Ignis - Christopher Bradford [DIGITAL]

Ignis is a high energy marimba quartet about igniting a flame. The pulsing rhythms, running sixteenth notes, and split runs have proven to make the work a crowd favorite.

Genre: Percussion Ensemble | # of Players: 4
Level: Medium Difficult | Duration: 4:30

Instrumentation
Marimba 1 (4.3-octave)
Marimba 2 (4.3-octave)
Marimba 3 (5.0-octave)
Marimba 4 (5.0-octave)

Program Notes
I wrote Ignis the summer before my freshman year of my bachelors degree at the University of Utah. Ignis is a Latin root word meaning “ignite” or “spark.” The idea of this work is that the music is constantly trying to start a fire, moving between sparks, shimmering embers, and dancing fire, almost to the point of being out of control. The form in mind was ABC. The A section is a series of running sixteenth note figures accompanied by an ascending rippling motif in the first marimba. It moves through a series of phrases in perpetual motion that lead to an aggressive pounding section that is interrupted by descending split runs or sixteenth note figures. The B section provides a soft section to the piece in a chorale-esque manner, moving in and out of close dissonances. This accompanies the dancing bass motif introduced in the fourth marimba which develops into a warm and rhythmic climax. The C section is when the fire is at its peak. An evocation of rippling motif from the A section is brought back in the second marimba now descending. The first running sixteenth motif found at the beginning of the work is also recalled, now in mixed meter to bring the work full circle. The piece then shoots into a final statement of the C material, pulsing on a C Major chord with Lydian occurring in the upper voices. The work is concluded with a final split run ascending to an energetic resolution.

– C.B.