“Variations on an Indian Tala” is an open instrumentation duet (though two differently pitched drums for each performer is suggested) written in 1969. The music consists of a single page of rhythmic musical notation and performance instructions that guide performers through the roughly 8-minute work. The composer provides detailed instructions for how to interpret the piece. Musical notation is a single page with seven lines of music (an initial line with options A and B, and then musical lines labeled 1 through 6). I will avoid a play-by-play of all the directions for performance in this review. While the instructions provide a vision for this work, a better option might be just providing performers with a framework for a piece, and allowing them to create their own work utilizing these tools. Given the open instrumentation and general musical notation, a more liberal interpretation of this piece could make way for not only a variety of percussion duets, but even utilized as a framework for percussion ensemble performances with flexible instrumentation. With the current COVID-19 epidemic in our world, pieces for open instrumentation that could be recorded remotely by performers utilizing a simple metronome pulse in their ear can be quite useful. Students and teachers looking to gain experience with concepts of Indian music may be interested in looking at this piece as an undergraduate recital work, or as a piece for ensemble that has the potential to work remotely.
Subscribe to continue reading
Continue your percussion discovery by joining the Percussive Arts Society today.
You'll join a global community of thousands of other dedicated percussionists, drummers, music educators, and students committed to pursuing knowledge, enhancing their technique, and supporting each other.