The Beauty of a Flower

This show for indoor percussion ensemble invites you to dive deeper into the concept of beauty, far beyond the surface level that we’re accustomed to. It challenges society’s impression that beauty is objective and tangible, instead claiming that everything relies on perspective and opinion. This show features the musical selection of Eric Whitacre titled “Lux Aurumque,” a choral composition that is based on a Latin poem of the same name, which translates as "Light, warm and heavy as pure gold, and the angels sing softly to the new born babe." Along with various narrative lines from Richard Feynman’s “Ode to the Flower” (an excerpt from his 1981 BBC interview, “The Pleasure of Finding Things Out”) which furthers the idea that beauty is much deeper and more interpretive than meets the eye. Feynman asks “Why is it aesthetic?” and “…does this aesthetic sense also exist in lower forms?” The flower itself simply serves as a metaphor in this case, more as a catalyst for the larger idea and perspective that’s being presented. 

As the show progresses, you’'ll hear vocal samples from Porter Robinson’s “Fellow Feeling” serve as the final challenge to the viewer. “I didn't think it could be true…” and “…that we could not only evoke, but conjure a place of our own. “And now, I cry for all that is beautiful.” This is the epitome of “The Beauty of a Flower.” It serves as a call-to-action and a reminder that beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder, and ultimately that subjectivity is the core of beauty. No one else has a say over what you think is beautiful, and within yourself, you can “…conjure a place of your own,” somewhere so beautiful that society could never tarnish it. Everything and everyone you hold close to yourself is just a small part of your flower. And that’s pretty beautiful, isn’t it?

Front Ensemble Percussion

• Two Synthesizers (w/ Sampler)
• Guitar Player (bass, acoustic, and electric)
• Five Marimbas (4.5-octave range)
• Four Vibraphones (3-octave range)
• Two Xylophone (w/ 3-octave Glockenspiel & 2-octave Crotale) combos
• One Timpani set (4 drums)
• One Drumset Player
• Three Auxiliary Percussion

Battery Percussion

• Marching Snare Drum
• Marching Tenor Drums (w/ 2 spocks)
• Marching Bass Drums (5 drums)
• Marching Crash Cymbals

As this show contains copyrighted material by Eric Whitacre & Edward Esch along with ℗ 2010 Decca, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited for the track “Lux Aurumque,” and Porter Robinson along with ℗ 2014 Sample Sized, LLC, Under Exclusive License To Astralwerks for the track “Fellow Feeling,” we ask that you pay an additional combined estimated fee of $860 to obtain a license to perform for these copyright-protected songs.

• Full Scores & Parts (in .PDF format)

• Front Ensemble & Battery Percussion Scores (in .PDF format)

• Notation Files (Sibelius & MusicXML)

• Full Show Audio (in .MP3 format)

• Voiceovers & SFX (in .WAV format)

• Tarp/Floor Design (in .JPEG format)

• Front Ensemble Percussion/SFX: Hunter Davis

• Battery Percussion: Zach Brumfield