Like a Burden Too Heavy

for solo marimba

By Brian Blume
Price range: $17.00 through $22.00
  • Level: Medium
  • Duration: 3:30
  • Personnel: 1 player
  • State List: Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Texas, Wisconsin
  • SKU: TSPCS-34
  • Release Date: 2012

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… like a burden too heavy is a marimba solo by composer/percussionist Brian Blume. It’s written to reflect the struggles and limitations we face in conjunction with the “human condition.” There is a heaviness and sadness in Blume’s harmonic treatments which flow seamlessly to create a lyrical work that stands on its own regardless of the fact that it was written for marimba.

This piece is both musical and heartfelt and it provides a great training ground for developing intermediate players to refine their 4-mallet technique. While it’s written for for a 4.3-octave (low A) marimba, it includes additions or alterations for players using a larger, 4.6-octave (low E) marimba.

…like a burden too heavy also makes a great prelude to Blume’s Unforced Rhythms, for solo marimba with foot shaker.

This piece ships as a fully bound score or as an instant PDF download for printing or tablet viewing.

  • Marimba—low E*

*Substitutions are provided which will allow for performance on a 4.3-octave, low A marimba.

Reviews

  1. Darin Olson –

    For students bridging the gap from intermediate to advanced literature, the octave interval is often a challenge. This composition, approximately three minutes and 30 seconds in duration, would be a suitable choice to introduce that challenge. Using a moderate tempo throughout, this piece does not use any double lateral strokes and has a high volume of intervals of a fifth and smaller. Only executed as right-hand double vertical strokes, Brian Blume limits the octave interval occurrences to seven of the 70 measures in this work.

    Portraying a contemplative quality for a majority of the piece, this would be an appropriate selection for a young collegiate marimbist. Tapspace editors suggest that this would serve as a complementary prelude to Blume’s “Unforced Rhythms,” which I had reviewed in the July 2012 issue of Percussive Notes. I agree that this pairing would make an excellent combination to include on a recital.

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