Title: Modern School for Xylophone, Marimba and Vibraphone

Author: Morris Goldenberg

Description: This book is meant as an all-encompassing method in the study of mallet percussion. It is broken into three main parts. The first section contains a variety of exercises and studies that examine numerous musical and technical challenges. Included in the section are exercises for rolls, double stops, scales (in all major and minor keys), chords (in all major and minor keys), arpeggios, octaves and various rhythms and tempi. The second section is a group of 39 etudes meant to develop the skills learned in the first section. Many of these etudes are very challenging, and require a great deal of facility to correctly navigate. The final section of the book includes solos and excerpts from the orchestral repertoire. Some of the pieces given are excerpts from orchestral pieces, and other are transcriptions from another instrument’s repertoire.  Included in this section are the following:

  • Bach – Violin Concerto in A minor
  • Paganini – Violin Concerto
  • Mozart – Finale of Act I from Magic Flute (Bells)
  • Liszt – Hungarian Rhapsody #2 (Bells)
  • Wagner – Waldweben from Siegfried (Bells)
  • Wagner – Siegfried’s Rhine Journey from Gotterdammerung (Bells)
  • Ravel – Mother Goose Suite (Xylo)
  • Wolf-Ferrari – Dance of the  Camorrists (Xylo)
  • Korngold – Much Ado About Nothing (Xylo)
  • Stravinsky – Petrouchka (Bells and Xylo)
  • Stravinsky – Les Noces (Xylo)
  • Prokofiev – Scythian Suite (Bells and Xylo)
  • Prokofiev – Alexander Nevsky (Bells and Xylo)
  • Kabalevaky – Colas Breugnon Overture (Xylo)
  • Shostakovich – Polka from Golden Age Ballet (Xylo)
  • Shostakovich – Symphony #5 (Xylo)
  • Shostakovich – Symphony #6 (Xylo)
  • Shostakovich – Symphony #7 (Xylo)
  • Khatchaturian – Gayne Ballet (Xylo)
  • Sowerby – Irish Washerwoman (Xylo)
  • Grainger – Shepherd’s Hey (Bells and Xylo)
  • Grainger – Spoon River (Marimba, Bells and Xylo)
  • Gershwin – Porgy and Bess (Xylo)
  • Kleinsinger – Tubby the Tuba (Xylo)
  • Keinsinger – Peewee the Piccolo (Bells and Xylo)
  • Chopin-Levin – Prelude in G Major (Marimba or Xylo)
  • Gould – Guaracha (Xylo)
  • Gould – Harvest (Vibes)
  • Bennett – Drum Tune #7 (Vibes)
  • Delibes – Bell Song from Lakme (Bells)

Annotated by: Greg Simonds