Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

One of the most famous melodies from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker" is initially played relatively faithfully by a mallet trio with glockenspiel and marimba. Gradually, this develops into a swing rhythm, with the glockenspiel player switching to the snare drum. Optionally, a small drum set can be used in this section. The marimba solo can also be freely improvised. The bass part can also be played on an A marimba.

A rose has sprung up

The vibraphone and marimba play this beautiful Christmas carol freely in tempo and dynamics. This requires careful listening to one another, as there is no consistent meter. The musicians should strive to create a coherent musical arc throughout the entire piece.

The melody, written in B-flat major, ends in a C major chord after some phrases. This unusual twist should be deliberately emphasized. The vibraphone can be played with two mallets, while the marimba requires a four-mallet technique.

Come, you mallet players

After a mystical intro, the melody, inspired by the Bohemian Christmas carol "Kommet, ihr Hirten," develops into a rhythmic groove reminiscent of a singer-songwriter style. Due to the frequent two-against-three rhythm, the piece can be seen as an exercise in alternating between duples and triplets. The glockenspiel and xylophone solos can also be freely improvised. The intention is to demonstrate that the glockenspiel and xylophone are also well-suited to improvisation. Alternatively, the parts can be played on a vibraphone and marimba. The rhythm and bass parts can also be omitted and played alternatively on an A marimba.

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Florian Klinger, born in 1991 in Hollabrunn, is an Austrian percussionist and jazz vibraphonist. He studied classical percussion in Vienna and jazz mallets in New York. He is a percussionist in the Vienna Volksoper Orchestra, a lecturer, and founder of the ensemble Louie's Cage Percussion.

Florian Klinger has played in ensembles of various musical genres and has worked with renowned orchestras such as the Vienna State Opera Orchestra, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Tonkünstler Orchestra of Lower Austria, as well as with well-known musicians such as Benny Golson, Bob Mintzer, Elina Garanca, Jose Carreras, Jonas Kaufmann and many others.

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Title: Santa's Percussion Parade - 3 pieces for Percussion Ensemble - drum ensemble

Cast: percussion ensemble

Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Traditional

Arranger: Florian Klinger

Work type: Multi-part work

Level: 4

Duration: 10:15 min

ISMN: 9790502953423

Manufacturer No.: SDP236-23