Little Sea Gongs (1997) is a fantastic option for percussion quartets looking to incorporate elements of the Pacific into their repertoire. A miniature companion-piece to Farr's orchestral work From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs (PE020), the drumming style in Little Sea Gongs is very much inspired by Rarotongan log drumming. It is incessantly fast, with its chatty, murmured rhythms being passed around in call-and-response style as the work rises in waves of extreme volume.
Eric Willie, Percussive Notes, August, September 2009
This is a percussion quartet scored for eight graduated tom-toms, one kick bass drum and a crash cymbal. According to Farr "The drumming style is very much inspired by Rarotongan log drumming and is fast, furious and very loud." The piece is simple and consists of only one dynamic throughout, fortissimo. The rhythmic vocabulary is primarily comprised of sixteenth- and eighth-note variations and is based on one rhythmic motive that pervades the composition. Some sections are repeated multiple times, and the final section repeats with an exciting accelerando to conclude the composition.
Farr notes that the piece may be performed on log drum or RotoToms. Little Sea Gongs includes a few technical aspects (flam and drag figures), but no rolls. Its technical requirements are primary limited to single strokes, thus making the piece appropriate for novice level percussion ensembles.
Difficulty Rating Scale ll - Elementary
Gareth Farr is an indisputably colourful figure in New Zealand music. And whether scored for percussion duet or the resources of two large orchestras, Farr's music reflects his personality – bold, brash, or delicate and sensuous, but inevitably, immediately, engaging. Rhythmic elements of his compositions can be linked to the complex and exciting rhythms of Rarotongan log drum ensembles, Balinese gamelan and other percussion music of the Pacific Rim. In addition to his music for the concert chamber, Farr has written music for dance, theatre and television.
