The Fairview Hymns by Brian Mueller

The Fairview Hymns is Brian Mueller’s arrangement of two traditional English hymnal melodies for solo marimba. The two melodies differ in their character but with Mueller’s clever abilities as a performer and arranger, the two melodies cohere into one brilliant musical experience.

The piece begins with Gustav Holst’s slow and melodious treatment of In the Bleak Midwinter. Mueller adds dissonant harmonies and slight blues inflections to make the piece more soloistic and idiomatic for the marimba. The piece ends with Ralph Vaughan William’s treatment of Come Down O Love Divine, a much more rustic and dance-like piece that functions as a great closer to this intricate marimba solo.