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Chad Heiny’s Panthera Pardus is a musical ode to the leopard, an animal with many moods and characteristics. Similarly, Chad has filled this piece with a wide variety of colors, textures, and themes to underscore the majesty of this amazing animal. This piece also includes extra optional percussion parts for those pesky, bored percussionists in the back of the room! Panthera Pardus was written for the Belle Vernon Middle School Percussion Ensemble and director Mark Surovchak.
This piece comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.
• 2 glockenspiels*
• Xylophone
• Vibraphone
• Marimba—low A**
• 2 timpani (26" & 29")
• Cymbals & gongs (2 crash cymbals, 2 suspended cymbals, tam tam**)
• Drums (bongos, snare drum, field drum, 2 medium concert toms, 2 low pitched drums)
• Accessories (triangle, shekere, tambourine, Tibetan finger cymbals, 2 mark trees)
*Each shared between all mallet players
**Shared between Marimba 1 and Marimba 2
According to the program notes, “Panthera Pardus” (the leopard) is a work for young percussion ensembles that, through musical energy and orchestration, attempts to represent the many traits of the animal. As the leopard is noted for its strength, speed, and cunning, the composition uses three distinct sections and moods to musically portray this magnificent animal. At four minutes in length, this piece manages to give a nice programmatic portrait of a leopard while keeping the balance between being playable for beginners and not becoming too repetitive.
While the size of the ensemble may be a deterrent to some smaller schools, “Panthera Pardus” fulfills the need in the repertoire for beginning percussion ensemble pieces that are practical. It does call for a lot of instruments, but they are ones that are found in every adequately furnished percussion studio, and many of the instruments are shared between players, including the marimba. The score includes a suggested setup diagram.
The parts themselves are simple and consist of eighth notes and quarter notes, but what the parts lack in rhythmic complexity they make up for in dynamics and accents. This pieces is a good way for young players who are still learning to read notes to gain experience with playing dynamically as an ensemble. The programmatic aspect and image of a leopard will help the students visualize the shape of the dynamics.
“Panthera Pardus” would be a fun addition to a middle school or young high school percussion ensemble concert, particularly for ensembles involving students who do not play percussion year-round.
—Marilyn K. Clark Silva
Percussive Notes
Vol. 56, No. 2, May 2018
Chad Heiny’s Panthera Pardus is a musical ode to the leopard, an animal with many moods and characteristics. Similarly, Chad has filled this piece with a wide variety of colors, textures, and themes to underscore the majesty of this amazing animal. This piece also includes extra optional percussion parts for those pesky, bored percussionists in the back of the room! Panthera Pardus was written for the Belle Vernon Middle School Percussion Ensemble and director Mark Surovchak.
This piece comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.
• 2 glockenspiels*
• Xylophone
• Vibraphone
• Marimba—low A**
• 2 timpani (26" & 29")
• Cymbals & gongs (2 crash cymbals, 2 suspended cymbals, tam tam**)
• Drums (bongos, snare drum, field drum, 2 medium concert toms, 2 low pitched drums)
• Accessories (triangle, shekere, tambourine, Tibetan finger cymbals, 2 mark trees)
*Each shared between all mallet players
**Shared between Marimba 1 and Marimba 2
According to the program notes, “Panthera Pardus” (the leopard) is a work for young percussion ensembles that, through musical energy and orchestration, attempts to represent the many traits of the animal. As the leopard is noted for its strength, speed, and cunning, the composition uses three distinct sections and moods to musically portray this magnificent animal. At four minutes in length, this piece manages to give a nice programmatic portrait of a leopard while keeping the balance between being playable for beginners and not becoming too repetitive.
While the size of the ensemble may be a deterrent to some smaller schools, “Panthera Pardus” fulfills the need in the repertoire for beginning percussion ensemble pieces that are practical. It does call for a lot of instruments, but they are ones that are found in every adequately furnished percussion studio, and many of the instruments are shared between players, including the marimba. The score includes a suggested setup diagram.
The parts themselves are simple and consist of eighth notes and quarter notes, but what the parts lack in rhythmic complexity they make up for in dynamics and accents. This pieces is a good way for young players who are still learning to read notes to gain experience with playing dynamically as an ensemble. The programmatic aspect and image of a leopard will help the students visualize the shape of the dynamics.
“Panthera Pardus” would be a fun addition to a middle school or young high school percussion ensemble concert, particularly for ensembles involving students who do not play percussion year-round.
—Marilyn K. Clark Silva
Percussive Notes
Vol. 56, No. 2, May 2018
