Madrigals Books 1-4 by George Crumb
based on fragments from Fredrico Garcia Lorca
Equipment
for entire cycle
- Vibraphone (I, III) requires four mallets
- Antique Cymbals/Crotales (II, IV) middle C to C4
- Glockenspiel (II, IV)
- 2 timpani (II) low E to B-flat and B natural to F
- Marimba (II, IV)
- Bongos (III)
- 3 timbales (high, med, low)(III)
- very small sus. triangle (III)
- 2 suspended cymbals 1 small, 1 large (IV)
- Glass chimes (IV)
- Tubular bells (IV) needs low B-flat
Features
- specifies vibrato or none on vibes and speed of vibration
- specifies pedaling throughout
- specifies stick hardness
- striking of damper bar so all plates vibrate (I)
- using fingernails on vibe bars (I)
- vibe harmonics *
- speaking in perc. parts (I)
- 1/2 tone gliss. **
- playing on strings of the contrabass (III)
- using triangle beaters on bars (III)
- playing on strings of the harp w/ wire brushs or glock btrs.(III)
- using blocks to indicate approximate pitches (II)
- specifies wire brushes on glsp. and crotales (II)
- timpani played with fingertips (II)
- timpani glisses (II)
- whistling by percussionist (II)
- coin across cymbal (IV)
- virtousic writing for tubular bells (IV)
*(place l.h. index finger lightly against the center of the plate and strike the bar with a very hard mallet.
Harmonic is two octaves higher than fundamental.
**(hold hard mallet LH against the end of the plate 1/2 in. from end
as plate is struck with hard mallet in RH.
After bar is struck apply pressure with LH and move LH mallet to end of bar.
Background on George Crumb
- has D.M.A.
- studied composition with Ross Lee Finney
- very big on timbral changes and extended techniques