Time traveler / Time Traveler

William L. Cahn: Ensemble piece centered on marimba soloist

[Performance time]
Approximately 9 minutes 14 seconds
*The performance time is based on the reference sound source, so it will vary depending on the performance method and tempo.

*Please note that we cannot accept returns or exchanges due to incorrect purchases.

[Instrument used]

Solo. Marimba (C16-C76 5 octaves), Donno (talking drums, etc.)

1. Wood Block (Low), Bongo, Tomborim (E♭), Suspended Cymbal

2. Snare Drum, Temple Block (4), Suspended Cymbal, Gankogui (2 note African bell, etc.)

3. Bass Drum (Small), Tam-tam (Small), Single Head Tom-tom (F, A♭,B, A♭)

4. Vibraphone (F33-F69 3 octaves), Chanchiki (hitting gong) preferably E♭sound

[Program Notes]

"Time Traveler" was composed between December 1999 and February 2000 as a tribute to Mika Yoshida. At the request of Mika Yoshida, I composed a single-movement piece to be premiered at the University of Toronto Percussion Ensemble in May 2000. This work is for a solo marimba playing the West African drum "donno" and an ensemble of four percussionists.

1) a two-bar rhythm pattern that hides the 9/8 time signature in triple time (this pattern is almost identical to the double bell (gankoi) pattern often seen in Ghanaian drum ensemble music), 2) a combination of solo and ensemble short periodic phrase patterns that further distort the sense of triple time, and 3) a melody line presented by the soloist and complemented by the vibraphone.

The title comes from the fusion of ideas related to the "time" that travels between NEXUS's home base of Toronto and Yoshida's hometown of Kyushu. The word "time" has a double meaning as used by musicians. It refers not only to the passing of seconds, minutes, and hours, but also to the musician's sense of rhythm and beat. The world has "time zones" that take into account differences in the position of the earth relative to the sun's light. In music, time zones also exist, taking into account the differences in the concepts of rhythm and beat due to differences in music culture. Jumping back and forth between musical time zones can feel out of place, like traveling on a jet plane. However, it is said that travel is the best teacher.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version).