Gravity (Falling)

This new work by Clif Walker does not disappoint! The sheer contrapuntal feat of balancing 15 percussion instruments is captivating and fun to see unfold within a score. Similar to Walker’s “The Rule of Three,” this work has a way of defying expectations and creating a truly interesting musical moment, which, in the case of “Gravity (Falling),” is inspired by the sensation of freefall during skydiving.

Like its inspiration, this piece lasts around six minutes and is saturated with descending motives reminiscent of falling. Walker often uses meter changes, metric modulations, and metered accelerando and ritardando to exploit the listener’s sense of instability in time and tonal center to add to the idea of free fall. In terms of style, the soundscape in this work is reminiscent of the angularity, precision, and long melodic lines of drum corps, as well as familiar timbres synonymous with canonic percussion orchestra works such Gillingham’s “Stained Glass.”

As is common in large works such as these, many of the parts function independently with imitative entrances that may prove challenging for less experienced players. Additionally, there is frequent use of various subdivisions and thirty-second notes as well as four-mallet keyboard playing. While the notation may be intimidating, the parts are orchestrated well and should be approachable for advanced high school or college ensembles.

“Gravity (Falling),” is an exciting work that would make a great centerpiece on a percussion ensemble concert. Pedagogically, it has clear benefits for developing tempo awareness and reading highly syncopated notation in an accessible way. Additionally, the style of the piece can engage students interested in drum corps with percussion ensemble literature, or to engage concert-focused percussion students to the rich soundscape of drum corps. While the instrumentation is prohibitive for many programs, much of the equipment is becoming more prevalent and could allow larger programs the opportunity to explore large percussion orchestra literature with a unique and approachable harmonic language. Kudos to Walker and Tapspace on an exciting new piece for percussion ensemble!

—Quintin Mallette
Percussive Notes
Vol. 61, No. 4, August 2023