Trio for Flute, Marimba, & Piano

Elements of minimalism and impressionism create a colorful palette that evoke primitive textures in a modern chamber setting. The melodies found in Trio for Flute, Marimba & Piano are very simple, reminiscent of folk melodies, but it is through the use of quartal-quintal harmony, chordal extensions, counterpoint, and sharp contrasts in dissonance and consonance that transform the otherwise repetitive figures into organic sounding lines where all three instruments are engaging in what sounds like a spontaneous, improvised dialogue.

Program Notes

The Trio for Flute, Marimba & Piano was written based around a pentatonic ostinato centered on B. As I wrote the piece, I incorporated elements of minimalism and impressionism to create a colorful palette that would evoke primitive textures in a modern chamber setting. The melodies are very simple, reminiscent of folk melodies, but it is through the use of quartal-quintal harmony, chordal extensions, counterpoint, and sharp contrasts in dissonance and consonance that transform the otherwise repetitive figures into organic sounding lines where are all three instruments are engaging in what sounds like a spontaneous, improvised dialogue.

Grade Level: 3
Copyright: 2010
Number of Players: 3
Duration: 5:50
Publisher: C. Alan Publications
Type: Trio
Category: Percussion; Woodwind

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Instrumentation

Flute
Marimba (4.5-octave
Piano