For one of my summer projects I ordered the full score for Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings as well as the study score, and am now trying to arrange it for a 5.0 marimba. It's difficult in spots, not only because of the range of the original but also because Barber uses many 5-note chords. I've toyed with the idea of making it a six-mallet instead of four-mallet, but I prefer four due to the better control and independence of the mallets. Anyway, I chose this piece because it's a wonderful piece of music (duh) and I think it'll work well on a marimba. Any thoughts from y'all?

Barber's "Adagio for Strings" was originally composed as the "Molto adagio" movement to his String Quartet in b minor.

Although it may not work with only four mallets, you will have an easier time working from the string quartet version, rather than the string orchestra version.

WM