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Mind Blow (Solo Marimba)
Genre: Marimba (4-mallet)
# of Players: 1
Level: Difficult | Duration: 8:30
Publisher: C. Alan Publications | Copyright: 2017
Download mp3 | Click on images to left for score sample
Rating:
Price:
$20.00
Item #:
24310
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Notes & Instrumentation
Written for percussionist Marco Schirripa, Mind Blow is a challenging 3-movement concert work for solo 5-octave marimba. As compositionally sophisticated as it is, the piece is equally as delightful for the audience as it is for the performer.
Genre: Marimba (4-mallet) | # of Players: 1
Level: Difficult | Duration: 8:30
Instrumentation
Marimba (5-octave)
Program Notes
When my friend Marco Schirripa was a student at Ithaca College, I asked him to play in my band The OXtet. He was too busy at the time, so I wrote him a marimba solo instead. The first movement, Hockey in the Winter, reminded me of ice skating and, therefore, the lyrics to the Frank Zappa song "Honey Don't You Want a Man Like Me." The second movement, So Romantic, is the “love song” portion of the piece and the title refers to a song of the same name by Sean Stolar. It also is the movement where the twelve tone row of the piece is introduced. The third movement, Moonshadows, is rather similar to the OXtet dance contest tune “Electronic Rondo.” Moonshadows, also known as Moonies, is also a popular dance club in Ithaca.-J.O.
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Video
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Mind Blow... - Josh Oxford
Mind Blow... (2013) by Josh Oxford. Written for Marco Schirripa and premiered July 27th, 2013 in the final round of the Great Plains International Marimba Competition. I. Hockey in the Winter II. So Romantic III. Moonshadows Dance www.marcoschirripa.com www.joshoxford.com -
Mind Blow... (Mvt. 3) - Josh Oxford
Mind Blow... (Mvt. 3, Moonshadows Dance), by Josh Oxford. Performed by Marco Schirripa as part of the 2014 Great Plains International Marimba Competition 2013 Winner's Concert, 7/19/2014. www.marcoschirripa.com www.joshoxford.com
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Product Reviews
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Percussive Notes New Literature Review
The piece, composed for Marco Schirripa, is unrelenting throughout the three movements and requires a high level of virtuosity to perform. The performer must execute a constant stream of sixteenth notes in various odd meters throughout the (first) movement, which lasts about two minutes. Despite the technical challenges, the melody and groove are quite enchanting. The second movement is described as “the ‘love song’ portion of the piece, and the title refers to a song of the same name by Sean Stolar.” Serial in its composition, the tone row for the piece is introduced in this movement. Despite the texture still being primarily constant sixteenth notes in odd meters, the character is strikingly different than the first. As titled by the composer, there is a certain romance and passion in the melodic content and relaxed nature of the music. The final movement is reminiscent of the composer’s band in Ithaca, New York called the OXtet. Oxford describes the movement as being “similar to the OXtet dance contest tune ‘Electronic Rondo.’ Moonshadows, also known as Moonies, is also a popular dance club in Ithaca.” This movement is based on a 7/8 ostinato in the left hand with melodic content in the right hand. What I really enjoy about this movement is that the various forms of the tone row are labelled in the score.
As a percussion and theory professor with a book connecting marimba to music theory, I really appreciate this detail and the implications it can have for the performer understanding the compositional process behind the music. I would recommend this solo (or any of its individual movements) to a graduate student or professional looking to program a challenging solo that is also very accessible to most audiences. This piece is a strong addition to the advanced marimba repertoire.
Justin Bunting
PERCUSSIVE NOTES
VOL. 57, NO. 3, July 2019 Justin Bunting on Jul 11th 2022
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