ABSTRACT
Varèse, Edgard Ionisation (1931)
Russell, William Three Dance Movements (1933)
Cowell, Henry Ostinato Pianissimo (1934)
Beyer, Johanna M. Auto Accident (1935)
Green, Ray Three Inventories of Casey Jones (1936)
Becker, John A Dance (1938)
Cowell, Henry Pulse (1939)
Ionisation, like most of the early 1930s compositions, was a mixture of many inuences: Latin American music,
jazz music, many players using one percussion instrument per player, noisemakers (sirens), uneven rhythmic patterns against each other, meter changes, and piano used to create noise rather than melody. Henry Cowell’s (1897-1965) compositions had a strong Oriental inuence, with their use of gongs, rice bowls, and tom-toms. e music of William Russell (b. 1905) and Gerald Strang (1908-1983) took full advantage of the linear aspect of percussion composition. ese composers created moving rhythmic lines through the complex interplay of each player’s part. Johanna Beyer (1888-1944), Ray Green (b. 1909), and John Becker (1886-1961) all created what might be called programmatic music for percussion. Although all these compositions are dierent from each other, they all employ the element of experimentation and help to create an understanding of the potential of percussion instruments.
