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Home by Sundown
This original marimba trio by Ralph Hicks is fun, laid-back, and faintly reminiscent of familiar childhood melodies. Played on one instrument, Home by Sundown includes a few moments of choreographed humor among its variety of lilting musical moments. Adventurous performers could choose to make more of these, but be careful—it’s easy to lose track of time on this carefree jaunt down memory lane and you don’t want to miss curfew.
This piece comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.
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A portion of the proceeds from this title will go to Let Them Drum!—a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation providing recreational drum therapy treatments and performance opportunities for the special needs and assisted living communitites in The Woodlands, TX and surrounding areas. |
Inspired by memories from the composer’s childhood, this lighthearted piece is musically pleasing and visually engaging. Three players perform on one marimba with two mallets (each) throughout. True to the imagery of Central American marimba playing, the tonalities are sweet and songlike. A defining characteristic of this piece is the driving 7/8 ostinato. This is established at the beginning with the layering of various hocket patterns between the three parts. In lieu of traditional melody/ accompaniment textures, the music is largely minimalistic, deriving its identity from interlocking, often repetitive, rhythms. The middle section features miniature cadenzas for each player, a brief tremolo passage, and a switch to lilting playful rhythms set in 6/8 meter. During the cadenzas, the players are required to move around each other, which is clearly explained in both the score and program notes. The composer even indicates additional theatrical elements that can be incorporated, if desired. The work concludes with a brief restatement of themes from the beginning, altered by the occasional use of dead strokes.
The simplicity of rhythms (mostly quarter and eighth notes) and highly repetitive nature of many figures would make this piece accessible to younger performers. Far from being a simple novelty piece, the music is equally enjoyable aside from the visual elements, due to its infectious and charming nature reminiscent of a childhood well spent.
—Jason Baker
Percussive Notes
Vol. 52, No. 2, March 2014
This original marimba trio by Ralph Hicks is fun, laid-back, and faintly reminiscent of familiar childhood melodies. Played on one instrument, Home by Sundown includes a few moments of choreographed humor among its variety of lilting musical moments. Adventurous performers could choose to make more of these, but be careful—it’s easy to lose track of time on this carefree jaunt down memory lane and you don’t want to miss curfew.
This piece comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.
|
A portion of the proceeds from this title will go to Let Them Drum!—a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation providing recreational drum therapy treatments and performance opportunities for the special needs and assisted living communitites in The Woodlands, TX and surrounding areas. |
Inspired by memories from the composer’s childhood, this lighthearted piece is musically pleasing and visually engaging. Three players perform on one marimba with two mallets (each) throughout. True to the imagery of Central American marimba playing, the tonalities are sweet and songlike. A defining characteristic of this piece is the driving 7/8 ostinato. This is established at the beginning with the layering of various hocket patterns between the three parts. In lieu of traditional melody/ accompaniment textures, the music is largely minimalistic, deriving its identity from interlocking, often repetitive, rhythms. The middle section features miniature cadenzas for each player, a brief tremolo passage, and a switch to lilting playful rhythms set in 6/8 meter. During the cadenzas, the players are required to move around each other, which is clearly explained in both the score and program notes. The composer even indicates additional theatrical elements that can be incorporated, if desired. The work concludes with a brief restatement of themes from the beginning, altered by the occasional use of dead strokes.
The simplicity of rhythms (mostly quarter and eighth notes) and highly repetitive nature of many figures would make this piece accessible to younger performers. Far from being a simple novelty piece, the music is equally enjoyable aside from the visual elements, due to its infectious and charming nature reminiscent of a childhood well spent.
—Jason Baker
Percussive Notes
Vol. 52, No. 2, March 2014
