Prelude No. III by Christopher Deane is a timpani solo that incorporates musical influences from West Africa. Several West African instruments are used in the setup (which can be substituted with standard instruments) as the player is asked to play intricate rhythmic patterns with the hands and the feet making this a timpani solo that requires drum set chops. Some rudimental skills are necessary for certain moments, but no tuning is required! This solo has a duration of about 7’30”, and is a solid addition to any percussion recital, particularly for college/university students.

Instrumentation – 4 Timpani, Gongkagui, Songba, Djun-Djun (or Cowbell, Small Tom, Kick Drum for those without African instrument collections)

From the composer – “Prelude No. 3 was written for John Feddersen, principal timpanist with the North Carolina Symphony, who premiered the work at the 1994 North Carolina Day of Percussion. I am always interested in combining the varied musical interests of certain players. John was and continues to be very interested in West African djembe. I have honored those interests by integrating West African instruments into the instrumentation. The piece also contains rhythmic ideas inspired by, but not derived from, West African drumming traditions.”