Per Nørgård

Tribute To Bali

TRIBUTE TO BALI is a 5-6 minutes piece for 3 percussionists, but also the original version for piano solo under the title ''Many returns to Bali'' might be called a percussion piece (the piano being a percussive instrument too, at least since Bartok's ''Allegro Barbaro'') - referring in sound and attack to Balinese gamelan music. In gamelan orchestras the fastest layers of music are played by high pitched instruments, the slowest layers by instruments with deep octaves. The same idea is present in my piece, and gives the music a Balinese touch, although no Balinese themes or motifs are used. The motives and rhythms are my own brew, especially the snake-like rhythm called ''Pischop'', which - played in many layers at the same time - avoids the strong beats in a bar. The music might be described as a ''Tribute to Pischop''. It also refers to my piece ''Returns'' for guitar (1976), composed after my first visit to Bali in 1975. The piece was composed as a hommage to the cultural rich civilization of Hindu Bali, after the bombings on the island in 2002. Percussionist Jacob Weber has, with my accept, arranged the original piano piece for percussion trio - for his debut in 2005 at the Queens Hall at the Royal Library, Copenhagen. Per Norgard (2005)