Night of Mourning (Solo 4-Mallet Marimba & Voice)

A play on the words "night and "morning," this unique piece invites the marimbist to sing while playing the instrument, emphasizing the mournful mood set forth toward the middle.

Genre: Marimba (4-mallet) with Voice | # of Players: 1
Level: Medium | Duration: 4:00

Instrumentation
Marimba (4.5-octave, optional 4.3-octave)
Voice
*Played and sung by one person

Program Notes
Night of Mourning was the first composition that I wrote for marimba and voice. I had just come home from traveling abroad for three months during the spring of 2004—centrally located in London while traveling Europe. I borrowed a marimba during the following summer and immersed myself in playing and composing. Being a vocalist as well, I began singing the main melody of the marimba part while playing. The combination worked well and I incorporated the idea of vocalization into the composition. While the title of this work may be interpreted as a play on the words “night” and “morning,” it also was inspired by the emptiness that was experienced while I was away from close family and friends.