz-Bang also refers to a small-caliber World War I shell that, when discharged, travelled at such a high velocity that the sound of its flight was heard only an instant, if at all, before the sound of its explosion. Subsequently, Whiz-Bang became known as a type of firework that jumps around, emitting a whizzing sound and occasional bangs. For the purpose of this composition, any and all of the above definitions suite the character. The work is designed as a short, fast-paced display of rhythmic interplay of drums and metals coupled with wildly indeterminate tone clusters played on a pair of melodicas.