Justin Douté’s captivating marimba solo, Midnight Moon, was inspired by the mesmerizing and contemplative nature of a moonlit night. Originally intended as a lullaby, this piece incorporates as much space and musical silence as it does beautiful harmonies and lush chords. The overall form of the piece is ternary, with a fast, flowing middle section providing contrast to the spacious rubato sections that begin and end the piece. By the end of a performance of Midnight Moon, the audience should be reminded of the moon’s unending beauty.
Use of this product is governed by the license terms outlined here.
Instrumentation
• 1marimba—low C
Reviews
This solo, four-mallet marimba work will challenge advanced high school or undergraduate students. The piece opens with a haunting lullaby that explores harmonic language over a slow melody. It requires ripples and an ease of moving big distances on the instrument. This section is very sparse in notes, leaving space for the harmonies to sit on the listener’s ear.
The middle section is faster, centered on an ostinato that changes with the harmonies as the melodic material is brought out through tenuto accent markings. The player will need to be very adept at bringing out melodic material in the faster moving notes, and have a firm grasp of the four-mallet techniques required. The piece ends with a return to the opening lullaby material, coming full circle back to the haunting sounds.
This work would go well in the middle of a recital — a chance for the audience to sit back and reflect. The composer mentions that the piece was written during a “trying time” in his life, and the music definitely has this dark hopefulness to it, as if trying to find the light in the darkness.
—Josh Armstrong Percussive Notes Vol. 58, No. 1, February 2020
Description
Justin Douté’s captivating marimba solo, Midnight Moon, was inspired by the mesmerizing and contemplative nature of a moonlit night. Originally intended as a lullaby, this piece incorporates as much space and musical silence as it does beautiful harmonies and lush chords. The overall form of the piece is ternary, with a fast, flowing middle section providing contrast to the spacious rubato sections that begin and end the piece. By the end of a performance of Midnight Moon, the audience should be reminded of the moon’s unending beauty.
Use of this product is governed by the license terms outlined here.
Instrumentation
• 1marimba—low C
Reviews
This solo, four-mallet marimba work will challenge advanced high school or undergraduate students. The piece opens with a haunting lullaby that explores harmonic language over a slow melody. It requires ripples and an ease of moving big distances on the instrument. This section is very sparse in notes, leaving space for the harmonies to sit on the listener’s ear.
The middle section is faster, centered on an ostinato that changes with the harmonies as the melodic material is brought out through tenuto accent markings. The player will need to be very adept at bringing out melodic material in the faster moving notes, and have a firm grasp of the four-mallet techniques required. The piece ends with a return to the opening lullaby material, coming full circle back to the haunting sounds.
This work would go well in the middle of a recital — a chance for the audience to sit back and reflect. The composer mentions that the piece was written during a “trying time” in his life, and the music definitely has this dark hopefulness to it, as if trying to find the light in the darkness.
—Josh Armstrong Percussive Notes Vol. 58, No. 1, February 2020
Hailed by Gordon Stout as "…one of our very best young composers of marimba music," Thomas R. Marceau delivers an advanced solo work full of beauty and chaos.
Another compelling piece by Michael Charles Smith (aka "Marimba Mike"), this intermediate marimba solo is a great addition to the solo marimba literature.
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Midnight Moon (Download)
