How long it took to develop bodily gesticulation into an art no one can guess-perhaps a millennium. In writing of dancing, one will therefore include those gesticulations or movements of the body suggesting an idea, whether it be the slow movement of marching, or the rapid gallop, even some of the movements that we commonly call acrobatic. It is not intended here to include the more sensual movements of the East and the debased antique. Generally the antique dances were connected with a religious ritual conceived to be acceptable to the Gods. This connection between dancing and religious rites was common up to the 16th century. It still continues in some countries. In some of the earliest designs which have come down to us the dancers moved, as stars, hand in hand round an altar, or person, representing the sun; either in a slow or stately method, or with rapid trained gestures, according to the ritual performed. Dancing, music and poetry were inseparable. Dancing is the poetry of motion, and its connection with music, as the poetry of sound, occurs at all times. In our own day musical themes are marked by forms originally dance times, as waltz time, gavotte time, minuet time, etc. Amongst the earliest representations that are comprehensible, we have certain Egyptian paintings, and some of these exhibit postures that evidently had even then a settled meaning, and were a phrase in the sentences of the art. Not only were they settled at such an early period (B. C. 3000, fig. 1) but they appear to have been accepted and handed down to succeeding generations, and what is remarkable in some countries, even to our own times. The accompanying illustrations from Egypt and Greece exhibit what was evidently a traditional attitude. The hand-in-hand dance is another of these. The earliest accompaniments to dancing appear to have been the clapping of hands, the pipes, the guitar, the tambourine, the castanets, the cymbals, the tambour, and sometimes in the street, the drum. The following account of Egyptian dancing is from Sir Gardiner Wilkinson's "Ancient Egypt" "The dance consisted mostly of a succession of figures, in which the performers endeavoured to exhibit a great variety of gesture. Men and women danced at the same time, or in separate parties, but the latter were generally preferred for their superior grace and elegance. Some danced to slow airs, adapted to the style of their movement; the attitudes they assumed frequently partook of a grace not unworthy of the Greeks; and some credit is due to the skill of the artist who represented the subject, which excites additional interest from its being in one of the oldest tombs of Thebes (B. C. 1450, Amenophis II. ). Others preferred a lively step, regulated by an appropriate tune; and men sometimes danced with great spirit, bounding from the ground, more in the manner of Europeans than of Eastern people. On these occasions the music was not always composed of many instruments, and here we find only the cylindrical maces and a woman snapping her fingers in the time, in lieu of cymbals or castanets.

In addition to his performances, Dr. Larrick served as professor and mentor to many percussion students in a full-time position at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. I knew him there as a colleague and played bass in his jazz/fusion band. Dr. Larrick wrote and arranged parts for the band as he began to explore serious composition. He formed his own successful publishing company, G and L Music, as an outlet for his many compositions and books. Nevertheless, it has been as author that Dr. Larrick his made his most enduring impact in the field. Starting at the time of his professorship, he has published continuously in percussion journals and other media. Before attempting to write the present work, in fact, Dr. Larrick had published six previous monographs! The work in question, Theory and Composition of Percussion Music, is his latest major effort. It contains a narrative section in prose and a documentary section in bibliographical form. In reality the book is organized into three components: Section 1: essays, Section 2: a bibliography of the Music Theory section of the college library, and finally Section 3: a bibliography of percussion methods. The narrative component is in prose and the bibliographies contain extensive commentary under each title. The essays of Section 1 are generally analytical, but they often contain a percussionist's insight or biographical musings. Here the reader will find: an introduction to music fundamentals from a percussionist's viewpoint, a running commentary on the percussion literature through the historical eras, the value of musicianship, the challenges of performing at conventions and of reviewing books and recordings, and the plight of all percussionists. New percussionists will value Dr. Larrick's explanations on how to use the standard databases in music and how to find percussion the literature (including books, scores, and recordings). The young percussionist will note how a musician's versatility is the key to making career connections. The books and the few articles in Section 2, all organized alphabetically by author's surname - from Bachmann to Zarro, are of special interest to the percussionist. Most of the items are available in the Music Theory section of the library. The works of interest here are those of composers, theorists and percussionists, but a few ethnic and foreign musicians, like Shinichi Suzuki, have drawn some commentary, as well. Here the range of the percussion literature comes into view, through the periods of Western classical and popular music; there is also a hint of the percussionist's role in the universe of non-Western music. The third and final section of the book deals with percussion methods and compositions. Here, again, Dr. Larrick provides a bibliography along with a running, unpretentious, often amusing commentary. Performers, percussion instructors, and instrumental teachers will find this section useful in identifying the best methods for percussion instruments, easy pieces, contest music, as well as performing editions of the standard classical literature, and editions of jazz and Latin pieces-all laced with some of the most important percussion personalities of the world. Perhaps the greatest value of this book is in the personal asides. The highs and lows of a career are brought into the open, including the pitfalls and problems that beset one fine percussionist. A career musician will value these moments and hopefully avoid the problems encountered by a peer in the field. Thus, no professional percussionist's library will be complete without this book.