Description
Price: $35
Program Notes
Song Book, Vol. 1 (2011) features five solos for marimba: Anthem, Dance!, Holiday, Little Things, and Vessels.
This collection is an outlet for the songwriter inside of me, and simply put, shows my love for writing (and listening to) simple tunes. Performers are welcome to play just one piece, or any number of pieces from the collection. The solos can be performed in any order, or even spread throughout a recital.
Anthem is a simple pop tune for marimba. The piece is dedicated to Megan Arns, who was gracias enough to lend me her marimba for an entire year, while she took a one-year teaching appointment in the country of Jordan. Not only did the marimba serve as a songwriting tool for Anthem, it also served as inspiration for all of Song Book, Vol. 1. Thank you, Megan!
Dance! is by far the most challenging work in Song Book, Vol. 1. Its inspiration comes from two very different people: the Argentinean born composer Alejandro Viñao, and the unpredictable and talented bassist, Flea. Having dabbled in electric bass myself, I decided to use some of Viñao’s harmonic language and combine it with the “slap bass” rhythmic style that Flea has become so known for.
Holiday is a cheerful little tune. I’m not sure why, but it reminds me a bit of the band Arcade Fire, one of my favorites. Holiday was the last song written for Song Book, Vol. 1, during the holiday season of 2011.
Little Things features two small, seemingly separate musical sections: a freely played, romantic introduction, followed by a slow riff. The material for the introduction had been floating in my head for many years, while the riff section was written more recently on a whim. As I started to develop the idea for a song book, I decided to piece these two sections together. As cliché and non- academic as it sounds, it just felt right to do so… Vessels pays homage to the music of Jon Hopkins, a London based producer and musician in the electronica music genre. At times, his music is strikingly sparse, beautiful, and atmospheric. I wanted to write something that created this type of listening environment. Vessels is the calmest work in Song Book, Vol. 1, and that I’ve ever written.
Order Information
Product will be automatically sent after purchase, and there is a download limit of two (2) downloads for seven (7) days after purchase.
Physical copies are available from Steve Weiss Music.