Anodisation (2021) was written for the University Percussion Ensemble at Sam Houston State University and premiered by that ensemble in April, 2021. The piece celebrates the 100th anniversary of the invention of the vibraphone (1921) by paying coded tributes to the early history of both that instrument and the percussion ensemble repertoire. Although not recognizable by ear, the entirety of the vibraphone material is derived (by nefarious compositional means) from the traditional Hawaiian song “Aloha ‘Oe” (“Farewell to Thee”), attributed to Queen Lili’uokalani, which is one of the two songs found on the very first vibraphone recording (Edison Record 51401, recorded in 1924 by Vaudeville artist Louis “Signor Friscoe” Chiha). The title of the piece is a small joke, alluding to both the anodizing process (by which metal surfaces, most commonly aluminum, are electrochemically converted to a thick and often colorful oxide layer; all vibraphone bars are made of anodized aluminum) and the 1931 piece “Ionisation” by Edgard Varèse, which is broadly considered to be the first concert work for percussion ensemble. My approach to the percussion parts of Anodisation, including the suggested instrumentation, is also taken from Varèse’s compositional approach to “Ionisation,” which relied heavily upon the use of timbre as a structural device.
