Grassland

Listen to the work here!
 
Grassland is a work for french horn and marimba, part of an ongoing series entitled M+1. This is a series of mixed duets featuring the marimba, alongside a variety of woodwind, brass, string, percussion, and other instruments. Thirty-six duets have been planned out, of which Grassland is the third, and these duets, following from the letter-and-number-infused title of the series, begin with letters or numbers covering the alphabet and Arabic numerals (A-Z, 0-9) once each.
 
Grassland is a joyous and often tranquil duet, which paints a picture through music of open grassy plains. After a slow introduction which perhaps feels like the sun rising over such a landscape, the marimba moves into a dance-like accompanimental figure in ¾ time, while the horn begins to sing in a pastoral voice, perhaps reminiscent of Richard Strauss or Edward MacDowell. This song and dance music moves wistfully through a harmonic diversion, before expanding into a quicker jaunt-like material, like wind picking up and causing tall grasses to sway and leave ripples moving along their surface. This music moves rapidly through key centers, leading into a final reflective section marked “freely” and “soliloquous”. Like a soliloquy, this final section offers the listener a chance to reflect and sit within an emotional state, like one might if alone in a peaceful nature environment. Much as the opening is reminiscent of a sunrise, the ending of the work is reminiscent of sunset, and the final marimba roll in the treble range, to me, feels like fireflies taking over for the sun while it is away.