Awakening

David Crumb

General Info

Year: 2000
Duration: c.
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Manuscript
Cost: Score and Parts - $0.00   |   Score Only - $0.00

Instrumentation

Multiple Percussion: Vibraphone, Marimba, Tambourine, Maracas
Trumpet

Program Notes

Awakening, commissioned by the Dunn-Pennington Duo, was premiered at the University of Oregon in November 2000. When my colleague, Stephen Dunn, initially approached me about the project, I was immediately intrigued by the potential for dramatic interaction between the trumpet and a variety of percussion instruments. As I began composing, I was not disappointed by the range of expression and color available to my imagination.

The work begins abruptly with a violent unison statement of the principal motive by trumpet and vibraphone. Out of the resonance, a muted trumpet emerges—a distant, solitary voice, as if from a dream. Eventually, an oscillating, organ-like music enters in the marimba. As this hauntingly beautiful music unfolds, the trumpet’s character transforms, becoming increasingly biting and sarcastic. (There are hints of Stravinsky’s Petrushka in this section.) Once the marimba music fades away, the opening unison gesture reappears, signaling the beginning of the movement proper. A primal, pulsating ostinato is introduced in maracas and tambourine over which the trumpet explodes into wildly ecstatic flourishes of running notes and syncopated gestures. Throughout this section, an intense development of motivic material leads to a point of ultimate climax marked by the trumpet’s arrival on a high “B” over an intense splash of color provided by the vibraphone. As this energy dissipates, the solitary muted trumpet of the opening reemerges. The piece ends with a reprise of the organ-like music over which a soulful melody unfolds.

Recent Performances

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Works for Percussion by this Composer

Awakening - Multiple Percussion, Trumpet
Harmonia Mundi Percussion Duo, Pianos (2)
Kinetikus - Percussion Ensemble (12) - Mallet Ensemble
The Whisperer - Percussion Duo, Pianos (2)