Nola by Felix Arndt arranged for two marimbas The composition dates from 1915. It is frequently referred to as the first piece of novelty music an idi Show More...
Nola by Felix Arndt arranged for two marimbas The composition dates from 1915. It is frequently referred to as the first piece of novelty music an idiom that emerged from the ragtime era. Light and breezy in character it is a style of music very much intended to lift the mood and spirit. This is the perfect “party piece.” #sheetmusic & accompaniments link: coming soon Arndt was a New York based composer and pianist who died during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1919. Individual marimba parts are appended to the full score in the pdf sheet music download. Marimba accompaniments are in place allowing marimba 1 players to participate in play-a-long ensemble activities as part of music practice routines. The lowest sounding note is A2 in the marimba 2 part. The marimba 2 accompaniment tracks play back at 58, 60, 62, 64 & 66 & 68 half note (minim) beats per minute. There is a two bar count in /click track at the beginning of the accompaniment tracks. The accompaniment (marimba 2) is much more playable and not nearly as difficult as the solo (marimba 1). The music editor has limited each player to one beater in each hand so only two sounds can be sounded by each of the players at any one time in this arrangement. If marimba players require more of a challenge please advise the PlentyMusic Office with a specification. Sections need to be played at the same tempo and there is little opportunity for slowing down at the end of phrases and sections. This is music that moves along quickly but also needs to played in a completely relaxed manner. Nola is brimming with musical ideas and inventiveness and is a very “modern” sounding work for 1915. As a musical snapshot of its time it references both the ragtime era of its near past and points to the future in its swing jazz style triplet rhythms. Swing playing identifies more with the 1920’s so this is music that can be viewed as being ahead of its time. The playing style of the bass and chords is derived from ragtime. Contrasting and repeating sections are in evidence whilst the formal pattern of the music is A B A C D C A with an 8 bar coda at the end. The key plan can be summarised as I – i – I – IV - I The novelty era has a strong connection with ragtime particularly in the choices of formal patterns and musical shapes. Whilst the repetitive element is strong the composer does not make use of repeat signs. The music editor’s observation is that Felix Arndt was a hugely talented, imaginative and inventive composer and it is a tragedy that he did not live longer to compose music that similarly anticipated future trends. He left the music world with the potential to achieve so much. Born in 1889 if he had lived his entitled three year scores and ten he could have lived until 1959 and would have been a contemporary with so many other greats. It is also ironic because 1959 is the year that a version of Nola achieved success in the pop charts. What is so evident is that he had a wonderful understanding of harmonic colour and the relevance of chords in the popular music idiom. He can be truly described as a musical forerunner. Apart from the abundance of musical ideas it is understanding of the harmonic framework which makes his music so appealing. There are several dance patterns referenced in the music. Close
Invitación by I. Cervantes is a short attractive work. This intermediate level arrangement from PlentyMusic for 3 marimba players is in the key of Am Show More...
Invitación by I. Cervantes is a short attractive work. This intermediate level arrangement from PlentyMusic for 3 marimba players is in the key of Am and features the Cuban habanera pattern. The music has been transposed from the original key of E minor to A minor with Individual parts for the players are appended to the full music score. It is an excellent piece for developing ensemble playing encouraging players to listen to both their own playing and the playing of others. The chromatic notes and modal shifts also make it challenging to play absolutely together. The music editor suggests that it is the ideal competition or test piece. The rhythmic patterns need to be secure and possibly learnt by clapping and tapping drills particularly in the context of an ensemble performance. There is surprising intensity in the music of Cervantes created by the tonal/modal ambivalence and by the many accidentals in the strong contrapuntal lines. Where appropriate some octave transpositions have been made in the lines to keep to the best and most appropriate range of the instruments. Most of Cervantes movements are very short and benefit from being played through twice. The music editor has not actually made use of repeat signs in the music scores that have been prepared. but they are in place in the sheet music score. The tempo of the score is marked Moderato with the movement able to be played at a range of tempi from around 64 to 76 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. In this arrangement the realisation plays back at 68 quarter note beats to the minute. The performance practice of the music of Cervantes varies particularly with regard to tempo and the use of rubato (speeding up and slowing down) and does not benefit from the same tradition of playing as movements by more mainstream composers. The advice is simply to listen and learn from the recordings that are available. Whilst there is the scope for more flexibility in performance than demonstrated by the realisations the music editor suggests the avoidance of any exaggerated playing. Ignacio Cervantes was born in Havana, Cuba and composed many short pieces for the piano most of which are imbued with the rhythms and colour of his homeland. The habanera rhythmic pattern features strongly in his music. Should some re-scoring for a different combination of pitched percussion instruments be required please advise the PlentyMusic Office with details of the instruments and their ranges. Please do let us hear and share your live performances which can be forwarded as mp3 and mp4 files to the PlentyMusic Office. Just advise us by email that you have a recording to share. Close
Los Tres Golpes (The Three Knocks) by the Cuban composer Ignacio Cervntes is a movement that explores the habanera pattern. The arrangement for 4 pitc Show More...
Los Tres Golpes (The Three Knocks) by the Cuban composer Ignacio Cervntes is a movement that explores the habanera pattern. The arrangement for 4 pitched percussion players is a great performance piece enabling marimba players to explore much about the performance of music. The realisation for Los Tres Golpes (The Three Knocks) is presented with a repeat played which is common when Cervantes music is performed. The playback tempo is 84 bpm. The sheet music scores has a repeat in place although this is an editorial addition. The music has been transposed from the original key of E minor to A minor. Some of the articulation markings are a little ambiguous considering the percussive nature of the marimba but have been nevertheless retained. If two marimba are being used then Players 1 and 3 should play on one instrument and Players 2 and 4 on the other. The movement can be played at a variety of tempo although the music editor suggests that it is easier to decide when the movement is being played too slowly rather than too quickly! The choice of tempo is dependent on the instrument combination, the performance context and the acoustic of the recording or performance venue. There is scope to explore tempo rubato in a performance. These miniatures provide excellent playing material for players because they provide so many of the musical elements that feature in Cuban music. whether in art music, folk or a popular music context. Cervantes was a composer and musician who assimilated the music elements of his home country in all his work. As he studied music formally in Cuba and in Europe his music is generally presented in a way that lends itself to being arranged in the traditions of the Western music tradition. The contrapuntal element in his music is very strong and whereas formally Cervantes always has clear melodic and harmonic direction musical ideas are presented in a sectional context which are generally repeated. The suggestion is of a very quick and inventive mind particularly regarding his use of the habanera pattern. The melodic line in its original form for piano has a broad range (more than 3 octaves) and for many of the arrangements it is necessary to utilise octave transpositions to enable the most appropriate range of the featured solo instrument to be explored. For those interested in the voicing of the composer’s original score download the piano version which is available as a free score. The original PlentyMusic context for this movement was in the Ragtime and Relations Area of Study in which the focus was exploring syncopated rhythms including the habanera pattern. In 2021, the scores have been reviewed and a number of additional arrangements have been added to the PlentyMusic website. Do feedback to PlentyMusic comments about the scores and particularly the octave transpositions that could possibly be re-considered in the light of performances. The music editor is quite happy to re-score the music for different pitched percussion instruments. Please advise the PlentyMusic Office of the percussion instruments that are available and their ranges. Close
Adiós A Cuba (Farewell to Cuba) is one of Ignacio Cervantes most popular works. This arrangement from PlentyMusic is an ensemble of 3 pitched percus Show More...
Adiós A Cuba (Farewell to Cuba) is one of Ignacio Cervantes most popular works. This arrangement from PlentyMusic is an ensemble of 3 pitched percussion instruments with the marimba being featured in the realization and music score. It features many of the rhythmic patterns characteristic of Cuban music. It is an excellent movement to encourage rhythmic accuracy and developing a sense and awareness of pulse in ensemble music making. The rhythmic shapes need to be possibly learnt and made secure by being clapped/tapped. In the opening section with the strong repetitive element players should be aiming at tonal and dynamic contrast in their playing of the repeating motif. There are some idiomatic rhythmic shapes in the writing whilst the musical texture lends itself to being very suitable for arrangement as an ensemble piece. This is music that features modal shifts and elements of chromaticism. The realisation plays back at 60 quarter note beats to the minute. This is music that allows for subtle tempo changes in performance whether it be speeding up, slowing down or returning to an “a tempo” marking. Whilst rits. or slowing down feature in the realisation the accelerando though marked is ignored. There is an opportunity to perhaps to included pauses in the music at bars 17 and 33 although they are not indicated in the scores. In the video score the instrument parts are notated at written pitch. Octave transpositions have been explored in the lines to keep to the most appropriate ranges of instruments. Players may well want to explore octave ranges of the instrument they are playing. The music editor suggests downloading the free piano sheet music score from the website to understand the relative pitch elements of the music score. Ignacio Cervantes was born in Havana, Cuba and this is one of his most popular pieces and melancholy in character. The habanera rhythmic pattern features strongly in the music of the composer who mostly composed for the piano. His piano pieces tend to be quite short but are idiomatic and imbued with the colours and rhythms of his home country. If the arrangement requires some re-scoring for different percussion instruments please advise the PlentyMusic office with your requirements. Instrumental parts are appended to the full music score which can be downloaded as a pdf. Close
This music was published in 1860! This pitched percussion arrangement is or 3 marimba players has a plays back tempo of 60 dotted quarter note (crotch Show More...
This music was published in 1860! This pitched percussion arrangement is or 3 marimba players has a plays back tempo of 60 dotted quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute in the realization. The music editor has left the articulations markings from his masterscore simply because they help players understand the music even though many of the markings do not have a context in this particular arrangement. The movement in ABA (Ternary form) which was very much the standard form during the romantic period. Composers needed to follow the conventions of their time to ensure the patterns of their music were readily recognized by audiences. The A section is in Eb and the Gb section in F. The repeat does not sound in the playback. There has been some re-scoring but not re-writing of the original material. This is an excellent piece for developing 3 v 2 playing which is such a characteristic element of Spanish and music based on Spanish models. The music editor suggests practicing the music slowly in the first instance so that all rhythmic shapes and patterns are secure. Gottschalk’s writing is influenced byChopin. As the repetitive element in the movement is strong there is an opportunity to explore articulations and dynamics in a performance. The music editor suggests that this movement along with much of Gottschalk’s music is worth discovering particularly in arrangements where the playing level allows ready access to the music. Individual parts for the three instruments are appended to the full score. Marimba parts 2 and 3 are available as an accompaniment and can be downloaded as mp3 files at tempi of Accompaniment (1) 63 Accompaniment (2) 60 and Accompaniment (3) 57 dotted quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829 – 1869) was an American composer and pianist born in New Orleans who spent most of his performing career touring and giving concerts in what must have been a very challenging working life. Manchega originates as a concert étude for piano – an etude in music is a study. Such movements are intended to improve and demonstrate technique and in the context of the original arrangement was intended to demonstrate the composer’s virtuoso piano playing. He was often referred to as the greatest pianist from the “New World.” Chopin, Liszt and Alkan were great admirers of his talent. His compositions established him as one of the first identifiable American composers. In his music it is possible to hear a mix of American Creole, African-American and European music traditions. His early works in particularly are imbued with the sounds that he heard in his youth in Louisiana. The syncopated nature of his music anticipates many of the characteristics of later American ragtime and jazz music. Close
Juventino Rosas was a Mexican composer and violinist who began his career as a street musician. After a visit to Cuba in 1894 he became very poorly an Show More...
Juventino Rosas was a Mexican composer and violinist who began his career as a street musician. After a visit to Cuba in 1894 he became very poorly and sadly died at the young age of 26. "Over the Waves" (Sobre las Olas) was published in Mexico in 1888 and is one of the most well known Latin American pieces. The waltz melody is nowadays played by many stylistically differing types of performing groups. The melody is very much associated with the music of funfairs, trapeze artists and fairground organs and was used for the song "The Loveliest Night of the Year" from the MGM film "The Great Caruso." This improver level (second year players) movement in ternary ABA form is an ideal ensemble piece. The realisation which features two marimbas playsback at 60 dotted half note (minim) beats to the minute and pitched percussion players need to communicate a one to the bar feel in their playing. Piano accompaniments are available as an mp3 download at tempi of (1) 60 (2) 58 and (3) 56 dotted half note (minim) beats to the minute. Close
In this arrangement conceived for 4 marimba players with two instruments available. Marimba parts 1 and 2 are scored in the treble clef and parts 3 an Show More...
In this arrangement conceived for 4 marimba players with two instruments available. Marimba parts 1 and 2 are scored in the treble clef and parts 3 and 4 in the bass clef. The score is formatted as a one document pdf file with individual parts for the marimba players appended to the full score. Ignacio Cervantes was a Cuban composer born in the capital city of Havana in 1847. He had piano lessons with Louis Moreau Gottschalk before travelling to Paris to further his music studies with Charles Valentin Alkan amongst others. This piece originates as a piano solo in the key of Eb whilst this realisation sounds in the key of D it plays at a tempo of 84 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. Many performers play through the piece twice although no repeat signs are indicated in the score. Much of Cervantes piano music is well suited to being played by a variety of instrument combinations as they are well crafted and have great musical appeal. The habanera rhythmic shape also features strongly. Close
A very exciting and dramatic piece of music for audience and performers alike. Technically proficient players play the faster sections more quickly an Show More...
A very exciting and dramatic piece of music for audience and performers alike. Technically proficient players play the faster sections more quickly and the slower sections more slowly than in the realisation often with great rhythmic expression. Vittorio Monti was a musician and composer from Naples although this piece is often described as having its origins as Hungarian folk music. The piece has a sectional structure and repetition is a strong element although the repeats are not played in the realisation. Marimba players may wish to share the part playing when the repeats are played. Tempo considerations are quite important and the Allegro vivace sections initially played at 120 quarter notes to the minute. A piacere means at “one’s pleasure, at one’s will,” whilst stentato is a musical expression meaning “laboured, heavy in a dragging manner” and stringendo means progressively quickening in tempo. Rallentandos shouldn’t begin too soon at the ends of phrases. The realisation is rather tame compared to many of the performances available but it is clearly a piece where players can learn much about performing music to an audience and Czardas often features as an encore piece in concerts. The small ornamental notes are probably best omitted in the early stages of learning the piece. The music editor has indicated all tempo text in bold above the staves. There is actually no definitive arrangement of this piece and often the sections between bar 70 to 85 are omitted in performance. Performers may wish to also omit the rallentando indicated in the score at bar 98. Some music performances also have the music starting slowly at bar 86 to soon quicken to an Allegro vivace tempo. The simple advice is to make your performance your own! There are marimba accompaniments available (1) with repeats and (2) without repeats. Close
Borodin was clearly quite an exceptional person known as a doctor and chemist as well as being a member of the Russian group of composers known and po Show More...
Borodin was clearly quite an exceptional person known as a doctor and chemist as well as being a member of the Russian group of composers known and popularized as the “Mighty Handful.” His interest in music was essentially as a hobby but he was very well connected in Russian musical circles and his “Serenade” from the “Petite Suite” was published in 1896. The ostinato pattern that features in the work is an excellent unifying element in the composition and well suited to being played on the marimba. There is also a strong melodic element in this miniature and a tempo of 60 dotted quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is used in the realization. The music editor’s conception is that the playing is shared between thee players ideally on two marimbas or other similar ranged pitched percussion instruments. The marimba sound features on the realisation. Close
This very familiar character piece dating from 1907 was originally composed in standard march form but the musical content been rearranged. In this ar Show More...
This very familiar character piece dating from 1907 was originally composed in standard march form but the musical content been rearranged. In this arrangement for pitched percussion instruments (such as marimba and vibraphone) in the key of C a tempo of 96 dotted quarter notes is used in the realisation. Players can chose to play a shortened form ending on the first eighth note (quaver) of bar 88. There isn't too much score detail in the arrangement and as the music originates as a march understandably in a performance there is not much variation of the tempo. The two marimba players parts are shown in full score and these instruments are also used in the realisation. There is one pitched percussion 2 accompaniment available playing at a tempo of 96 dotted quarter note beats (crotchet) to the minute. Close
This intermediate version features the only first minuet of Boccherini's Minuet and Trio from his String Quintet Opus 11 No.5. In this two part arrang Show More...
This intermediate version features the only first minuet of Boccherini's Minuet and Trio from his String Quintet Opus 11 No.5. In this two part arrangement for marimba the musical texture has been simplified into melody and accompaniment. The ornaments have been written out in full to assist players although I would suggest that they are perhaps omitted in the early stages of learning the piece. This movement needs a very consistent approach which will be a challenge to players inexperienced in performing music from this era. A tempo of 100 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is recommended. It is suggested that one instrumentalist plays the melody whilst the other plays the accompaniment. Close
This is easy to play two part ragtime piece exploring the waltz rhythm. A tempo of 100-110 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is suggested. Show More...
This is easy to play two part ragtime piece exploring the waltz rhythm. A tempo of 100-110 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is suggested. As a beginner score the letter names of the notes are written inside the extra large noteheads. In this arrangement for pitched percussion several instruments could be utilised including glockenspiel, metallaphone and xylophone. The realisation features the sounds of the marimba. Close
This improver level two part arrangement is for pitched percussion (glockenspiel, marimba, xylophone) in the key of D and in intended to be played as Show More...
This improver level two part arrangement is for pitched percussion (glockenspiel, marimba, xylophone) in the key of D and in intended to be played as a duet. A tempo of around 60 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is suggested. The melody needs to be played legato whilst the accompanying bass figuration should be played staccato or certainly in a detached manner. There are many different versions of this piece and the triplet figuration provides various options on how the music can be both notated and played. Sebastian Yradier was a Spanish born composer who despite the universal popularity of the piece died in obscurity in 1865. Based on the Cuban habanera rhythm, La Paloma (The Dove) was written after the composer visited Cuba around 1860 and became very popular world wide. Close
