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Andy
Written and dedicated to his nephew, Andy by Michael Charles Smith is a medium-level marimba solo that is “bubbly, full of energy, but also intense and complicated at times,” just like the composer’s nephew. Smith has written a piece or song for each of his nieces and nephews right after they were born, and he continues that trend with this charming solo.
Andy ships in a printed, professionally bound folio with a full color cover.
• Marimba—(low A)
“Andy” is a short marimba solo written for and dedicated to Michael Charles Smith’s nephew, Andrew. Described by the composer as “bubbly, full of energy, but intense and complicated at times,” this piece lends itself well to advanced high-school or first-year college students with a decent understanding of four-mallet technique.
Much of the piece is built around perpetual sextuplet rhythms that utilize the permutations 1-3-4 or 2-3-4. It is suggested to master these prior to beginning the work. This constant repetition is alleviated by various indications including feathered beaming in the transition material from the first section to the second section and the tempo marking rubato at the opening of the piece. However, I would have liked to see the use of phrase markings or dynamic change to aid in musical interpretation of the piece. I suspect the composer left this to the discretion of the per- former, but without program notes indicating this, it may come across as too mechanical or bland.
—Danielle Moreau
Percussive Notes
Vol. 57, No. 4, September 2019
Written and dedicated to his nephew, Andy by Michael Charles Smith is a medium-level marimba solo that is “bubbly, full of energy, but also intense and complicated at times,” just like the composer’s nephew. Smith has written a piece or song for each of his nieces and nephews right after they were born, and he continues that trend with this charming solo.
Andy ships in a printed, professionally bound folio with a full color cover.
• Marimba—(low A)
“Andy” is a short marimba solo written for and dedicated to Michael Charles Smith’s nephew, Andrew. Described by the composer as “bubbly, full of energy, but intense and complicated at times,” this piece lends itself well to advanced high-school or first-year college students with a decent understanding of four-mallet technique.
Much of the piece is built around perpetual sextuplet rhythms that utilize the permutations 1-3-4 or 2-3-4. It is suggested to master these prior to beginning the work. This constant repetition is alleviated by various indications including feathered beaming in the transition material from the first section to the second section and the tempo marking rubato at the opening of the piece. However, I would have liked to see the use of phrase markings or dynamic change to aid in musical interpretation of the piece. I suspect the composer left this to the discretion of the per- former, but without program notes indicating this, it may come across as too mechanical or bland.
—Danielle Moreau
Percussive Notes
Vol. 57, No. 4, September 2019
