Finley-Ghosts of Bonneville, The-M

The Ghosts of Bonneville is yet another beautiful solo marimba work by composer, Benjamin Finley. It was inspired by the Great Salt Lake and surrounding basin in northern Utah. This area was once part of a vast, prehistoric inland sea known as Lake Bonneville, which is believed to have stretched into parts of Nevada and Idaho until some 14,500 years ago when it overflowed and eventually evaporated into the remnant that is now the Great Salt Lake. At least four different shorelines can be seen along the Wasatch mountains to the east of this basin, which geologists suggest is evidence of Lake Bonneville's massive, prehistoric depth.

Finley states: "Even though it is now considered all but devoid of life, the Great Salt Lake is an echo of another era – one perhaps rich with various fish and plant species. I like to think that these life forms might haunt this region in a way, and I still look around with an eerie sense of fascination when I am able to visit. This work is dedicated to my good friend and the Director of Percussion Studies at Idaho State University, Dr. Thom Hasenpflug."

The Ghosts of Bonneville ships as a printed folio.

Number of players: 1
Difficulty: Advanced

instrumentation: Marimba (5 octave)