Snapdragon - Marimba Solo (4.3 Octave) by Sebastian Zhang

Snapdragon is an intermediate solo for 4-mallet marimba (4.3-octave).
Sheet music available here: https://sebastianzhang.com/works/snap...

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The snapdragon is a type of flower that, when squeezed from the side, looks like a dragon opening and closing its mouth. Unlike normal dragons, snapdragons have no teeth, and their bites are the results of playful humans toying around with them, rather than out of any sort of malice.

Snapdragon was written about this idea of lighthearted, merry ferocity.

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Snapdragon is the first marimba solo that I have written since 2021.
In that time, I feel that I have grown immeasurably as a composer.

When I was younger, I often tried to shy away from my non-classical influences. Even when they snuck into my pieces in spite of my efforts, I would try to find some way to describe them in a classical way instead of stating the obvious: this is not classical music.

A lot of my music now has a sort of "energetic clarity" to them—my music sounds like this, and I'm not afraid. It's not an angry energy, nor an aggressive energy, but more of a happy force—like a vibrant, colorful dragon with no teeth.

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Musically, Snapdragon takes inspiration from riff-based video game music. Specifically, the main riff is reminiscent of memorable boss motifs. The more lyrical melody is drawn from cinematic anime soundtracks, with long, vibrant themes, as a contrast to the pointed syncopation of the riffs.

Snapdragon was recorded at the University of Texas at Austin on May 11th, 2023.