Cage We Make, The

Stephens, Wes

Medium/Advanced Concert Percussion

4 Players

“The Cage We Make” is a not-so-subtle nod to the percussion quartets of John Cage, most notably his Constructions. The work is built around the rhythmic pattern of 2-3-5-7-11 with its various forms being manipulated through retrograde, canon, rotation of the pattern between players, and rotation of the pattern in the orchestration itself. The piece starts simply and grows more complex as it progresses through its four sections with all players ending in rhythmic unison.

Instrumentation:

Player 1: High Semi-Resonant Metal, High Drum, Bass Drum [shared]
Player 2: Medium-High Semi-Resonant Metal, Medium-High Drum, Bass Drum [shared]
Player 3: Medium Semi-Resonant Metal, Medium Drum, Bass Drum [shared]
Player 4: Low Semi-Resonant Metal, Low Drum, Bass Drum [shared]

Instrument Suggestions
Drums: concert toms, hand drums, etc.
Metals: opera gongs, junk metals, brake drums, etc.