Albeniz-Aragon (Fantasia) arr. Weatherson (SP)-2M

Like many of his most well known works, Aragón (1886) by Isaac Albéniz is nowadays more often associated with the guitar – even though the composer never wrote for that instrument - rather than the original piano composition. Further, although Aragón is published as part of the Suite Española, it was not included there by the composer himself, but rather by an editor after the composers death.

As with much of Albeniz's music, this piece (subtitled Fantasia) is representative of the folk music of the region for which the work is named; in this instance the Aragón region of Spain. The piece opens with a lively dance in 3/8 contrasted with a slower middle section. Later arpeggiated chords are heard which evoke the sound of a strummed guitar; the melody in this section is marked 'come una ghitarra il canto' ('like a guitar singing'). Many repeated phrases can be heard in the music in a call and response manner, and this arrangement for 2 marimbas (requiring two 5 octave instruments) passes the melodic material back and forth between the two instruments, with both players sharing the roles of melody and accompaniment.

Number of players: 2
Difficulty: Advanced

Instrumentation: 2 marimbas (5 octave)