The Watchmaker

by Matthew Kilby

Medium Percussion Ensemble and Steel Band

17+ Players

Instrumentation:

STEEL BAND:

• Tenor/lead
• Double tenors
• Double seconds
• Triple guitars
• Bass pans

PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE:

• Glockenspiel
• Xylophone
• Chimes
• 2 Vibraphones
• 2 Marimbas — low A (opt. 5-octave)
• 4 Timpani (32”, 29”, 26”, 23”)
• Drumset
• Drums — concert bass drum, snare drum
• Cymbals — crash cymbals, sizzle cymbal
• Accessories — mark tree, temple blocks (or 2 woodblocks), cowbell, triangle

The Watchmaker by Matthew Kilby is a work for large percussion ensemble and steel band inspired by the precision, craftsmanship, and interconnected mechanics of a handmade watch. Beginning with delicate textures that evoke the careful calibration of gears and springs, the piece gradually develops into a mixed meter groove-driven musical portrait of a mechanism coming to life.

Scored for steel pans, keyboard percussion, timpani, drumset, and a wide variety of auxiliary percussion, the work offers performers a colorful palette of sounds that combine to create a constantly evolving musical landscape.

Although substantial in size, the piece is written with developing performers in mind and emphasizes the importance of each individual part within the larger ensemble. As the composer notes, the work reflects a central idea shared by both music and mechanics: every component, no matter how small, plays an essential role in making the whole function.

This piece ships as a fully bound score. Individual parts come exclusively in PDF format.