Unseen Visions

For Mallet Quartet

Unseen Visions is a mallet quartet piece composed by Christopher Mesa. The instrumentation for this piece are 3 marimbas and vibraphone. There are additional percussion instruments, such as woodblocks, cymbal scrapes, and a kick drum. This piece draws influence from the minimalist style.

Harmonically, this piece is composed almost entirely on a suspended second chord with an added sharp 11th (or sharp 4th), which is transposed throughout to create variety. Rhythmically, syncopation plays a driving role in this piece, featuring 4:3 polyrhythms, offbeat phrasing, interlocking rhythms, and accented rhythmic displacement between performers. Additionally, I incorporated percussion techniques such as paradiddle sticking (RLRR or LRLL hand patterns) on mallet instruments, bowed vibraphone, playing with the wooden handles of the sticks, and dead strokes on the marimba. Instead of presenting a conventional melody, the piece is built around short motifs and relies heavily on rhythm to shape the intended musical soundscape.

Live Performance