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M.C. Escher’s Ascending and Descending (1960) depicts a series of faceless figures trudging up and down never-ending stairs. The feelings of disorientation and monotony this visual work conjures in many have been quite cleverly bottled and made palatable in Ceaseless Staircase by Matthew Kilby.
Written for an experienced marimba soloist and percussion quintet, the piece employs various harmonic and rhythmic devices that depict a sense of unending routine; however, Kilby has accomplished this with sparks of musical energy that make it anything but tedious to perform or listen to.
Ceaseless Staircase ships as a fully bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for either printing or tablet viewing.
Solo Marimba — low A (optional low F)
Glockenspiel
2 Vibraphones
Percussion — bongos, djembe, pandeiro (or tambourine), ribbon crasher, snare drum (w/ brushes), water triangle (or triangle w/o water)
This work for six performers is an exploration of confined space, inspired by M.C. Escher’s works. It evokes a sense of the mysterious, in which the listener is on a constant journey, both moving and going nowhere. The composition is quite literally musical painting, with lines that rise, lines that fall, harmonies that clash, and instruments that overlap yet complement one another. The timbral variety is a wonderful touch — rattan on vibraphone, pandeiro rather than tambourine, djembe with varied tones, water triangle, the (often underutilized!) ribbon crasher, etc. The clever use of repeated dissonant lines creates a melody that you recognize but can’t quite sing. And, while harmonic minor is implied, only accidentals are used, which adds to the feeling of movement: unconfined by a key signature, every bar/note literally spelled out, like the steps we’re meant to take while on a staircase.
Especially helpful are the included performance notes and suggested setup diagram. It’s worth noting that the setup is a rather circular one — perhaps yet another allusion to the repeating staircases of Escher’s vision. “Ceaseless Staircase” is a credit to Matthew Kilby’s creativity and technical skill as a composer. It’s perfect for a guest artist recital, and is an example of excellent small instrumentation with a big effect. Definitely add this one to the library.
—Cassie Bunting
Percussive Notes
Vol. 62, No. 4, August 2024
M.C. Escher’s Ascending and Descending (1960) depicts a series of faceless figures trudging up and down never-ending stairs. The feelings of disorientation and monotony this visual work conjures in many have been quite cleverly bottled and made palatable in Ceaseless Staircase by Matthew Kilby.
Written for an experienced marimba soloist and percussion quintet, the piece employs various harmonic and rhythmic devices that depict a sense of unending routine; however, Kilby has accomplished this with sparks of musical energy that make it anything but tedious to perform or listen to.
Ceaseless Staircase ships as a fully bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for either printing or tablet viewing.
Solo Marimba — low A (optional low F)
Glockenspiel
2 Vibraphones
Percussion — bongos, djembe, pandeiro (or tambourine), ribbon crasher, snare drum (w/ brushes), water triangle (or triangle w/o water)
This work for six performers is an exploration of confined space, inspired by M.C. Escher’s works. It evokes a sense of the mysterious, in which the listener is on a constant journey, both moving and going nowhere. The composition is quite literally musical painting, with lines that rise, lines that fall, harmonies that clash, and instruments that overlap yet complement one another. The timbral variety is a wonderful touch — rattan on vibraphone, pandeiro rather than tambourine, djembe with varied tones, water triangle, the (often underutilized!) ribbon crasher, etc. The clever use of repeated dissonant lines creates a melody that you recognize but can’t quite sing. And, while harmonic minor is implied, only accidentals are used, which adds to the feeling of movement: unconfined by a key signature, every bar/note literally spelled out, like the steps we’re meant to take while on a staircase.
Especially helpful are the included performance notes and suggested setup diagram. It’s worth noting that the setup is a rather circular one — perhaps yet another allusion to the repeating staircases of Escher’s vision. “Ceaseless Staircase” is a credit to Matthew Kilby’s creativity and technical skill as a composer. It’s perfect for a guest artist recital, and is an example of excellent small instrumentation with a big effect. Definitely add this one to the library.
—Cassie Bunting
Percussive Notes
Vol. 62, No. 4, August 2024
