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  1. -Pastor, Joseph: Scherzo for Marimba Quartet, written for Axiom Percussion

- (2) 4.3 marimbas, (1) 5.0 marimba

  1. -9 min

  2. -REQUIRED: 1 Guest Artist marimbist

  3. -Click here for audio clip         

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The Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary defines "scherzo" as "a sprightly humorous instrumental musical composition or movement commonly in quick triple time." In the Italian language, "scherzo" means "joke." In music the scherzo has become a common form, particulary in symphonies and sonatas, typically a middle movement of a larger work. Beethoven wrote many of them, as did Schubert, Brahms, Chopin and Mahler, to name just a few.


Joe Pastor's Scherzo for marimba quartet is not part of a larger work. It stands alone as a single composition. It is in standard ternary form, or ABA. The first section contains a main theme which is built loosely out of an octatonic whole tone/half tone scale. This scale toes the line between major and minor tonality, having the third degree of both - in this instance the tonic is G and both B-flat and B-natural are present in the scale. The theme weaves around an accompaniment of dancing perfect fourths. The contrasting theme, or "trio," is in the key of Eb major - the parallel of G minor. It is very traditional sounding on its first exposition, and then becomes gradually more dissonant until in the first climax of the work, it is heard in a full grandiose version. The piece then returns to its first theme, again in G, with the by now familiar sound of the dancing perfect fourths building to the piece's final climax. Chords alternate with roots a tritone apart before the piece ends with a soft landing.

"Scherzo for Marimba Quartet", written specifically for Axiom Percussion to feature a guest artist marimbist, is scored for one 5 octave and two 4.3 octave marimbas, with players three and four sharing the 5 octave instrument. 


The World Premier of Joe Pastor’s “Scherzo for Marimba Quartet” for Axiom Percussion was performed on February 10, 2009 at the University of Missouri at Columbia with Dr. Julia Gaines as the guest artist.