“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
Tag: cymbals
“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
“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
“Rapsodie Espagnole”, by Ravel
“Rapsodie Espagnole”, by Ravel. “Rapsodie Espagnole“, by Ravel, is not only an important work in the symphonic repertoire; it also features wonderfully written percussion parts. Sadly, both the score and the particelle are plaged with numerous mistakes and missprints that the first edition has perpetuated in many performances and recordings. Because I played this work… Continue reading “Rapsodie Espagnole”, by Ravel
More on cymbals and Russian notation
More on cymbals and Russian notation. Last week I wrote THIS article. While researching on another issue which I will write about soon, I found more music that proves my previous article; namely, that “+” means suspended cymbal played with a soft stick and “o” means cymbals “a 2”. Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the opera-ballet “Mlada”. Its third… Continue reading More on cymbals and Russian notation
Cymbals and their notation in the Russian tradition
Cymbals and their notation in the Russian tradition. If you have ever played cymbals in works from the Russian repertoire (specially from the late 19th-century and the first half of the 20th-century), you may have seen the following symbols: “+” and “o”. They have been driving percussionists mad for a very long time, but this… Continue reading Cymbals and their notation in the Russian tradition
Chinese cymbals, how should I set them up?
Chinese cymbals, how should I set them up? How to set the Chinese cymbals is a question that is asked quite often in groups, forums, etc. I wil try to clarify this issue, but first, let me review their history. Chinese cymbals have been made, literally, for millennia. They were always played in pairs, hitting one… Continue reading Chinese cymbals, how should I set them up?