Rossini-Toast to the New Year, A (SP)-X/2-4M

A Toast to the New Year by Gioacchini Rossini and Jeffrey T. Parthun, Sr. is a mallet ensemble piece for 4-5 players. At the time of his self-imposed early retirement from life as a full-time composer at age 36, Rossini was the most popular opera composer in Europe. A Toast for the New Year (Toast pour le nouvel an) is from volume 2 of a fourteen volume collection known as Peches de Vieillesse ("Sins of Old Age"). All of the songs in this volume are in French and most, like this one, are written a capella. The premiere of this arrangement was done by the Kansas State University Percussion Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Kurt Gartner. All parts are written for 2 mallets, 4.3 octave marimba. Can be played on two marimbas with optional xylophone.