composition / percussion ensemble / the cry
The Cry: An Andalusian Fantasy
Medium: Percussion Orchestra (12 players)
Publisher: OU Percussion Press
Composed: September 2010
Duration: 11:00
Difficulty: Grade 5
Instrumentation:
Bells/Crotales
Xylophone
Chimes/Slapstick
Vibraphone 1
Vibraphone 2
Marimba 1 (4-octave)
Marimba 2 (4.3-octave)
Marimba 3 (4.3-octave)
Marimba 4 (5-octave)
Percussion 1 (Stage Left: Castanets, Bell Tree)
Percussion 2 (Stage Right: Castanets, Suspended Cymbal, Mark Tree)
Percussion 3 (Center Stage: 2 Timpani, Bass Drum, Tam-Tam, Ocean Drum)
Look Inside
Listen
The Cry: An Andalusian Fantasy by Nathan Daughtrey
Download full mp3 recording
notes
Based on a colorful poem by Federico García Lorca with vivid imagery and a wonderful arc, The Cry was commissioned by the OU Percussion Press and the University of Oklahoma Percussion Orchestra, directed by Dr. Lance Drege. The work divides into 5 primary sections:
Paisaje ("Landscape")
La Guitarra ("The Guitar")
El Grito ("The Cry")
Un Silencio Ondulado ("A Rolling Silence")
Tierra de Luz, Cielo de Tierra ("Earth of Light, Sky of Earth")
Federico García Lorca was extremely interested in the Spanish gypsy music known as Cante Jondo (or "Deep Song"), which is the purist and most natural precursor to Flamenco music. It is filled with passionate melismatic singing and sparse guitar playing. Great care has been taken to differentiate between the more popular Flamenco form and Cante Jondo, always emphasizing that the latter is the purer and more serious of the two forms.
It is this struggle that is at the heart of "The Cry." The virtuosic melismatic singing is emulated throughout the ensemble in long flourishes that are full of twists and turns. The antiphonal castanet players help bring in the flamenco elements to the piece, as well as the sounds of flamenco dancers tapping, stomping and clapping in rhythm. Most important in composing this piece was that the beautiful words of García Lorca and the form of his poem are represented.