J.S. Zamecnik’s Polly in an arrangement for marimba, flute, guitar & bass This novelty piece published in 1926 is a lively movement that needs to be Show More...
J.S. Zamecnik’s Polly in an arrangement for marimba, flute, guitar & bass This novelty piece published in 1926 is a lively movement that needs to be played in a swing style. The realisation score plays back at 64 half note or minim bpm.
In this arrangement rehearsal markings are in place in the score with the music sounding in the original key of D. The pdf #sheetmusic download has individual instrument parts appended to the full score. Electric or acoustic guitars can be used and either electric bass guitar or acoustic bass. There is a strong chromatic element in this movement which has a formal structure related to the American march form. Additionally there is a strong repetitive element in the use of shapes and motifs which is often a feature in the popular music idiom. Modern instruments are tonally much stronger than the instruments of the 1920’s and some of the indicated articulation markings may need to be reviewed by players.
The marimba is presented as the solo instrument in the arrangement with the flute providing the fills and links at the end of phrases. The guitar part is fairly straight forward although some of the chords have been revoiced so that the chord choices are straightforward. In the appended parts chord symbols are in place to assist players where they are appropriate.
This is a mix and match arrangement so other arrangements in D, flute, cello and bassoon can make use of this choice of accompaniment for practicing.
Popular music idioms in the modern sense were established in the first decade of the 20th century first with ragtime and then with related styles like novelty piano, stride piano and subsequently with blues and jazz styles and much later other combinations . Musicians as such were provided with a career choice of either pursuing the popular or more serious classical idiom. Interestingly many successful popular music composers and performers in the early 20th century were classically trained.
The realisation plays back at 62 half note or minim beats to the minute. Accompaniments are in place playing back at 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70 and 72 half note or minim beats to the minute.
The conventions used in the notation of swing music are confusing and not altogether consistent so thare are a few rhythmic ambiguities in the score Time spent listening to performances of this piece will be helpful. It is communicating the swing style element that is important when the music is played. The triplet pattern or shape is the key rhythmic element.
John Stepan Zamecnik had a successful career as a composer of music for film or more accurately silent films commonly referred to as photoplay music. As a composer he frequently used pseudonms. It would be interesting to ask him why? Whilst American by birth he studied music in Prague with Dvorak in the mid 1890's. Much of his working life was spent in the city of Cleveland. Close
Added: 21st June, 2024 13:06 PM |
Views : 833
Nola by Felix Arndt arranged for marimba & guitar. The composition dates from 1915. It is frequently referred to as the first piece of novelty music a Show More...
Nola by Felix Arndt arranged for marimba & guitar. 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.”
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. Accompaniments are in place allowing the marimbaplayers to participate in play-a-long ensemble activities as part of music practice routines with a guitar .
The guitar 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 guitar accompaniment is much more playable and not nearly as difficult as the solo marimba.
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
Added: 29th May, 2024 07:05 AM |
Views : 583
In this arrangement of Tico-Tico for marimba and acoustic guitar the sounding key is A minor/major and the realization plays back at a tempo of 84 qua Show More...
In this arrangement of Tico-Tico for marimba and acoustic guitar the sounding key is A minor/major and the realization plays back at a tempo of 84 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute with the repeats being played. This syncopated piece is structured into three sections which can be represented formally as AABBAACCA. Dating from 1917 this Brazilian choro (lament) was composed by Abreu and whilst there is no definitive notated version it is a piece that has travelled widely in various different formats. It is an excellent ensemble piece and there are many arrangement possibilities suited to both formal or more informal music making activities. Both players are required to play from the full score. Accompaniments featuring the acoustic guitar can be downloaded as mp3 files playing at (1) 88 (2) 84 (3) 80 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. Close
Added: 15th January, 2020 15:01 PM |
Views : 2729
An arrangement for marimba and acoustic guitar of this charming character piece. This movement is in ABA ternary form with the A section playing back Show More...
An arrangement for marimba and acoustic guitar of this charming character piece. This movement is in ABA ternary form with the A section playing back at a tempo of 66 quarter note beats to the minute in the realisation and the faster B section at 108 quarter note beats to the minute. The music has a regular 4 bar phrase structure and there are some chromatic elements in the writing. There is opportunity for some subtle changes in tempo particularly at the ends of sections and these feature in the realisations. The melodic and rhythmic shapes of the movement are both strong and although concisely written there is plenty of contrast. It is an excellent performance piece with the opening melodic shape having an almost teasing quality. There is always a sense of movement in Grieg’s writing and the ranges of colour in his harmonic writing make his music eminently suitable to being played by many different combinations of instruments. The humour in the music also invites an exaggerated performance although this is not featured in the realisation. Players should listen to performances to form their own view and explore different approaches to interpreting the music. Grieg’s Norwegian Dance No.2 was published in 1880 as a piano duet or more correctly music for piano four hands. Grieg was fortunate in being able to access several folk music collections and much of this collected material was incorporated into arrangements and compositions. Acoustic guitar accompaniments are available with the following tempo options (1) 68/112/68 (2) 66/112/66 (3) 64/108/64 Numbers indicate the quarter note (crotchet) beats per minute for the ABA sections respectively. Close
Added: 2nd December, 2019 15:12 PM |
Views : 2159
A tarantella is a fast energetic traditional folk dance in 6/8 time. It has a characteristic upbeat and is associated with strong emotions and passion Show More...
A tarantella is a fast energetic traditional folk dance in 6/8 time. It has a characteristic upbeat and is associated with strong emotions and passions in the many forms of the dance that exist. Some examples of the dance explore the supernatural and others magic and spirituality. Its origins are a dance for couples from Southern Italy with tambourines frequently used to accompany the dancers. This particularly arrangement for marimba and acoustic guitar has 4 strains of music ABCD with each strain repeated. The playback tempo is 110 dotted quarter note beats to the minute. There are many melodic variants and arrangements of this music. Chopin, Gottschalk, Britten and others have contributed music to the tarantella repertoire. Guitar accompaniments can also be downloaded to provide an ensemble experience. These are at tempi of (1) 110 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute (2) 100 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute and (3) 90 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. Close
Added: 15th November, 2019 20:11 PM |
Views : 2276
This familiar Scottish folk song begins and ends with a chorus (chorus-verse-chorus) and whilst the song’s text describes the escape of Bonnie Princ Show More...
This familiar Scottish folk song begins and ends with a chorus (chorus-verse-chorus) and whilst the song’s text describes the escape of Bonnie Prince Charles it is often sung as a lullaby. This improver level arrangement is in 6/8 time and is suited to being played by a number of instrument combinations This arrangement keeps the melody as it usually sung but some of the accompanying chords have been updated to give a more contemporary feel. The marimba player has the option of playing the repeat chorus at the octave. There is also supporting TAB for the guitar player. There are three guitar accompaniments available at tempi of (1) 52 (2) 50 (3) 48 dotted quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. Close
Added: 7th November, 2018 13:11 PM |
Views : 2757
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. 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 section 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! The arrangement in the music editor’s view works well for the instrument combination and would be interested in receiving feedback. There are two acoustic guitar accompaniments available (1) with repeats and (2) without repeats. Close
Added: 3rd October, 2018 12:10 PM |
Views : 2566
Described as an Intermezzo this is a piece of music intended to change the mood usually having a context in a larger scale work. Dating from the early Show More...
Described as an Intermezzo this is a piece of music intended to change the mood usually having a context in a larger scale work. Dating from the early years of the 20th century this is a skillfully composed piece of music and whilst presented in this context as a serious piece it could quite easily be presented as a humorous item with exaggerated tempo changes and more contrasting dynamics. The realization plays at a tempo of 96 quartet note beats to the minute although there are recorded versions that exist with much faster tempos. Tempo changes are only indicated in the closing section and not at the end of phrases and sections. The step downs in tempo at bar 121 and bar 129 need to be quite obvious. The formal model is clearly that of the American march and it can be best described as an example of early “light music.” As a piece intended to change the mood it is ideally placed as part of the repertoire in the PlentyMusic Café. The marimba and guitar part share a score and the guitarist may want to simply some of the chord voicing particularly if the piece is being played at a fast tempo. Victor Herbert was born in Ireland, and after subsequently training and working in Germany he moved to the United States to become a very successful composer of Broadway operettas in the period between 1890 and the start of World War I in 1914. This is music that invites exaggeration in performance and the more competent the risk taker the more likely they are to succeed providing they have both the communication and technical skills to ensure success. For the pitched percussionist the music editor has avoided using tremolos on the half notes in bars 25 and 26 (+ repeats of these bars through the piece) although players may well want to use this technique in a performance. Close
Added: 30th April, 2018 10:04 AM |
Views : 2189
This is an excellent ensemble piece in that it allows for great flexibility in instrument combinations. In this arrangement marimba and acoustic guita Show More...
This is an excellent ensemble piece in that it allows for great flexibility in instrument combinations. In this arrangement marimba and acoustic guitars in G the realisation tempo is 76 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute whilst the repeats are not played. Individual instrument parts are appended to the full score and there is an ossia staff for the marimba player to consider. What is interesting about performing this piece is the impact of a change of tempo on the musical character and musical outcomes. A tempo of 70 quarter note beats to the minute sounds quite slow and yet 80 quarter note beats to the minute sounds fast. Generally, there is not a great amount of performance detail indicated in ragtime music although where opportunity arises when repeating sections performers need to explore dynamic range. The formal pattern of Joplin’s ragtime pieces generally have the structure of the typical American March which can be represented by letters as Intro AA BB AA Link CC DD.
Guitar accompaniments (Acoustic Guitar 2 sounding) are available as mp3 downloads at tempi of 76, 72, and 68 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. The repeats are played in the accompaniments and there is a four bar count in at the beginning. Close
Added: 20th November, 2017 11:11 AM |
Views : 2091
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 a pitched percussion instrument (marimba, vibraphone, etc) in the key of C accompanied by an acoustic guitar 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 music for the two players parts are both shown in full score. There are three acoustic guitar 2 accompaniments available playing at (1) 96 (2) 92 (3) 88 dotted quarter note beats (crotchet) to the minute. Close
Added: 27th July, 2017 11:07 AM |
Views : 2360
Nazareth (1863 -1934) was a Brazilian composer and pianist whose music transcribes very well from the piano to popular contemporary instruments. His c Show More...
Nazareth (1863 -1934) was a Brazilian composer and pianist whose music transcribes very well from the piano to popular contemporary instruments. His compositional style absorbs many different influences Brazilian, European, African and ragtime. He composed tangos, waltzes, polkas, sambas, galops, Scottisches and fox-trots and although classically trained was very familiar with the popular musical idioms of his day both at home and abroad. Brejeiro is described as a tango and the English translation of the Portugese word Brejeiro is impish meaning fun or mischevous. A tempo of 96 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is suggested. Some of the chord voicings in the guitar parts have been changed and there are some octave transpositions in the melody where the range of the solo instrument proves limiting. The acoustic guitar part is notated conventonally with supporting chord symbols. If a marimba not available a keyboard instruments with an accordion/free reed sound can be used. Close
Added: 27th July, 2017 11:07 AM |
Views : 2467
This arrangement is for marimba , acoustic guitar and acoustic or string bass in staff notation has individual parts appended to the full music score. Show More...
This arrangement is for marimba , acoustic guitar and acoustic or string bass in staff notation has individual parts appended to the full music score. The polka is a lively characterful dance that originated from the area now known as the Czech Republic (Bohemia) and its popularity spread widely throughout Europe and subsequently North and South America. The dance is upbeat and celebratory in character and written in 2/4 time. Foster's Soirée Polka is an appealing and rhythmic piece suited to being played by a wide range of instruments and instrumental groups although the musical material needs to be played lightly. A tempo of 110 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is recommended. Stephen Foster (1826-1864) is known as the father of American music, responsible for writing over 200 songs many of which are still very well known today. His My Old Kentucky Home has been the official state song of Kentucky since 1928. He began composing as a teenager and attempted to live his life as a professional songwriter at a time before copyright laws protected a composers work so it was impossible for him to earn a decent living. Close
Added: 27th July, 2017 11:07 AM |
Views : 2300
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