Khan Variations is a musical composition for 5 octave marimba written by Alejandro Viñao in 2001.[1] The piece was commissioned by twelve percussion educators, including Michael Burritt, Nancy Zeltsman, and Robert van Sice. It is structured as an uninterrupted set of 8 rhythmic variations lasting approximately 10 minutes and is considered one of the most challenging works in the marimba repertoire, both from a technical and musical point of view.[2]
The piece has featured in the repertoire of many international marimba competitions such as the International Marimba Competition, the Taiwan Marimba Competition, and the Percussive Arts Society marimba competition.[3] Khan Variations has been recorded by a number of artists and was featured on the album Percussive Counterpoint by Svet Stoyanov.[4]
References
- ↑ Hartenberger, Russell, ed. (2016). The Cambridge Companion to Percussion. Cambridge University Press. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-107-09345-4. OCLC 920816078.
- ↑ Roberts, John Francis (May 2010). The Khan Variations for Solo Marimba by Alejandro Viñao: Musical Analysis and Performance Practice (DMA dissertation). University of North Texas. OCLC 928055428.
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: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ↑ Elek, Petra (May 2019). The Multilayered Complexity in Alejandro Viñao's Khan Variations (DMA dissertation). California State University, Long Beach. OCLC 1129456626.
- ↑ Lange, Art (May–June 2010). "Percussive Counterpoint". Fanfare. Vol. 33, no. 5. pp. 128–129.
My favorite, however, was Alejandro Viñao's Khan Variations, a twisting series of melismatic variations based on a Qawwali theme [...]
External links
- Performance by Ian Rosenbaum as part of the Marimba Literature Library by Vic Firth