BRAIDS
for violin and marimba (six-mallet)
Written: 1998/2000
Duration: 7'30"
Instrumentation: violin and 4 1/3 octave marimba (six mallets)
Written for the Paterson Duo
Premiere: Cornell Contemporary Chamber Players, Cornell University, Barnes Hall, Ithaca, NY, Fall, 1998.
Publisher: Bill Holab Music
View Score | Buy Sheet Music | Buy Audio
Introduction to My Six-Mallet Technique | Basic Six Mallet Exercises
A version for marimba played with four mallets is also available.
PROGRAM NOTE
An experience that fascinates me is watching my wife Victoria braid her hair. Braids draws its inspiration from watching her create elegant, masterful braids, with names such as French Twist, Back Twist, Flip Through, Victorian Twist, Rolled Braid, French Braid, Rope and Herringbone. The names of these various braids inspired me to invent interesting musical analogues and ultimately to create this piece.
The book I consulted while writing this piece is Hair: A Book of Braiding and Styles by Anne Akers Johnson.
Press Quotes
“Mr. Paterson’s works are notoriously whimsical... Watching his wife braid her hair, he was moved to compose a work for marimba, his instrument. and violin, hers. The seven-minute work did not literally portray the braids Victoria turned around to display on the back of her blonde hair when they took their bows, but it is clear the composer has delightful musical patterns in his grasp.”
“...each section of the one-movement piece could be heard to represent a different kind of braid. the audience agreed; it was met with great reception.”