Higuita!
for quartet on one marimba
What has 8 legs, 61 keys, and is known as “El Loco?” ¡Higuita!, that’s what. You’ll have to read the program notes to find out why. This piece is written as a short, flashy encore piece to showcase four players sharing one marimba.
Composed for the British percussion quartet 4-MALITY by Stephen Whibley (BBC Concert Orchestra percussionist), ¡Higuita! is a mad-fast guaracha that will sizzle when played with groovy flair. If audiences were wowed by your concert, they’ll be doing scorpion kicks for this encore!
This piece comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.
- Marimba—low C*
*Shared by four players
Reviews
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Julia Gaines –
More, more, I want more! This piece is so cool but is destined only for encore placement on a program due to its duration: 1:45. Think Mexican marimba meets drum corps. Stephen Whibley has already produced enough great works to give him credibility, and this one hits the mark. He wrote this for the British quartet 4-MALITY and got his inspiration from a Colombian goalkeeper. Apparently this soccer player, Rene Higuita (nicknamed “El Loco” or “The Madman”) created the scorpion kick (whatever that is) and had a few run-ins with the law. His mad antics at matches are captured in this fast-paced work for four players sharing one marimba.
The publisher lists this piece as advanced, but I’m going to slightly disagree. All four parts can be played with two mallets and it’s fast. However, none of the licks are super hard. Since the players are sharing an instrument, they have to stand really close to each other while they play, but that also means most of the fast runs are played right in front of them. There is quite a bit of syncopation, but I believe a good high school group with some dedication could pull this off. For certain, four talented undergraduates could do a great job. I think memorizing the music would be critical to really wow the audience. If your group has played “Stubernic” by Mark Ford, they can handle this one.
Already a Whibley fan, I was ready to be impressed and I am. Moving less equipment + chamber music = two for the price of one!