For marimba and tape (1983)
Martin Wesley-Smith
PUBLISHER: Australian Music Centre
RECORDINGS: Synergy Percussion, Rebecca Lagos (Vox Australias)
RANGE: 4.0 octaves
DURATION: 11:00
MOVEMENTS: Single movement
TYPE OF ACCOMPANIMENT: Fixed
MUSICAL OVERVIEW: Rhythmically complex and often changes meters including 5/16 7/16 and 3/8 in addition to more common simple duple meters. The tape is treated as a soloist and has extended sequences playing without the marimba. The score contains few cues; the performer must listen to a performance track provided with the tape part to learn how the tape and marimba interact. Performance requires strict synchronicity. The meter changes and busy part make realigning to the tape extremely difficult if separation occurs. Hard mallets recommended and rubber or latex may be preferable.
ACCOMPANIMENT OVERVIEW: Synthesized sounds and sampled marimba produced on a Fairlight Computer Musical Instrument. The extremely active tape part is less a timekeeper and more another performer.
TECHNIQUE OVERVIEW: This work may be performed with two mallets. Although the composition is for two mallets, the performer is faced with many sticking challenges. Many of the figures contain large leaps and are not idiomatic.