(b.1956)
Sally Beamish was born in London. Initially a viola player, she moved from London to Scotland in 1990 to develop her career as a composer. Her music embraces many influences; particularly jazz and Scottish traditional music. The concerto form is a continuing inspiration, and she has written for many soloists, including Tabea Zimmermann, Håkan Hardenberger and Steven Isserlis. Her music is performed and broadcast internationally, and since 1999 she has been championed by the BIS label, who have recorded much of her work. Recent commissions include a concerto for percussionist Colin Currie, with the Bergen Symphony Orchestra, Scottish and Swedish Chamber Orchestras, and Stanford Lively Arts, California. Her string quartet for the Elias Quartet, Reed Stanzas, received its premiere at the 2011 BBC Proms, and won the 2011 RPS award in the Chamber-Scale Composition category. She is one of the PRS 20x12 Cultural Olympiad composers, and her work with The Times columnist Melanie Reid, ‘Spinal Chords’, was premiered in Southampton and London (Queen Elizabeth Hall) in 2012, with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, featuring Juliet Stevenson as narrator. With composer Alasdair Nicolson, Sally Beamish co-directs the annual St. Magnus Composers' Course in Orkney.
Sally Beamish Composition Timpani and Percussion Requirements
A Book of Seasons
No Timpani + 2 percussion
1) chocola, marimba, snare drum, suspended cymbal, maracas, 4 tom toms 2) vibraphone, temple blocks, wooden blocks, suspended cymbal, mark tree, 2 octaves crotales, 4 tom toms, wood chimes, guiro, piccolo snare drum, xylophone
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A Cage of Doves
Timpani + 2 percussion + celeste
Tam tam, 5 tom toms, orchestral bass drum, suspended cymbal, triangle, tubular bells (C,B,A), glockenspiel, celeste
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Blaze
Timpani + 2 percussion
1) cowbells, 4 tom toms, small wind chimes, suspended cymbal, tubular bells 2) snare drum, suspended cymbal, 2 octaves crotales
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Bugs
No Timpani + 1 percussion
Hi hat, timpani, suspended cymbal, mark tree
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Callisto
Timpani + 3 percussion
2 octaves crotales, vibraphone, 4 tom toms, tam tam
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Cello Concerto No 1
Timpani + 1 percussion
Triangle, rainstick, 1 octave crotales, sizzle cymbal, mark tree, 5 temple blocks, chocolo, suspended cymbal, tambourine
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Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
Timpani + 2 percussion
Clash cymbals, suspended cymbal, cimbalom, snare drum, marimba, mark tree, maracas, orchestral bass drum, 3 temple blocks, piccolo snare drum, 5 concert toms, 3 untuned temple bells, tam tam, vibraphone, ratchet, 2 octaves crotales, tubular bells, xylophone, suspended cymbal
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Concerto No 2 for Viola - 'The Seafarer'
No Timpani + 1 percussion
Suspended cymbal, snare drum, 4 tom toms, rain stick, temple blocks, tubular bells, tam tam, triangle, snare drum, orchestral bass drum, 2 octave crotales, maracas, mark tree, xylophone
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Dance Variations
Timpani + Solo percussion
Marimba, suspended cymbals (ride and large), snare drum, tenor drum, maracas, rain stick, desk bell, bottle chime, tin of coins, 4 wood blocks, 5 tom toms
2 congas, 2 bongos
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Flight of the Eagle
Timpani + 2 percussion
Snare drum, orchestral bass drum, triangle, mark tree, tambourine, rain stick, suspended cymbal, chicken shaker, 2 temple blocks, clash cymbals
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Imagined Sound of Sun on Stone
Timpani + 1 percussion
2 octave crotales, suspended cymbal, tubular bells, 5 tom toms, chocolo, rain stick, bamboos, bodhran, snare drum, orchestral bass drum, heavy wind chimes
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Love is Leaping
No Timpani + 4 percussion
1) tubular bells, 2 octaves crotales 2) vibraphone 3) clash cymbals, triangle, temple bells, chicken shaker, tam tam 4) glockenspiel
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Magnificat
No Timpani + 3 percussion
1) vibraphone, 8" concert tom, timpani, suspended cymbal, 3 temple blocks, whip, A3 tubular bell 2) marimba, 10" concert tom, snare drum, 3 untuned temple bells, triangle, G3 tubular bell 3) xylophone, 4 octave xylophone, 14" concert tom, orchestral bass drum, 2 octaves crotales, tam tam, F3 tubular bell
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Monster Opera
Timpani + 3 percussion
1) 2 octaves crotales, orchestral bass drum, maracas, triangle, vibraphone, clash cymbals, waterphone, vibraslap, ratchet 2) temple blocks, whip, guiro, glockenspiel, tambourine, tam tam, 4 tom toms, tubular bells, sizzle cymbal, waterphone 3) suspended cymbal, pestle and mortar, sizzle cymbal, snare drum, mark tree, rain stick, xylophone, ratchet, guiro
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Suite pour Violoncello et Orchestre
No Timpani +1 percussion
Suspended cymbal, snare drum, tambourine, glockenspiel, triangle
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Symphony
Timpani + 3 percussion
Snare drum, piccolo snare drum, clash cymbals, suspended cymbal, chocalo, 3 temple blocks, xylophone, vibraphone, 2 pairs bongos, triangle, tubular bells (A, G, F, Eb), 2 octaves crotales, whip, orchestral bass drum, tambourine, tam tam, mark tee
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Symphony No 2
Timpani + 3 percussion
Orchestral bass drum, marimba, suspended cymbal, clash cymbals, triangle, glockenspiel, 1 octave crotales, snare drum, mark tree, xylophone, chocolo, frame drum with gravel, rain stick, vibraphone, maracas, 5 tom toms, tam tam
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Tam Lin
No Timpani + 1 percussion
Marimba, 3 concert toms, piccolo snare drum, triangle, tambourine, snare drum, 2 octaves crotales, suspended cymbal, timpani, sizzle cymbal, anvil, heavy wind chimes
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The Caledonian Road
Timpani + 2 percussion
2 octave crotales, suspended cymbal, marimba, tubular bells, clash cymbals, 5 tom toms, chocolo
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The Gift
No Timpani + 1 percussion
Marimba
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The Lion and the Deer
Timpani + 2 percussion
2 octaves crotales, bamboo chimes, rain stick, triangle, suspended cymbal, tam tam, tubular bells (A, Bb)
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The Loch
No Timpani + 1 percussion
Marimba, maracas, temple blocks, guiro, xylophone, sleigh bells, vibraphone, suspended cymbal, 2 octaves crotales, glockenspiel, tubular bells
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The Singing
Timpani + 4 percussion
1) sand block, snare drum, suspended cymbal, clash cymbals 2) bamboos, maracas, xylophone, orchestral bass drum 3) congas, A3 tubular bell, dried peas in drum, 2 wood blocks, suspended cymbal, tam tam 4) 5 tom toms, triangle, rain stick
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The Sins
No Timpani + 1 percussion
Maracas, drum kit, cowbell, 2 wood blocks, bottles, 4 tom toms, vibraphone, bed springs, xylophone, snare drum, orchestral bass drum
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Trance O’ Nicht
Timpani + Solo percussion
Marimba (5 octaves), rain stick, 6 temple blocks, 2 suspended cymbals, bass bow, mark tree, crotales (1 octave), tam tam
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Trumpet Concerto
Timpani + 4 percussion
1) tam tam, snare drum, orchestral bass drum, ratchet, car fuel tank 2) maracas, suspended cymbal, clash cymbals, brake drum, vibraslap, triangle 3) 2 octave crotales, temple blocks, tambourine, triangle, marimba, 4 tom toms, 3 scaffold pipes 4) xylophone, 2 car springs
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Walking Back
No Timpani + 1 percussion
5 tom toms, small glockenspiel, 4 timpani, marimba, suspended cymbal, 4 temple blocks, 2 untuned temple bells, snare drum, 2 pairs bongos
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Whitescape
No Timpani + 2 percussion
2 octaves crotales, orchestral bass drum, glockenspiel, triangle, xylophone, 5 temple blocks, pestle and mortar, vibraphone, suspended cymbal, 5 tom toms
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