Bugles, sing! (2007)
Duration: 2:30
for percussion quartet

The inspiration for Bugles, sing!, comes from Benjamin Britten's War Requiem. In that piece, there is a wonderful use of timpani within the Dies irae movement - the same movement which also features a Baritone solo with Harold Owen's poem, Bugles sang. While certainly the ironic nature of Owen's text coupled with Britten's profound examination of the cost of war certainly is in my mind lately given world events in 2007, this piece is decidedly not political is some larger statement being made with it. Rather, I sought to harness the energy and aggression pent up within myself and put it into raw sound in a way I feel resonates sympathetically with Britten's work.

This piece was written for my colleague, Artie Storch, and our students at California State University East Bay in Hayward, California. It is dedicated to Artie Storch.

Interactive Score

Premiered May 22, 2007 by the CSUEB Percussion Ensemble under the direction of Artie Storch.