Down Down Baby, by Robert Honstein

Down Down Baby, by Robert Honstein
Performed by New Morse Code
Hannah Collins and Michael Compitello
www.newmorsecode.com
Video: Four/Ten Media
fourtenmedia.net
Audio: Ryan Streber, Oktaven Audio
www.oktavenaudio.com
Composition by Robert Honstein
www.roberthonstein.com
Sheet music available at
www.mkt.com/roberthonstein/it...
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PRODUCT USED:
#vfVKB1 - VicKick Beaters, Felt
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ABOUT THE PIECE:
Down Down Baby
1. Follow the leader
2. Daydream 1
3. Singing Lesson
4. Strange Dance
5. Daydream 2
6. Down Down Baby
Down Down Baby is a childhood clapping game. Kids stand in a circle, clapping hands in choreographed patterns while singing a simple rhyming song. You know - Shimmy, Shimmy cocoa pop / Shimmy, Shimmy pow. When I began the piece my son was four months old. As a new Dad I often found myself trying to remember what being a kid was like. At the same time, perhaps with a bit less frequency, I was also thinking about how to approach cello and percussion in a completely new way. The two thoughts merged and I started to wonder if I were a kid with no prior knowledge of cellos and percussion what would I do? My immediate answer - I would hit and pluck in every possible way other than the normal way.
Thinking about childhood, led to games, which led to clapping games, which led to the amazing way two people facing each other performing the same motions become mirrors, which is a mesmerizing thing to watch; so I decided Hannah and Mike would be mirrors, and the cello would be their shared instrument. They would play, sing, whistle and clap (often all at the same time), and it would be hypnotic and joyful, maybe even capture some of the playful spirit and intricate physicality of the game Down Down Baby itself, or at least that was my hope!
With all this in mind, each movement became a short childhood scene. In Follow the Leader the players discover their new instrument, exploring a series of sounds and imitating each other as they go. Next is a brief Daydream, a moment of repose before a spirited Singing Lesson and a beguiling Strange Dance. After a second short Daydream the piece concludes with the title track, Down Down Baby, a kind of virtuosic romp through intricately coordinated hand gestures and interlocking rhythms.
Down Down Baby was commissioned by New Morse Code and developed with the support of the Avaloch Farm Music Institute.
ABOUT THE COMPOSER:
Celebrated for his “roiling, insistent orchestral figuration” (New York Times) and “glittery, percussive pieces” (Toronto Globe and Mail), composer Robert Honstein (b. 1980) is a composer of orchestral, chamber, and vocal music. His works have been performed throughout the world by ensembles such as the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, the New York Youth Symphony, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, eighth blackbird, Ensemble ACJW, Ensemble Dal Niente, the Mivos quartet, the Del Sol Quartet, Concert Black, TIGUE, and Present Music, among others. He has received an Aaron Copland Award, multiple ASCAP awards and other honors from SCI, Carnegie Hall, and New Music USA. He has also received residencies at the MacDowell Colony, Copland House, the Bang on a Can Summer Institute, and the Tanglewood Music Center.
www.roberthonstein.com
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS:
New Morse Code is devoted to bold and engaging performances of music worth sharing. Omnivorous, rigorous and inventive, Hannah Collins and Michael Compitello activate the unexpected range and unique sonic world of cello and percussion to catalyze and champion the compelling works of young composers. To Hannah and Michael, collaboration involves drawing upon mutual influences while generating and refining material together over an extended period of time. Through close work with colleagues, New Morse Code generates a singular and personal repertoire which reflects both their friends’ creative voices and their own perspectives. New Morse Code serves as co-directors of the Avaloch Farm New Music Initiative, a summer residency program in Boscawen, New Hampshire designed to provide resources and support for performers and composers collaborating on new works. Hannah and Michael teach at the University of Kansas.
www.newmorsecode.com/
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[@OverClover]

Geez that ending is so beautiful

[@FTTPRO]

This only gets better and better as it develops! (I also had a moment where I thought, Carolina Crown's about to show up in sunglasses transcribing this show to the field. 😂😂😂.)

[@FOSSIL13drums]

frank javier which part, if you don’t mind me asking?

[@anibalmonkeyfranco880]

Increíble.. felicidades.. genial pieza.

[@Strellock]

Awesome performance!

[@Prof.CheeseDog]

Okay but what does this have to do with Vic firth? Were they using vic firth signature fingernails to tap the cello/bass?

[@RobertHonstein]

haha! that's a great question.Hint: watch their feet. Also, of course, Mike is a VF artist, so that's the main connection.

[@derikknight5065]

Amazing! I wonder where they placed the mic(s) in order to get such a clear sound or did they record this in a studio and overdubbed the kids in the background?

[@tiyenin]

If you look very closely, you can see the mics in the audio.

[@AlessioDan]

bah..mi ha annoiato. Bravi per la passione che ci hanno messo.

[@skylin17]

Amazing

[@oth6384]

Very original

[@DoppelgangerShockwave]

Simon Says?

[@user-kc2kk1zs8j]

6 мин

[@sevenfacecomplex]

😴😂