Percussion Ensemble Quintets

LD Smooth is a fun, energetic piece for percussion quintet by Wesley Denkins. Heavily inspired by Rock music, this work aims to challenge developing percussionists in a chamber music setting.

Written for five graduated sounds, this work can be performed on any five graduated items or instruments such as woodblocks, claves, cowbells, pots and pans, bottles, or anything really, as long as there

Written for a developing percussion ensemble that is ready to explore a deeper level of musicality, this piece serves to teach simpler rhythms and note patterns while giving listening responsibilities to

A colorful, exciting opener or closer for five players on one five-octave marimba. It is also available for three players on one four-octave marimba under the title Celebration III.

Based around a simple, syncopated four-bar rhythm which is offset and layered on itself over and over, this piece attempts to make five percussionists sound like ten. Each player is responsible for at least

Quintet for unpitched percussion instruments. It features a large array of concert and marching drums and auxiliary percussion instruments. The piece is set up in such a way that the performers face inward

Riba-roja de Túria is a festive overture for percussion quintet. This piece captures the energy, festive atmosphere and joyful spirit of Las Fallas, a traditional celebration held in

Occam's Razor is an exciting virtuosic work for solo marimba and percussion ensemble accompaniment. The title refers to the principle of the same name used in problem-solving, stating that when

Piece for Ghana is written for 5 Djembes, however, you may substitute other drums as needed. This piece is intended to introduce players to djembe playing techniques. There is a description of

Equal parts groovy and contemporary, Persistence uses a diligent 16th-note rhythm on a metal pipe throughout much of the piece. Five players navigate through an array of changing accent patterns

Rhythmically involved with tons of clever interplay, Vesuvius will engage your audience from the first note to the last. The piece is set for five percussionists.  The setups are small and

This audience pleaser by Dan Moore answers the question, "Can a trash can be elegant?" Pun intended, yes it can. The piece contains all the street-level timbres of a trash can ensemble with

This piece makes use of common percussion instruments to explore various Brazilian styles. Students will learn how the syncopated rhythms complement and interact with each other. Perfect for concert or

The Cryptic Blue Planet Lake was written as a vehicle for middle school percussion students to practice non-conducted chamber music performance, phrasing on indefinitely pitched percussion

Post-Sunrise is a flowing, post-rock-style quintet scored for glockenspiel, suspended cymbal, vibraphone, two marimbas, djembe, and ankle bells. The work was composed during the summer of

Named after a large-scale industrial sculpture by Richard Serra, Tilted Spheres is a powerhouse unpitched percussion quintet that takes listeners and performers on a sonic journey through many

Prism Schism is an extremely flexible piece that helps students explore the sonic possibilities of the modern percussion ensemble by encouraging them to choose instruments that work well together

Chris Retschulte takes advantage of the timbral spectrum of mallet percussion to create an effective setting of Beethoven’s wildly famous Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor, better known as Fur

This quintet is scored for field drum, four concert toms and splash splash cymbal; field drum and bass drum; field drum and cowbell; field drum and timbales; military bass drum and hi-hat. It is based on

Holy moly is this one fun! All you need is five percussionists, five chairs, a table, some plastic cups, and an audience ready to be entertained!