On the Verge (Solo 4-Mallet Marimba)

Each movement depicts a step along the way to having a nervous breakdown: Disjointed has angry outbursts with a few jocular moments, but ultimately gives into the anger from the beginning. Identity represents the person starting to come to grips with the situation. Release shows that the person has made peace with the issues causing problems.

Genre: Marimba (4-mallet) | # of Players: 1
Level: Medium Difficult

Instrumentation
Solo Marimba (4.5-octave)

Program Notes
Written for marimba artist Nathan Daughtrey, On The Verge is divided into three movements. Each movement depicts a step along the way to having a nervous breakdown: Disjointed has angry outbursts with a few jocular moments, but ultimately gives into the anger from the beginning. Identity represents the person starting to come to grips with the situation. It begins in a very tranquil manner, but several agitated moments are interspersed. Release shows that the person has made peace with the issues causing problems. The meter is 4/4 throughout this movement, but odd accents prevent the listener from detecting the regularity of the meter. Excellent piece for a university percussion recital.