Three Pieces for Marimba by Zaninelli arr. Mike Lasley

As a young composition student at the Curtis Institute of Music, my teacher, Gian Carlo Menotti, suggested that I write some music for children. He believed that, when writing for children, a composer would soon discover what was true and honest and what was shallow artifice. I was soon to discover that he was right. One of my first published works was a children’s ballet entitled The Enchanted Lake. In 1966, I published my first series of piano pieces for children, A Lexicon of Beasties. They were dedicated to my daughters. I now have a 12-year-old son. It seemed fitting that I now write some pieces for him. He plays and enjoys these. It is my hope that they will give pleasure to many others. 

The collection has been delightfully reworked here by Mike Lasley for solo marimba.

(1) SHADOW RIDGE RAG – A spirited dance with infectious syncopation and some charming harmonic surprises. 

(2) THE RIVER – An elegant new setting of a lovely English folk song. 

(3) FLASH and DASH – A showy, extroverted piece filled with energy and unexpected glissandi.