Children's Medley is one of several masterworks arranged for percussion ensemble by Brian Slawson on the Grammy-nominated CD "Bach on Wood." This medley is comprised of three sections: The first two sections, Mussette in D and Minuet in G, are both from J.S. Bach’s Notebook for Anna Magdalena (1725), a collection of pieces compiled by Bach for his second wife. Spinning Song (the third section of this medley) was composed in the mid-1800s by German composer Albert Elmenreich. Its familiar charm has been enjoyed by generations of piano hobbyists both young and old.
Arranged for percussion sextet, each section presents a unique and distinctive sound. Much of its character is driven by the colorful orchestration and the variety of multi-percussion setups requiring some nimble instrument and/or implement switches. In the hands of a well-trained ensemble, the charm built into Children's Medley will jump off the stage and into the laps of enthusiastic listeners!
This piece comes with a full, bound score and includes a CD-Rom containing an audio recording and all individual parts available for printing.
*All sounds used in this recording were generated from Virtual
Drumline software also by Tapspace.
Children's Medley Reviews
George Frock
Reviewed in Percussive Notes July 2010
“This is a medley of three familiar pieces found in many educational piano collections. The first two quotes are found in J.S. Bach’s “Notebook for Anna Magdalena.” The final tune is by the German composer Albert Elmenreich.
The three tunes are presented by an ensemble of six percussionists, performing on an array of keyboard percussion instruments, plus some interesting accessory textures that include two alarm clocks, temple and woodblocks, brake drums, cowbells, triangle, and a ratchet. Player 5 performs on three timpani, glock, tambourine, and brake drums. The keyboard instruments include two glocks, vibraphone, xylophone, and two marimbas (a 4.0-octave and a 5.0-octave instrument). There is also a drumkit part which, in addition to the standard instruments, calls for triangle, woodblock, a ratchet, and one of the alarm clocks.
The piece opens with a four-measure vamp in D major and moves to the first tune. Anyone who has studied piano will recognize this familiar tune. Even with repeats, the tune lasts only 31 measures. At this point it segues to the “Minuet in G,” which is not in G major. It concludes with a fermata and immediately goes to a quick 2/4 piece in F. This is referred to as “Spinning songs,” and this is where the extra toy percussion parts have fun.
This publication is an excellent source for training young percussionists. Tapspace includes a CD from which you can download parts. The familiar tunes will be received well by audiences and players.”
