MEDITATION NO. 1 by Casey Cangelosi is a snare drum solo that was commissioned by Majestic for the U.S. release of the Prophonic snare series. This unique solo employs a variety of contemporary techniques, like the use of hands, different striking places on the rim and gestures. It is a very visual piece that aims to captivate the audience’s eyes as well as their ears.
I worked my but off for this one!
I enjoyed learning and performing this piece because of its attention to detail and the focus on presentation. Meditation No. 1 brings out a theatricality that acknowledges the audience and gives them another source of entertainment from the piece. I find that some snare drum solos focus on rudiments and playing fast and this way doesn’t treat the snare drum as an interesting instrument for solos. Instead, the snare drum is more of a study instrument that builds technique.
Casey Cangelosi wrote for this in a way that takes into consideration the difference in sound when hitting different parts of the snare drum and combines them all into a challenging snare drum solo to play but an interesting piece to watch. I believe there should be many more composers that compose for performance because the aim of performance is to entertain rather than to just present an idea/music.
How we as artists present the music we play is as important as the music itself.
Enjoy!
Tsoof
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