Grainger-Shepherd's Hey arr. Ragsdale (SP)-B/2V/5M

Percy Grainger's Shepherd's Hey is an iconic work in the Grainger oeuvre, along with "Irish Tune from County Derry," "Handel in the Strand," "Molly on the Shore," and "Country Gardens," establishing Grainger as perhaps the greatest "setter" of British folk song. Chalon L. Ragsdale's setting calls for a large mallet ensemble (Grainger called it "tuneful percussion"), with 10 marimbists sharing 5 instruments, 2 vibraphones, xylophone and glockenspiel.

Number of players: 14
Difficulty: Intermediate

Instrumentation

Player 1: Glockenspiel
Player 2: Xylophone
Player 3: Vibraphone 1
Player 4: Vibraphone 2
Players 5-6: Marimba 1 (5 octave)
Players 7-8: Marimba 2 (4.3 octave)
Players 9-10: Marimba 3 (4.6 octave)
Players 11-12: Marimba 4 (5 octave)
Players 13-14: Marimba 5 (5 octave)