Caprice à la Bolero

from Quatre Pièces Caractéristiques, Op. 5, No. 2

Caprice à la Boléro combines a driving rhythmic undercurrent with lyrical melodicism, and as a marimba duet allows the performers to have a turn at each. Despite the division of labor, the virtuosity of the original is preserved in each part, creating a showpiece for two.

Program Notes

I arranged Caprice à la Boléro by Clara Schumann (1819-1896) in summer 2020 as part of a year of creative activity dedicated to interaction with the composer’s life and legacy and in connection with her bicentennial celebration. The Caprice comes from her piano set 4 Pièces caractéristiques, op. 5, published in 1836 when Clara Schumann (then Clara Wieck) was only seventeen years old. Her early works, of which this set is a part, were composed under the watchful eye of her domineering father, largely to support her burgeoning and lucrative international concertizing career. As such, these pieces tend towards the virtuosic, a showcase of her talent both at the keyboard and as a composer, which attracted the attention of the European musical cognoscenti of the day—names like Mendelssohn, Chopin, Liszt, Paganini, and, of course, Robert Schumann.

- M.B.

Performed by Andrew Eldridge & Chris Nadeau

Grade Level: 5
Copyright: 2021
Number of Players: 2
Duration: 4:00
Publisher: C. Alan Publications
Type: Duet
Category: Percussion

Watch Video

Instrumentation

Marimba 1 [5-octave]
Marimba 2 [5-octave]