Yellow After the Rain
Encyclopedia
"Yellow After the Rain" is a composition for solo marimba
, written by former Los Angeles Philharmonic
principal percussionist Mitchell Peters
. Peters reportedly wrote the work for his own private students, for whom he was unable to find musically interesting material that introduced four-mallet techniques. The work is modal
and employs many basic skills, introduced in a sequential manner.
After a metrically deceptive introduction, the main theme is stated in the right hand, with left hand accompaniment. This is immediately followed by a repeat of the melody with the left hand taking over the tune and the right hand assuming the accompanimental role. Throughout, the performer is able to maintain a consistent interval in the accompaniment (parallel P4). Chordal rolls form a transition to the work's exciting "B" section, which utilizes single independent strokes with each hand fixed in the interval of a perfect fifth. The consistency of these intervals allows the performer to concentrate on the wrist and hand motions involved in the strokes without worrying about changing the spatial relationship of the mallets. After a recap of the right hand melody, the theme is stated in four-voice homorhythmic style, again maintaining the perfect fourth relationship (spaced a major second apart). A brief coda ends the work.
Virtually an entire generation of marimbists has been introduced to four-mallet techniques with this work, and it is likely that this legacy will continue, even as a wealth of excellent material joins it in the repertoire.
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
, written by former Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
principal percussionist Mitchell Peters
Mitchell Peters
Mitchell Peters is former principal timpanist and percussionist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. He has composed well-known pieces for the marimba such as Yellow After the Rain and Sea Refractions; it is said that these works were composed because Peters felt that there was a lack of...
. Peters reportedly wrote the work for his own private students, for whom he was unable to find musically interesting material that introduced four-mallet techniques. The work is modal
Musical mode
In the theory of Western music since the ninth century, mode generally refers to a type of scale. This usage, still the most common in recent years, reflects a tradition dating to the middle ages, itself inspired by the theory of ancient Greek music.The word encompasses several additional...
and employs many basic skills, introduced in a sequential manner.
After a metrically deceptive introduction, the main theme is stated in the right hand, with left hand accompaniment. This is immediately followed by a repeat of the melody with the left hand taking over the tune and the right hand assuming the accompanimental role. Throughout, the performer is able to maintain a consistent interval in the accompaniment (parallel P4). Chordal rolls form a transition to the work's exciting "B" section, which utilizes single independent strokes with each hand fixed in the interval of a perfect fifth. The consistency of these intervals allows the performer to concentrate on the wrist and hand motions involved in the strokes without worrying about changing the spatial relationship of the mallets. After a recap of the right hand melody, the theme is stated in four-voice homorhythmic style, again maintaining the perfect fourth relationship (spaced a major second apart). A brief coda ends the work.
Virtually an entire generation of marimbists has been introduced to four-mallet techniques with this work, and it is likely that this legacy will continue, even as a wealth of excellent material joins it in the repertoire.