A Little Tango (Perc Ens 6)

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1. Percussive Notes New Literature Review

   Short and sweet! This two-minute piece for percussion ensemble evokes images of Spanish culture by utilizing notes, chords, and syncopated rhythms that mimic the feel and character of a tango.
   
   While it is scored for traditional concert percussion instruments, it would be an easy transition to add layers of Latin percussion instruments to further translate the musical style to the audience. While the overall compositional approach is traditional, in that several voices take turns playing melodic material scored for two or four bars at a time, the orchestration of the chordal material adds an appealing layer of maturity to the sound. Phrase endings contain runs that are dispersed intelligently between parts, and harmonic shifts add depth to melodic material that hovers around only a few notes at a time.
   
   Beginning students will enjoy the Spanish flair of the music and the ease of playing parts with two mallets. It is worth noting that the vibraphone part is scored for four mallets with an option of playing only the outside notes with two mallets.
   
   Joshua D. Smith
   Percussive Notes
   Vol. 57, No. 4, September 2019 Joshua D. Smith on Jul 27th 2022