Difficulty- Medium Easy
Length- 2:50
Number of Players- 4+
Instrumentation- High and Low Metals, High and Low Drums
Publisher- Tapspace Publications (www.tapspace.com)
Program Notes-
About The Skeleton Key Collection-
"The Skeleton Key Collection began from the need for percussion ensemble repertoire that could be handled by a group of players with a variety of experience levels in a diverse number of situations. These pieces are meant to act as frameworks that you adjust to fit your needs.
While each piece is written with four parts, the instrumentations listed are merely guidelines, and the number of players used is entirely up to the discretion of the director. The idea is that each piece in this collection can fit just about any situation (or, in essence, a key that can open any lock)." -Brian Nozny
About the work, Skeleton Key-
"Skeleton Key was composed during the early summer of 2014 just before my first year of teaching at the Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin. Written at the request of Ben Wahlund, his idea was for a large ensemble piece that could use a number of different “found instruments” unique to Birch Creek (everday items whose function isn’t musical in nature).
The piece was written with generalized sounds in mind, and then once I got to Birch Creek (which is situated on an old farm with the barn as the main performance space), I had the chance to hunt around for various sounds that might work. The final piece ended up using pieces of scaffolding, wheelbarrows, planks of wood, sheet metal, and gardening tools, just to name a few." -Brian Nozny
Composer Bio-
Brian Nozny (b. 1977) leads a diversified career as a percussionist, composer, and educator spanning a wide array of musical styles, including classical, jazz, world, and popular genres. As a percussionist, he has performed in an orchestral capacity with many orchestras throughout the country and currently serves as Principal Percussionist with Sinfonia Gulf Coast (Destin, FL). His excursions into chamber music have included collaborations with groups such as the Bravura Percussion Trio, the Copper Street Brass Quintet, the nief-norf project, the Brickhouse Jazz Combo, and currently as a member of JP3 (The John Psathas Percussion Project) and the BRN Duo with his wife, flutist Rachel Nozny.
As a composer, his original works and arrangements are regularly performed throughout the world. Notable ensembles and performers that have premiered Nozny’s compositions include Keith Aleo, the Caixa Trio, the Florida State University Percussion Ensemble, and NEXUS. Brian’s compositions have been published by Bachovich Music Publications, Henmar Press, Musicon Publications, Row-Loff Productions, and Tapspace Publications, and have been recorded on the Garnet House, Rattle Records, and Resonator Records labels.
Currently an Assistant Professor of Music at the University of South Alabama where he is the Director of Percussion Studies, Brian lives in Mobile, AL with his wife and their two children. He is proud to be endorsed by Evans Drumheads, Innovative Percussion, Pearl Corporation/Adams Musical Instruments, and SABIAN Cymbals.
More information on Brian can be found on his website at www.briannozny.com.