I'm a member of a marimba quartet here on campus (UW-Whitewater) and the four of us are thinking of playing gigs off campus; however, our rep list isn't very extensive. We have a couple standards - Fitkin, Westlake, Levitan, Debussy (string quartet 2nd mvt) - but are looking for more pieces to throw in the mix. Yes, transcriptions and string quartets are always good possibilities, but we'd also like to do things written specifically for marimba. Suggestions anyone? Thanks in advance!

Best,

CJT

Marimba Quartet/Matthew Briggs
3rd place winner in the 2000 PAS composition contest. Four contrasting movements, approx, 17 minutes in length.

Check out Tribeca Sunflower by Julie Spencer. It is writen for 4 marimbas and 1 of the marimba players also plays some percussion.
Good Luck

I'd estimate that at least seventy-five percent of mallet ensemble pieces are either transcriptions or ragtime works. The Rubank marimba ensemble folio arranged by Cornelia Luscomb contains a lot of neat transcriptions from many years ago. I'm also a fan of the marimba quartets by Stan Leonard -- Prelude for Four Marimbas, and Quarimba, which are both recorded on his CD. For a lot of fun, try Rosauro's Fred no Frevo. I think there are a few ragtime pieces for xylophone and three marimbas, that you could try to put together as well.

-Michael