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Fool, The
In tarot card reading, the Fool is the card that represents yourself as the main character in your life, which in the tarot is known as the “Fool’s Journey.” Like Don Quixote, the Fool has good intentions but stumbles through life, making many mistakes along the way.
Russell Wharton’s The Fool (for solo distorted vibraphone and multimedia) attempts to express empathy towards the more foolish side in all of us. Wistful, sorrowful, and beckoning distant memories, the carefully chosen components of the work emit a lo-fi quality that resembles an old tape found in a dusty corner of a child’s bedroom.
The full presentation of the piece requires the following:
• Vibraphone (with tin foil preparation or distortion processing)
• Amplification system (for included audio accompaniment)
• Projection system (for optional video accompaniment)
Detailed instructions are provided in the notes.
The Fool ships as a printed, professionally bound score and includes downloadable links to the audio accompaniment, optional video accompaniment, and a 4K video of the piece performed by the author.
Vibraphone (with tin foil preparation or distortion processing)
Amplification system (for included audio accompaniment)
Projection system (for optional video accompaniment)
The title of this piece references the Fool in tarot-card reading. The composer describes this character as well-meaning, but ultimately vain and foolish. Wharton states, “This piece is an attempt to express empathy towards the more ‘foolish’ sides of ourselves... Several techniques have been used to make the presentation of this piece seem old and degraded as if it were found on an old tape in a dusty corner of our childhood bedroom.” These techniques include audio and video accompaniment, as well as preparation of the vibraphone. This preparation can either be foil on top of the resonators or distorting the sound using live processing.
The vibraphone part is intended to be somewhat improvisatory. There are no notated rhythms, but the spaces between notes represent a general framework for speed. The score includes cues from the track to keep the performer in the right place. There are also many expressive indicators (“with simple sadness,” “wistful,” “ominous,” etc.) to guide the performer’s interpretation. The resulting aesthetic between all the elements of this work is equally beautiful and sorrowful.
I recommend this piece for any collegiate or professional percussionists looking for an atmospheric work for their recital. This piece gives both the performer and the audience the opportunity to be immersed in lo-fi sound, which is a welcome addition to many percussion recitals that otherwise include plenty of volume. It is certainly a piece I plan to program soon!
—Justin Bunting
Percussive Notes
Vol. 62, No. 1, February 2024
In tarot card reading, the Fool is the card that represents yourself as the main character in your life, which in the tarot is known as the “Fool’s Journey.” Like Don Quixote, the Fool has good intentions but stumbles through life, making many mistakes along the way.
Russell Wharton’s The Fool (for solo distorted vibraphone and multimedia) attempts to express empathy towards the more foolish side in all of us. Wistful, sorrowful, and beckoning distant memories, the carefully chosen components of the work emit a lo-fi quality that resembles an old tape found in a dusty corner of a child’s bedroom.
The full presentation of the piece requires the following:
• Vibraphone (with tin foil preparation or distortion processing)
• Amplification system (for included audio accompaniment)
• Projection system (for optional video accompaniment)
Detailed instructions are provided in the notes.
The Fool ships as a printed, professionally bound score and includes downloadable links to the audio accompaniment, optional video accompaniment, and a 4K video of the piece performed by the author.
Vibraphone (with tin foil preparation or distortion processing)
Amplification system (for included audio accompaniment)
Projection system (for optional video accompaniment)
The title of this piece references the Fool in tarot-card reading. The composer describes this character as well-meaning, but ultimately vain and foolish. Wharton states, “This piece is an attempt to express empathy towards the more ‘foolish’ sides of ourselves... Several techniques have been used to make the presentation of this piece seem old and degraded as if it were found on an old tape in a dusty corner of our childhood bedroom.” These techniques include audio and video accompaniment, as well as preparation of the vibraphone. This preparation can either be foil on top of the resonators or distorting the sound using live processing.
The vibraphone part is intended to be somewhat improvisatory. There are no notated rhythms, but the spaces between notes represent a general framework for speed. The score includes cues from the track to keep the performer in the right place. There are also many expressive indicators (“with simple sadness,” “wistful,” “ominous,” etc.) to guide the performer’s interpretation. The resulting aesthetic between all the elements of this work is equally beautiful and sorrowful.
I recommend this piece for any collegiate or professional percussionists looking for an atmospheric work for their recital. This piece gives both the performer and the audience the opportunity to be immersed in lo-fi sound, which is a welcome addition to many percussion recitals that otherwise include plenty of volume. It is certainly a piece I plan to program soon!
—Justin Bunting
Percussive Notes
Vol. 62, No. 1, February 2024
