Unity (Perc Ens 4)

David Gillingham's Unity is a hauntingly lyrical work for marimba quartet written to celebrate a wedding. However, the piece will work in any number of concert settings as well.

Genre: Percussion Ensemble | # of Players: 4
Level: Medium | Duration: 3:45

Instrumentation
Marimba 1 [4-octave]
Marimba 2 [4-octave]
Marimba 3 [4-octave]
Marimba 4 [5-octave]

Program Notes
Unity was written for Justin and Erika Rito for their wedding, July 28, 2012. The work was performed during the Protestant tradition of the lighting of the “Unity Candle” by the bride and groom. The ceremony is indicative of the passage in Matthew 19:5 of the Bible which translates to, “This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one”. Thus, the music seeks to emulate the process of the two people becoming “one” with a warm and lyrical melody beginning in E major. The melody goes through some variation and eventually is transformed into F major where it joyfully states the melody for a final time and then moves to a peaceful close.