Marimba Solos and Xylophone Solos

Challenging solo work - four-mallets. Utilizes numerous contemporary mallet techniques: independent mallet movement, rolls in
one hand, etc.
adv. high school/college.

A collection of six easy Ragtime solos (1897-1909).
Each can be played with piano accompaniment, or as a percussion trio - xylophone soloist with two players on marimba providing accompaniment
(4 1/3-octave).
Both the solos and the marimba accompaniments are scored so that players utilize two mallets.
A CD is included which offers the piano parts to each Rag at three different tempi, allowing the soloist great flexibility for practice.
This collection gives younger players as well as more experienced players a variety of enjoyable practice and performance options.

Sound Sample:
Black and White Rag

Price: $5.95

Jazz-style waltz for
marimba that can
be "opened up"
for soloing.
Can be played as trio with bass and drums.
Four-mallets.
adv. high school/college.

RISAS TAMBIEN,
based on an Incan folk melody, was inspired by numerous performances around the world of
Risas de Los Incas by
Tristan Fuentes. Opening with a subdued section for four mallets, the piece evolves to a more rapid dance-like section to which the marimbist can simultaneously add a bass drum accompaniment
pattern (via pedal
bass drum).
adv. high school/college.

Challenging, yet audience-friendly work for solo marimba which includes solo space
to be developed at the performers discretion!
Requires four mallets,
5-octave instrument,
ca. 6'.
college/professional.

SEE ALSO:
Echo Rhythm
and
Life's Questions

Recorded on ABOUT TIME - [CD-2008, EAST2WESTSTUDIOS]

Scored for 5-octave marimba, this piece is dedicated to Eric Sammut. Rotation for Eric presents significant technical challenges for the player, yet it's beautiful melodic elements can be easily appreciated by percussionists and audiences alike. college/professional.

[This piece is the third movement of Santangelo's Concerto No. 1 for Marimba and Orchestra.]

Score and Video Samples

Sound Sample

Seascape is an advanced four-mallet composition featuring gradual shifts in tonalities, rhythms and moods. The composition offers flowing lines that span the entire range of the marimba. Technical considerations include one-handed rolls
and independence
between the hands.
Requires 5-octave marimba.  adv. high school/college.

A collection of studies or "operations" for the intermediate level mallet player. These operations are intended to be utilized in conjunction with other scale exercises and concert repertoire, as part of a complete musical development. Each operation focuses on two or three "stroke types" as defined in Method of Movement for Marimba/L. H. Stevens. As such, the operations were written particularly with "Stevens" technique in mind - addressing various stroke types: Double Vertical, Single Independent, Single Alternating and so on.

Based on memories of and reactions to the disaster of 9/11/2001
at the
World Trade Center
in New York City,
this piece offers a unique pairing of marimba and cello. Scored for a
4.5 octave marimba.
adv. high school/college. 

SEE ALSO:
Fallen Peace for Marimba and String Quartet

Price: $25.95

Morleo’s second volume of challenging studies completes his comprehensive offering for the development of four-mallet technique. These studies are
well crafted pedagogical materials which offer a systematic approach to various performance problems
on the marimba. This volume addresses various keys, modes
and contemporary compositional techniques.
Utilizing "stroke types" (Double Vertical, Single Independent, etc.) as defined in "Method of Movement for Marimba"/L. H. Stevens, this volume addresses various keys, modes and contemporary compositional techniques in a unique manner that will challenge intermediate to advanced level performers. [138 pages]

SEE ALSO:
120 Progressive Four-Mallet Studies for Marimba

and
MARIMBA-SYNTHESIS.

A challenging recital work scored for five-octave marimba. 
A great showcase
for the experienced performer.  college/professional. 

SEE ALSO:
Watercolor for Solo Marimba
and
Placid Landscapes
for Marimba Quartet.

A collection of 85 traditional 2-mallet pieces for study, performance or sight-reading. This collection would be viable as either a basic method book or as a supplement to other mallet methods. Requires a 4-octave marimba, most pieces can also be played on xylophone and/or vibraphone. A great collection for recital, jury or contest selections!

Three movements - Reverie,
Lone Journey at Night, Song of Jubilation. Contemporary yet lyrical, with challenging
mallet independence
(four-mallets, 4 octave marimba). adv. high school/college. 

SEE ALSO:
Five Bagatelles,

Two Impressions
and
Invention for Two Marimbas.

Suite for Sarah is a four-mallet composition comprised of four contrasting movements. Each movement elicits a different character: sorrow, sweetness, angst
and playful dance.
The guitarist and composer,
Jose Luis Merlin, inspired the style of this piece.
Requires  4 1/2-octave marimba. 
adv. high school/college.

Challenging four-mallet work, dedicated to Kevin Bobo and scored for a 5-octave marimba. A multi-sectional work that will appeal to both performers and audiences alike.

Score and Video Samples

Sound Sample

Challenging four-mallet arrangement for solo marimba that will showcase the performer's musical finesse and interpretive skills.

Collection of three arrangements. Great for students developing four-mallet technique or for encores or a change of
pace for more advanced performers. Includes:
David of the White Rock/Welsh Air,
Värmeland/Swedish folk song and
A Memory/R. Ganz
high school/college.

1st place winner - 2003 PAS Composition Contest. Challenging three movement marimba solo (four mallets) - can be played on a 4 1/3 or 5 octave instrument. In the second and third movements, the player sometimes has to strike the frame of the marimba simultaneously while playing on the bars with the left hand - imitating the "clacking" of a dancer's shoes on a floor. A very expressive piece for the accomplished performer! college/professional.

A lively and appealing two-mallet solo for marimba. Much of this work is in 7/8, at a quick tempo, and would therefore offer a unique challenge to the developing mallet player. With it's piano accompaniment this work would make a worthwhile musical addition to any recital.
duration ca. 7 minutes.
high school/college.
[Recorded on Out of Darkness Into His Marvelous Light/Walter Saul - CD 1001/Tarsus Music]

Scored for two-mallets,
this lively work and
Toccata No. II, were
written for solo marimba performances by
Vida Chenoweth at
the suggestion of
Mommsen's teacher Alexander Tcherepnin.
Both are challenging yet accessible works for the intermediate to
advanced performer.

[REVISED 2012]
A wonderfully accessible adaptation of this widely known piece - re-worked for solo marimba (four-mallets). This version would work equally well for sacred contexts, weddings or the
recital hall!
adv. high school/college. Duration approx: 5' 45" - requires a 5 octave marimba.
[Recorded on CD - Marimba Spiritual/Nanae Mimura - SRCR 2565,
SONY Records]

Tour-de-force for solo marimba in three movements! This work was inspired by the tripartite altarpieces of the medieval and renaissance periods. college.

Melodic four-mallet solo, this arrangement for marimba is accessible for younger as well as mature performers.

Scored for xylophone soloist and soundscape, this highly original recital piece successfully combines the acoustic xylophone sound with a kaleidoscopic range of pre-recorded electronic sounds - CD included.  Dazzle your audience with this unique solo! 
college/professional.

Both pieces in this set incorporate several types of modes and scales, and require four mallets.  The first piece: Adagio (Eternal Yearning), displays a poignant, plaintive melody that cries out in a stately, organ-like chorale. The second piece: October Light, is lively and dance-like in character - featuring a catchy tune with a
rhythmic accompaniment.
adv. high school/college.

SEE ALSO:
Five Bagatelles,

Suite for Marimba
and
Invention for Two Marimbas.

Challenging solo - scored for five octave marimba.  Makes use of many double and triple lateral strokes and overall leaves plenty of room for the performers individual interpretations.  A great showcase for the experienced performer.  college/professional. 
SEE ALSO:
Spectral Waves for Solo Marimba
and
Placid Landscapes for Marimba Quartet.

Score and Video Sample

Inspired by biblical passages from Isaiah and I Peter this challenging solo was commissioned by the New Mexico Music Teachers Association. Premiered by Christopher Shultis, this work displays many interesting textures and allows ample opportunity
for an advanced performer to show discerning musical finesse.
[Four mallets - 4 1/3 octave marimba]. college/professional.

"The musical vocabulary is contemporary and full of passion. Marimba players looking for advanced literature will find this work challenging and musically rewarding."
(Percussive Notes)

Whisper is a four-mallet composition based on a single melody that shifts tonalities. The “whisper” is represented by the mandolin roll and sudden dynamic changes. Technical considerations include one-handed rolls and mandolin rolls. Requires 5-octave marimba. 
adv. high school/college.

Three-movement suite of character pieces, based on North Dakota’s weather cycles of wind, snow, and ice. "Wind" is based around the constant "G" pedal tone. The movement of the wind can be heard in the middle section with the chromatic passage based on a whole-tone scale. "Snow" depicts the beauty of a gently falling snow. The chorale’s harmonies are "Debussy-esque" and inspired by his piano prelude, "Footsteps in the Snow." "Ice" is a brittle, highly chromatic piece that captures the essence and unpredictability of ice. The performer literally slides up and down the keyboard on E-flat chromatic scale runs. Intermediate level, four-mallet solo, great for recitals or contests. adv. high school/college.

This is a beautiful, melodic and accessible intermediate to advanced level marimba solo that incorporates many contemporary marimba techniques. Inspired by the composer’s experience with the death of a loved one and the ensuing grieving process the work "is meant to capture death’s grief and the coping that accompanies it, while addressing very important marimba techniques. Conceptually the solo aims to bridge the gap between two poles in percussion literature - particularly advanced pieces with little accessibility, and elementary pieces that revolve around exercising certain techniques, with what seems to be little regard for the music involved. . . . I prefer to think of this more like a tone poem about the grieving process with a peaceful resolution."(BW)
[Four mallets - 4 octave marimba]. adv. high school/college.

Price: $75.00

Lively feature for solo xylophonist and band - with optional 2nd xylophone and marimbas I and II - you can feature the whole percussion section (up to eight players) with this one!
adv. high school/college.
[Version for solo xylophone and symphony orchestra is also available on a rental basis]