“Iberia”. Complete edition of the percussion parts. “Iberia”, by Claude Debussy, is the second piece in his orchestral triptych “Images pour Orchestre”, written between 1905 and 1908. A colorful piece on how he imagined Spain, a country he visited only for a couple of hours in 1880 when he was 18. The parts present mistakes… Continue reading “Iberia”. Complete edition of the percussion parts
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“La Boda de Luis Alonso”: Percussion parts
“La boda de Luis Alonso”: percussion parts. On November 12th I was honored to present a masterclass at PASIC 2026 dealing with castanet technique. One of the examples I used to illustrate it was “La boda de Luis Alonso”, by Gerónimo Giménez. The following links will take you to the original parts, edited by myself. TIMPANI… Continue reading “La Boda de Luis Alonso”: Percussion parts
Castanets in the orchestra: The Ultimate Technique!!!
Castanets in the orchestra: The Ultimate Technique!! The October issue of Percussive Notes includes an article of mine titled “Castanets in The Orchestra: The Ultimate Technique!!” An appetizer for my masterclass on the same subject, which will take place on November 12th at room 125, 13:00 (EDT) at the Indianapolis Convention Center. …et in… Continue reading Castanets in the orchestra: The Ultimate Technique!!!
“Alborada del Gracioso”. Complete edition of the percussion parts
“Alborada del gracioso”. Complete edition of the percussion parts. “Alborada del gracioso”, by Maurice Ravel, started as the fourth number in his piano suite “Miroirs”. It was writen between 1904 and 1905 and, at the request of Diáguilev, it was orchestrated in 1918, becoming since then a staple in the symphonic repertoire. It is a… Continue reading “Alborada del Gracioso”. Complete edition of the percussion parts
“Nights in the gardens of Spain” – Complete edition
“Nights in the Gardens of Spain” – Complete edition Being 2026 the 150th anniversary of Manuel de Falla, his works are played even more than usual. Thanks to that important event, it is the second time this year that I play his wonderful “Nights in the Gardens of Spain”. The first time was last April,… Continue reading “Nights in the gardens of Spain” – Complete edition
The “mailloche”
The “mailloche” If you have played French repertoire, chances of you having found the indication “mailloche” are very high. Altough the actual tendency is to not use a great variety of sticks on the bass drum, it is good to know what a mailloche is to enrich our tool arsenal, thus our expressive, timbrical and… Continue reading The “mailloche”
“Nights in the Gardens of Spain” – Timpani
“Nights in the Gardens of Spain” – Timpani “Nights in the Gardens of Spain”, by Manuel de Falla, started as a series of solo piano nocturnes in 1909 but, encouraged by Ricardo Viñes, don Manuel converted them into a work for piano solo and orchestra. It was finished in 1915, the premiere taking place on… Continue reading “Nights in the Gardens of Spain” – Timpani
Soprano timpano in “Mlada” (Rimsky-Korsakov)
Soprano timpano in «Mlada» (Rimsky-Korsakov). «Mlada» is an opera-ballet by Rimsky-Korsakov written between 1899 and 1890 and premiered in 1892. It is hardly played nowadays, but the composer converted the third act into a tone poem named “A Night on Mount Triglav” which, again, is hardly played, but it is performed slightly more often (just… Continue reading Soprano timpano in “Mlada” (Rimsky-Korsakov)
“V” for “Victory”
“V” for “Victory” In 1941, just one year and four months after the outbreak of World War 2 and still another your years ahead before it concluded (1945), the Belgian politician exiled in London Victor de Laveleye was in charge of the broadcasts for the German-occupied Belgium. While working for the BBC, he had… Continue reading “V” for “Victory”
A mistake in the tambourine part in “Trepak”
A mistake in the tambourine part in “Trepak” We are deep into “The Nutcracker” (P. I. Tchaikovsky) season. This ballet is a tremendously popular work that is played very often during Christmas. The percussion parts are great and the “Trepak” features a very funny part, which is also technical challenge, and that is why it… Continue reading A mistake in the tambourine part in “Trepak”