Percussion Quartet Pieces: Top Picks
Percussion quartets are incredibly interesting ensembles; they seem to mold to fit such a diversity of characters, it’s almost impossible to contain them.
Here, I’ll dive into some of my favorite percussion quartet pieces to date.
On the subject of percussion quartets, feel free to click here to check out my work for mallet quartet called Purgatory, performed by Sandbox Percussion. The piece was largely inspired by all of the works mentioned in this blog, so be sure to give that a listen if you’re curious.
Furthermore, let’s dive into some of my favorite percussion quartet pieces.
1. Mallet Quartet – Steve Reich
Reich’s Mallet Quartet stands as one of the most historically significant pieces ever written for the percussion ensemble.
As a matter of fact, it arguably made the “mallet quartet” a notable ensemble due to the piece’s popularity.
What I personally love about the piece is how it acts as a study on pacing.
The entire form is split into 3 movements, the first and third being titled “fast”, and the second titled “slow”.
After a complete listen, you have gone through a complete exploration in pacing that feels very coherent.
2. Music For Percussion Quartet – David Crowell
Crowell’s 4-minute suite for percussion quartet was an instant favorite of mine after first listen.
The piece contains two very contrasting characters, with a lively, angular feel in movements 1 and 3 and a calm, ethereal bowed feel in movements 2 and 4.
The piece’s use of scattered polyrhythms feels very natural to the piece, and doesn’t feel like any unnecessary complexity. The second and fourth movements feature exclusively bowed vibraphones and marimbas, which swell at a satiated pacing to create a mesmerizing wall of sound.
3. Stress and Flow – Alejandro Viñao
Stress and Flow is exactly as the title suggests; it’s a roughly 20 minute piece for mallet instruments, and unlike Reich’s more rigid approach to pacing, Viñao’s piece feels much more organic.
Sections ease in and out of each other in very natural ways, which is something I try to achieve in my own music.
All in all, be sure to give this piece a listen and experience its natural ebb and flow.
4. Ignus – Christopher Bradford
Ignus is a recent composition by Christopher Bradford which I came across relatively recently.
I love Bradford’s control of texture and the sound world that comes out of it. His writing feels slightly lyrical while still staying true to the rhythmic qualities that make the percussion quartet such a fun ensemble.
5. Postludes – Elliot Cole
Postludes is a super fascinating piece, and at first I restrained from adding it to this list.
This is because while it is written for 4 musicians, those 4 musicians are instructed to play on the same vibraphone. The piece contains 8 movements, all of which are played entirely with bows rather than mallets.
It’s a great exercise in using limitation to direct compositional detail, and it’s also a mesmerizing piece to listen to.
6. Threads – Paul Lansky
Threads by Paul Lansky is a percussion quartet classic.
It’s a 30 minute work for a huge variety of percussion instruments, from crotales, to noise-makers, flowerpots, and vibraphone.
Lansky has mentioned that this is his first piece for percussion ensemble, and the piece feels like a very genuine deep dive into maximizing the capabilities of the ensemble. The piece tries so many things, yet it all feels incredibly cohesive and unified, which is an impressive feat.
Definitely worth listening through and experiencing his diverse sound worlds and rhythmic explorations.
Conclusion
For such a young ensemble, there is still a huge variety in percussion quartet works that are all worth your attention.
Looking for more repertoire?
Click here to check out my work for mallet percussion quartet, titled Purgatory.
The piece slowly evolves over the course of 7 minutes, creating a lush, bowed atmosphere that builds to a sudden climax at the end.
It was written for Sandbox Percussion, and was recorded at their home studio on July 10, 2021.
