Amidst by John Ling is a percussion quintet inspired by Aristotle's notion that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts". Written for four marimbists and one multi-percussion, this piece tosses away traditional melody and accompaniment for a more pattern-based approach.
This piece is not minimalist, but it does move through ideas slowly while layering repeated patterns on top of one another. The harmonies are pleasant and interesting, but there is no discernible melodic content - very meditative.
The marimba parts only require two mallets each, making this piece an excellent candidate for high school and early college chamber music.
Difficulty: Medium
Duration: 6:10
Setup:
- Player 1: 4.0 Octave Marimba
- Player 2: 4.0 Octave Marimba
- Player 3: 4.0 Octave Marimba
- Player 4: 5.0 Octave Marimba
- Player 5: Multi-Percussion
- Toms (3), Bass Drum, Snare Drum
- Suspended & Sizzle Cymbals, Trash Stack
Amidst comes as a professionally bound folio with a CD-ROM containing individual parts and an audio recording.
