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Published posthumously in 1855 (against his wishes) Frédéric Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu has become a beloved test piece in the modern-day pianist’s repertoire and remains one of his most popular compositions today. Now, Alex Stopa brings this marimba and vibraphone duet arrangement of Chopin’s masterpiece to the world of percussion! By orchestrating the piece on two different instruments with two differing timbres (though at some points the vibraphonist shares the marimba), the various melodic and accompanimental lines are made more apparent to the listener. However, the cohesion between the two instruments is still present, due to the time-tested craftsmanship of Chopin’s compositional technique. Because of the virtuosic nature of the music, this is a perfect recital piece for upper-level collegiate percussionists or even professional performers.
This piece comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.
• 1 marimba—low C
• 1 vibraphone
For those interested in the historical background of this work, the performance notes inform us that the original composition for piano was composed in 1834, but it was never published. Chopin instructed that that none of his unpublished works be published after his death. It is a positive thing that this one work has become available, as it appears on piano recital programs often.
This arrangement is scored for two players, each performing on a marimba and doubling on a vibraphone. The work is in a three-part form, written in C-sharp minor. After a very brief intro, the piece opens with Player 2 performing arpeggiated sextuplets, which serve as a base or foundation of the harmonic material. Player 1 performs the melodic material. The B section is more lyrical and is in D-flat major. For this section, Player 1 performs on vibraphone. The majority of this section is written in a single line, but there are several nuances including trills and grace notes, all providing a rich section with beautiful lines. The work returns to the A section material, again in C-sharp minor, and provides an excellent close of the theme. There is a brief coda, where the second player quickly moves to the vibraphone, to support the final cadence.
A great feature of this publication is that the parts are available via a CD, which also contains an excellent recording of the work.
—George Frock
Percussive Notes
Vol. 58, No. 1, February 2020
Published posthumously in 1855 (against his wishes) Frédéric Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu has become a beloved test piece in the modern-day pianist’s repertoire and remains one of his most popular compositions today. Now, Alex Stopa brings this marimba and vibraphone duet arrangement of Chopin’s masterpiece to the world of percussion! By orchestrating the piece on two different instruments with two differing timbres (though at some points the vibraphonist shares the marimba), the various melodic and accompanimental lines are made more apparent to the listener. However, the cohesion between the two instruments is still present, due to the time-tested craftsmanship of Chopin’s compositional technique. Because of the virtuosic nature of the music, this is a perfect recital piece for upper-level collegiate percussionists or even professional performers.
This piece comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.
• 1 marimba—low C
• 1 vibraphone
For those interested in the historical background of this work, the performance notes inform us that the original composition for piano was composed in 1834, but it was never published. Chopin instructed that that none of his unpublished works be published after his death. It is a positive thing that this one work has become available, as it appears on piano recital programs often.
This arrangement is scored for two players, each performing on a marimba and doubling on a vibraphone. The work is in a three-part form, written in C-sharp minor. After a very brief intro, the piece opens with Player 2 performing arpeggiated sextuplets, which serve as a base or foundation of the harmonic material. Player 1 performs the melodic material. The B section is more lyrical and is in D-flat major. For this section, Player 1 performs on vibraphone. The majority of this section is written in a single line, but there are several nuances including trills and grace notes, all providing a rich section with beautiful lines. The work returns to the A section material, again in C-sharp minor, and provides an excellent close of the theme. There is a brief coda, where the second player quickly moves to the vibraphone, to support the final cadence.
A great feature of this publication is that the parts are available via a CD, which also contains an excellent recording of the work.
—George Frock
Percussive Notes
Vol. 58, No. 1, February 2020
