Honeymoon Horrors 12'50"
Percussion Quartet in one movement

General Information

Honeymoon Horrors is funny. All four percussionists have lots of fun romping through some lively music for Vibraphone, Marimba and Drums followed by Axatses.

This excited energy yields to quiet, slow and sensual sounds played on a blend of romantic things like sleigh bells and glass chimes. Oh, and enticingly shaken chains! The players get a bit tribal at times and a bit competitive at others.

The lively music keeps coming back but finally a calm stillness prevails and a couple of the players even fall asleep.

They do not act but there are elements of music-theatre in the humour, some of the hand-held instruments seem sexually suggestive but it’s all in the audience’s mind, thanks to the title, so it’s perfectly safe to take the kids.

Honeymoon Horrors was commissioned by British percussion quartet Ensemble Bash.

Exact Forces

There are 8 axatses in the score, they should all be different sizes No.1 the smallest through to No.8 the biggest.

Player 1: vibraphone, 2 chains, two axatses Nos. 4 and 5, asoratwe, temple bells on string, musical box.

Player 2: marimba, triangle, two axatses Nos. 3 and 8, temple bells on string, musical box.

Player 3: 3 different sized drums producing a 'hard' sound, glass chimes, two axatses Nos. 2 and 6, asoratwe, temple bells on string.

Player 4: 3 different sized drums producing a 'soft' sound, sleigh bells, two axatses Nos. 1 and 7, asoratwe, triangle.

Score Extract and Listen

Click to read and listen to extracts

Extract 1
Extract 2
Extract 3

A page at a glance:

percussion quartet music score

Photos

Ensemble Bash.

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