Full Score
four miniatures for solo marimba (2023) — written by Griffin
inspired by
THE LAST GOOD COUNTRY PERUSALSCORE
Candey
Ernest Hemingway's Nick Adams Stories — for Josh Graham
PERUSALSCORE
The Last Good Country for
Griffin Candey
1. The Silver Cord Will Break
He was not afraid of anything definite as of yet. But he was getting very afraid. Then suddenly he was afraid of dying. Just a few weeks before at home, in church, they had sung a hymn, "Some day the silver cord will break." While they were singing the hymn Nick had realized that some day he must die. It made him feel quite sick. It was the first time he had ever realized that he himself would have to die sometime.
2. The Last Good Country
"After they've been hunted, they get smart." "I hope we'll get smart," his sister said.
3. Now I Lay Me
I myself did not want to sleep because I had been living a long time with the knowledge that if I ever shut my eyes in the dark and let myself go, my soul would go out of my body. I had been that way for a long time, ever since I had been blown up at night and felt it go out of me and go off and then come back.
4. The Big Two-Hearted River
Nick stood up on the log, holding his rod, the landing net hanging heavy, then stepped into the water and splashed ashore. He climbed the bank and cut up into the woods, toward the high ground. He was going back to camp. He looked back. The river just showed through the trees. !ere were plenty of days coming when he could fish the swamp.
Instrumentation
Duration: 12'
First printing, August 2024
solo marimba Copyright ©2023 Griffin Candey. All Rights Reserved. Program Note Copyright ©2023 Griffin Candey. All Rights Reserved
1. T H E S I L V E R C O R D W I L L B R E A K
He was not afraid of anything de nite as of yet. But he was getting very afraid. en suddenly he was afraid of dying. Just a few weeks before at home, in church, they had sung a hymn, "Some day the silver cord will break." While they were singing the hymn Nick had realized that some day he must die. It made him feel quite sick. It was the rst time he had ever realized that he himself would have to die sometime.
* with each four-to- ve bar gesture: begin around notated tempo and push in volume and tempo to peak, then draw back to original tempo, volume — like a big, slow breath
phrasing
phrasing simile, but tempo pushes to startled peak and does not draw back
growing slowly louder, more thorny, more chaotic, all leading up to a big crashing moment in m.
2. T H E L A S T G O O D C O U N T R Y
"After they've been hunted, they get smart." "I hope we'll get smart," his sister said.
= 156 - 160 harder mallets (sharp sound) frantic — suspicious
"Did you ever come here with anyone else?"
"No. Only by myself."
"And you weren't afraid?"
"No. But I always feel strange. Like the way I ought to feel in church."
(tremolo with both hands
catch melody with right)
3. N O W I L A Y M E
I myself did not want to sleep because I had been living a long time with the knowledge that if I ever shut my eyes in the dark and let myself go, my soul would go out of my body. I had been that way for a long time, ever since I had been blown up at night and felt it go out of me and go o and then come back.
But some nights I could not sh, and on those nights I was cold-awake and said my prayers over and over and tried to pray for all the people I had ever known. at took up a great amount of time, for if you try to remember all the people you have ever known—if you thought back that far, you remembered a great deal of people.
4. T H E B I G T W O - H E A R T E D R I V E R
Nick stood up on the log, holding his rod, the landing net hanging heavy, then stepped into the water and splashed ashore. He climbed the bank and cut up into the woods, toward the high ground. He was going back to camp. He looked back. e river just showed through the trees. ere were plenty of days coming when he could sh the swamp.
mm. 1-25: strike each opening accented chord and linger on the accents, allowing them to bend the metrical frame of the measure — the rest of the bar should be smooth and in time smooth — meditative
PERUSALSCORE
