The Impact of Edgard Varèse’s "Ionisation” on the Percussion Ensemble

Stephen F Austin State University, Baker Pattillo Student Center, Student Center Theatre and Twilight Ballroom

When I was selected to participate in a performance of Ionisation with the SFA Percussion Ensemble, the conductor, Dr. Meyer, explained the compositional process Edgard Varèse went through in order to write the piece. Hearing this inspired me to dig deeper into the composition to discover how much Ionisation impacted the world of percussion. After finding out it was the first true percussion ensemble piece ever written, I was inspired to see how it shaped the world of percussion after its debut.