Ruffles Call from Afar Yo Goto

A Concerto for Drums and Wind Ensemble
Percussion Soloist with Band
Number of Players:Standard + 1
Copyright:2015
Piccolo
Flute 1
Flute 2
Oboe 1
Oboe 2/English Horn
Bassoon 1
Bassoon 2
B-flat Clarinet 1
B-flat Clarinet 2
B-flat Clarinet 3
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
Alto Saxophone 1
Alto Saxophone 2
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone

B-flat Trumpet 1
B-flat Trumpet 2
B-flat Trumpet 3
F Horn 1
F Horn 2
F Horn 3
F Horn 4
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba

Double Bass
Piano

Drum Solo (Field Drum, 2 Snare Drums)

Timpani (3-4 drums)
Percussion 1 (High Snare Drum, Suspended Cymbal)
Percussion 2 (Low Snare Drum, Hi-Hat)
Percussion 3 (Bass Drum, Slapstick, Crotales)
Percussion 4 (Vibraphone, Xylophone, Glockenspiel)
Percussion 5 (4.5-octave Marimba, Chimes)
Ruffles Call from Afar is a concerto for drums and wind ensemble, and was commissioned by associate professor John Lane and the Sam Houston State University Wind Ensemble, Matthew McInturf conductor. Lane requested that Goto write for a relatively small setup or something that would be centered on the snare drum. For the solo percussion, Goto chose a field drum, which moves around with the soloist on the stage, and a two-snare drumset. This one-movement concerto was musically inspired by the Field Music of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the composer points out that the nature of the snare drum suggests military music using material derived from the melodies of Yankee Doodle and the Funeral March of the U.S. Army. Additionally, the drumming techniques used in this concerto are based on the rudiments of the National Association of Rudimental Drummers, and the composer notes that this piece is a tribute to the tradition of American drumming. On the other hand, traditional elements interact with conflicting dissonances and jazz idioms, while, as the composer notes, the drum is sometimes heard from a distance as if The Spirit of 76 had been an old idea until today. [American painter Archibald MacNeal Willard's most famous painting,
The Spirit of '76 (previously known as Yankee Doodle) was exhibited at the Centennial Exposition of 1876 in Philadelphia, the first official World's Fair in the United States.] Goto evokes this painting while explaining that the title of his concerto was inspired by the ruffles and flourishes' fanfares played before pieces of honor for a distinguished person. Ruffles are played on drums, and flourishes are played on bugles, and the number of flourishes one receives reflects the status of the honored person; for instance, the President of the United States receives the highest number of ruffles and flourishes (four) before the band plays, Hail to the Chief (the honor music).
-Dr. Sheryl K. Murphy-Manley, associate professor, Sam Houston State University