Wilder-Piece for Oboe and Improvisatory Percussion (oboe part only; there is no written percussion part)-OB/Opt. P

Piece for Oboe and Improvisatory Percussion is a work by American composer Alec Wilder (1907–1980). Composed in 1958, the piece is notable for its unusual approach to the percussion part: there is no written part for the percussionist. Instead, the percussionist is free to play throughout the piece, either following the oboe line or listening and responding intuitively. The edition includes only the oboe part. This open-ended approach to the percussion role makes the work as much a vehicle for collaborative improvisation as it is a composed piece, and it stands as an early example of the kind of performer-as-creator thinking that would become more common in the new music world in the decades that followed. Wilder was known throughout his career for blending classical formal thinking with jazz sensibility and a genuine lyric gift, and those qualities come through clearly in the oboe writing.

Work Details

• Composer: Alec Wilder (1907–1980)
• Composed: c. 1958
• Genre: Duet for Oboe and Improvised Percussion
• Number of players: 2
• Note: Oboe part only included. No written percussion part.