Percussion Ensemble Performance Practices and Instrumentation Changes: Comparing New to Old

The percussion ensemble pieces of the 1930s and 1940s have many performance practice and instrumental selection considerations when performed in the modern day. The four pieces of music under consideration for this study are Ionisation (1933) by Edgard Varèse, Ostinato Pianissimo (1934) by Henry Cowell, First Construction (In Metal) (1939), and Third Construction (1941), both by John Cage. These works have stood the test of time, and are still an important part of today’s percussive literature. As with many historical works, issues such as interpretation and instrument selection arise when performed in the twenty first century. This project aims to provide general considerations and specific solutions when preparing these works for performance. The research conducted in this paper will help percussionists and musicologists alike further understand how to properly replicate the early percussion ensemble music, if the performers objectives are to emulate the composers’ original intentions.