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Brian Blume’s masterful piece Under the INfluence is an amalgamation of the musical influences he experienced while attending Indiana University. In his own words, “The musician I am today is very much a result of the influences of professors, students, performances, and the many diverse musical experience I had during that time.” Blume’s piece is a distillation of those influences and the mark they made on him as a young musician.
Under the INfluence calls for a complex and thoughtful instrumentation using an expansive array of implements and performance techniques. The musical material was influenced by everything from drum corps to some of Blume’s favorite contemporary composers. The result is a rich tapestry of textures, groove, and memorable melodic material.
Under the INfluence was commissioned by Kevin Bobo, John Tafoya and the Indiana University Percussion Ensemble. They premiered it at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in 2018.
This piece comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.
• Crotales (2 octaves (shared) + Bb, B, E (low octave))
• Chimes
• Glockenspiel (shared)
• 2 vibraphones—(1) 3-octave, (1) 3.5+ octave (preferred)
• 2 marimbas—(1) 4.3-octave, (1) 5-octave
• Drums (low tom (double-headed), kick drum (mounted flat), snare drum (w/ 10" splash set on top))
• Cymbals & gongs (2 hi-hats, China cymbal, sizzles cymbal (shared),
• Accessories (cabasa, 2 sets of sleigh bells, egg shaker, larger shaker, 5 rice bowls (E, F, F#, G, A), log drums (4 pitches), 3 triangles (high, medium, low))
Brian Blume has created one of the stand-out percussion ensemble pieces of 2019. His combination of groove, timbre, and creative orchestration make me want to assemble my percussion students and begin rehearsing immediately. Originally composed for the Indiana University Percussion Ensemble, the title speaks to the various experiences the composer had while a student there, and their influences on him as a musician.
The music maintains a sense of groovy (sometimes multi-meter) minimalism throughout, often with overlapping entrances and sections that feature soli scoring against a repetitive rhythmic backdrop. Two of my favorite sections feature “soloistic” hi-hat writing and the combination of pitched flexatone and pitched rice bowls.
The score requires some specific instruments that not every university program will have, along with six players who can maneuver complex rhythmic textures amid numerous stick/ mallet specifications and specialized performance instructions. While a conductor could certainly be used, it can be assumed that such skilled performers could perform the piece as a true chamber work. I truly expect this piece to appear on a PASIC showcase concert in the near future.
—Jason Baker
Percussive Notes
Vol. 58, No. 1, February 2020
Brian Blume’s masterful piece Under the INfluence is an amalgamation of the musical influences he experienced while attending Indiana University. In his own words, “The musician I am today is very much a result of the influences of professors, students, performances, and the many diverse musical experience I had during that time.” Blume’s piece is a distillation of those influences and the mark they made on him as a young musician.
Under the INfluence calls for a complex and thoughtful instrumentation using an expansive array of implements and performance techniques. The musical material was influenced by everything from drum corps to some of Blume’s favorite contemporary composers. The result is a rich tapestry of textures, groove, and memorable melodic material.
Under the INfluence was commissioned by Kevin Bobo, John Tafoya and the Indiana University Percussion Ensemble. They premiered it at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in 2018.
This piece comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.
• Crotales (2 octaves (shared) + Bb, B, E (low octave))
• Chimes
• Glockenspiel (shared)
• 2 vibraphones—(1) 3-octave, (1) 3.5+ octave (preferred)
• 2 marimbas—(1) 4.3-octave, (1) 5-octave
• Drums (low tom (double-headed), kick drum (mounted flat), snare drum (w/ 10" splash set on top))
• Cymbals & gongs (2 hi-hats, China cymbal, sizzles cymbal (shared),
• Accessories (cabasa, 2 sets of sleigh bells, egg shaker, larger shaker, 5 rice bowls (E, F, F#, G, A), log drums (4 pitches), 3 triangles (high, medium, low))
Brian Blume has created one of the stand-out percussion ensemble pieces of 2019. His combination of groove, timbre, and creative orchestration make me want to assemble my percussion students and begin rehearsing immediately. Originally composed for the Indiana University Percussion Ensemble, the title speaks to the various experiences the composer had while a student there, and their influences on him as a musician.
The music maintains a sense of groovy (sometimes multi-meter) minimalism throughout, often with overlapping entrances and sections that feature soli scoring against a repetitive rhythmic backdrop. Two of my favorite sections feature “soloistic” hi-hat writing and the combination of pitched flexatone and pitched rice bowls.
The score requires some specific instruments that not every university program will have, along with six players who can maneuver complex rhythmic textures amid numerous stick/ mallet specifications and specialized performance instructions. While a conductor could certainly be used, it can be assumed that such skilled performers could perform the piece as a true chamber work. I truly expect this piece to appear on a PASIC showcase concert in the near future.
—Jason Baker
Percussive Notes
Vol. 58, No. 1, February 2020
