Totem
Instrumentation: Percussion Sextet (two xylophones, two marimbas, two log drums, five timple blocks, and two wood blocks)
Year Composed: 1989
Duration: 4 minutes
Pages in score: 18
Cost: Purchase: $15.00
The three percussion sextets, Totem, Secrets, and The Way of the Animal Powers, are available as a set for $30.00.
Play the beginning of Totem, as performed live by Bruce Hamilton, Andy Ditzler, Stephen Belans, P. Edwin Surowiak, Jamey Reid, and Brian Mount on percussion, David Heuser conducting.
Representative Performances:
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Georgia State University School of Music Percussion Ensemble, Stuart Gerber, artistic director (2008) St. Olaf Percussion Ensemble, Carl Holmquist, conductor (2004) St. Cloud State University Percussion Ensemble, Dr. Terry Vermillion, director (2002) USF Percussion Ensemble, Robert McCormick, conductor (1996) Glassboro State College Percussion Ensemble, Dean Witten, conductor (1989) |
Review: Excerpts from the February 1997 issue of Percussive Notes (the newsletter of the Percussive Arts Society). Review by Lisa Rogers. Regarding Totem: "The keyboard players must have adequate four-mallet skills in order to employ double vertical strokes. Difficulties within this ensemble include: dovetailing of rhythms between voices, lining up triplets and sextuplets against 16th notes, and rhythmical precision of unison sections."
On the set of three percussion sextets: "All three of Heuser's works would be appropriate for college-level or professional players. Heuser is tireless in his experimentation with sounds and timbres...[these pieces are] worthwhile for performers and audiences alike."
Program Notes:
Totem was written in April and June of 1989. It is for six percussionists, all playing wooden instruments. I wanted to create a unified percussion ensemble where the kinds of instruments played by the group would be made of the same material. Totem is part of a trio of percussion sextets which operate under this principle.
Musically the piece deals with issues of mythology and ritual, which have been influencing my music from time to time for a while. I find these influences difficult to portray in strictly instrumental works, particularly since I wish also to remain true to other artistic instincts which I think are important (and perhaps necessary) for my music. That being said, writing for percussion gives one probably the easiest ensemble with which to evoke feelings of ritual, mythology and all their correlating concepts.
Note: Totem can be performed separately or as part of the above mentioned trio of percussion sextets. If all three are played, the order of the pieces is Totem, Secrets, and The Way of the Animal Powers.