Two Mexican Dances

Gordon Stout

General Info

Year: 1974
Duration: c. 5:15
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Studio 4
Cost: Score and Parts - $0.00   |   Score Only - $0.00

Instrumentation

Marimba

Program Notes

dedication: to Warren Benson; premiere: 1974, Eastman School of Music by the composer (third prize 1975 Percussive Arts Society composition contest-tie with Reed Holmes' Dream Quest)

Review

This composition is one of the masterpieces for the marimba. Incorporating a sophisticated four mallet technic, it is difficult to perform. It is a most up-to-date composition, yet appeals to a wide audience and is in traditional notation. The layout is clear. The style of pagination is one that other publishers of percussion music would do well to note: one reversal of the complete layout is the only necessary page turn in each dance. The first dance is in ABA form. The first section incorporates a simple, hand-alternation pattern based around some complicated leaps. The middle section is free-flowing and leaping. The return of the initial idea is intensified through minute metric changes, producing a delightful syncopation which can play havoc on the performer. The second dance seems to appear to us from the marvelous world of the classical and Spanish guitar, Segovia and Almeida. Its intricacies involve the complete pitch and dynamic range of the instrument. The independent four mallet technic produces cascades of shimmering sounds. Several contrasting yet interlocking sections flow between the original statement and its transformation at the end. - Linda Pimentel 1977

Works for Percussion by this Composer

Marimba Solo Works

Andante and Allegro – Piano; Marimba
Astral Dance – Marimba
Elegy – Marimba
Etudes for Marimba, Book III – Marimba
Five Etudes for Marimba, Book 1 – Marimba
Five Etudes for Marimba, Book 2 – Marimba
Four Episodes – Marimba
Nocturnes, op.36 – Marimba
Ode for Marimba – Marimba
Reverie – Marimba
Rivers of Wood – Marimba; Piano
Rumble Strips – Marimba
Sedimental Structures – Marimba
Triptych – Percussion Duet; Marimba
Two Mexican Dances – Marimba
Wood That Sings – Marimba

Percussion Ensemble Works

Desperate Attitudes – Percussion (11)
Eisenhower's Rondo – Percussion Quartet; Flute; Viola
Emerald Romp - Percussion Trio
Incoming – Percussion Duet; Marimba; Drumset
Laruci in the Sky – Percussion Duet; Marimba
Look Forward With Your Feet
Outgoing - Percussion Quartet; Piano
Outgoing 2 - Percussion 12
Prolific Platitudes - Percussion Quartet
Sarah's Dance
Seeking Pacific Waters - Percussion Sextet
Something To Do With Grace - Marimba & Percussion Octet
Three Movements for Marimba and Wind Ensemble – Marimba; Wind Ensemble

Marimba Ensemble Works

Endless Mountains Wooden
New York Triptych
Dream-Awakening and Dance
Sinfonietta
Wailing Song

Diptych Series

Diptych No. 1 – Multiple Percussion
Diptych No. 2 – Percussion Ensemble
Diptych No. 3 – Percussion Duet; Marimba
Diptych No. 4 – Percussion Duet; Marimba

Duo Series

Duo (Dance Song) – Marimba; Saxophone
Duo (Dance Song) – Marimba; Trumpet
Duo (Dance Song) – Marimba; Bassoon
Duo Concertante – Percussion Duet; Wind Ensemble