Written to portray the relationship between his two sons, Samuel and Liam, Thomas R. Marceau’s My Beautiful Chaos is an advanced work for marimba duo originally commissioned by Gordon Stout. In it, Marceau juxtaposes several different motives between the two marimba parts creating a fluid and undulating sonority. Despite the inherent conflict between the two marimba parts the overall effect of the piece (much like the version for solo marimba) is tender and charming, which is exactly how Marceau describes his two boys. Duos wishing to undertake this piece will find it technically challenging, demanding the highest command of four-mallet technique, as well as musically edifying.
This piece comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.
Written to portray the relationship between his two sons, Thomas R. Marceau’s ‘’My Beautiful Chaos’’ is an advanced work for marimba duo originally commissioned by Gordon Stout. There is also a solo version published by Tapspace.
In ‘’My Beautiful Chaos,” Marceau juxtaposes several different motives between the two marimba parts, creating a fluid and undulating sonority. Despite the inherent conflict between the two marimba parts, the overall effect of the piece (much like the version for solo marimba) is tender and charming, which is exactly how Marceau describes his two boys.
There is a really nice spatial or stereo element with the way the two parts are arranged, with a lot of parts being traded back and forth. There is also a lot of room for musicality and interpretation. The rubato required for this piece is extensive, but a contrary sense of rhythm and time will make this piece very successful.
Duos wishing to undertake this piece will find it technically challenging, requiring the highest command of four-mallet technique, as well as musically edifying. I highly recommend it for any advanced duo (graduate to professional).
—Joe Millea
Percussive Notes
Vol. 57, No. 3, July 2019
Written to portray the relationship between his two sons, Samuel and Liam, Thomas R. Marceau’s My Beautiful Chaos is an advanced work for marimba duo originally commissioned by Gordon Stout. In it, Marceau juxtaposes several different motives between the two marimba parts creating a fluid and undulating sonority. Despite the inherent conflict between the two marimba parts the overall effect of the piece (much like the version for solo marimba) is tender and charming, which is exactly how Marceau describes his two boys. Duos wishing to undertake this piece will find it technically challenging, demanding the highest command of four-mallet technique, as well as musically edifying.
This piece comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.
Written to portray the relationship between his two sons, Thomas R. Marceau’s ‘’My Beautiful Chaos’’ is an advanced work for marimba duo originally commissioned by Gordon Stout. There is also a solo version published by Tapspace.
In ‘’My Beautiful Chaos,” Marceau juxtaposes several different motives between the two marimba parts, creating a fluid and undulating sonority. Despite the inherent conflict between the two marimba parts, the overall effect of the piece (much like the version for solo marimba) is tender and charming, which is exactly how Marceau describes his two boys.
There is a really nice spatial or stereo element with the way the two parts are arranged, with a lot of parts being traded back and forth. There is also a lot of room for musicality and interpretation. The rubato required for this piece is extensive, but a contrary sense of rhythm and time will make this piece very successful.
Duos wishing to undertake this piece will find it technically challenging, requiring the highest command of four-mallet technique, as well as musically edifying. I highly recommend it for any advanced duo (graduate to professional).
—Joe Millea
Percussive Notes
Vol. 57, No. 3, July 2019