Peter Sciaino

Bahumba Peter Sciaino

Bahumba is a nonsense word but a no-nonsense selection for concert band. The word stems from a sound composer Peter Sciaino heard coming from an idling car. The engine, clearly having issues, had an uneven gate or pulse. He mindlessly heard the word Bahumba within the sounds emerging from the struggling motor. Just like an engine, an ensemble can attain a smooth groove even if uneven in terms of pulse. While the percussionists are often asked to provide this groove under the melodic lines, they ultimately break out with a feature that essentially places a percussion ensemble within the context of a concert band piece. (2:43)