J.S. Bach’s Two-Part Inventions is a collection of fifteen short keyboard works originally written by Bach as technical exercises for his students. They are contrapuntal pieces—two voices of equal value but independent in contour and rhythm—unlike “vertical” pieces that employ melody and harmony, basslines, etc. Born in the Renaissance period and coming of age during the Baroque, the contrapuntal style of writing served as a launch pad for rounds, canons, and ultimately fugues, this last of which Bach is considered the definitive master.
Slawson has arranged three of these inventions as mallet duets, packaged here for extra value as a “three-pack.” The two-part inventions included here are No. 4 (D minor), No. 8 (F Major), and No. 13 (A minor). They can be performed separately or in succession. Performing duets can be one of the most rewarding settings for mallet players, and these arrangements will surely be a hit with both performers and audiences alike.
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.
2-part 3-pack Reviews
John Lane
Reviewed in Percussive Notes July 2010
“This marimba duet arrangement of three of Bach’s two-part inventions is a great choice for instructors looking to provide some historical perspective and chamber music experience for students of all levels. Originally written as pedagogical keyboard literature by Bach, this two-mallet marimba duet version functions in much the same way. Slawson’s arrangements include dynamic suggestions and stickings, which provide a good starting point for interpretation.
The treble line is playable on a 4.0-octave instrument, while the bass part requires a 4.3-octave instrument, making it accessible to most percussion studios. $30.00 seems an extravagant price for an arrangement of music that can easily be found in libraries and for free in online historical score databases. However, the score comes packaged with a CD containing recordings of all three works, as well as printable parts for each of the three inventions, which does enhance the value of the printed score.”
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Instrumentation
One small marimba (4 octave), one 4.3 octave marimba (low A)
NOTE: If necessary, the treble clef part (small marimba) may be played on vibraphone.
