Ten Miniatures by William Newton

Written by William Newton in 2020, this volume of miniatures is a set of reflections on his time spent growing up in the Carolinas. Each piece is a short musical portrait dedicated to a particular memory, place, or time in the composer's upbringing. This includes growing up in a Filipino household and hearing his mother's native language Tagalog, helping care for the family dogs who were always lively and loving, or feeling a strong connection to the beach and rivers that were present in North Carolina.

These pieces also seek to fill a void in the marimba repertoire for young marimbists. Each miniature provides technical challenges present in contemporary marimba literature like having a large spread between the left and right hands, atypical sticking patterns, and fast shifts. This is on top of developing one or two standard four-mallet techniques within each miniature, like the independent stroke, double vertical stroke, double lateral stroke, and alternating stroke.

If you are looking for a set of pieces that can help transition you or your students from beginning repertoire to more advanced pieces or if you are looking for short and sweet additions to your recital program these pieces will be a great addition to your repertoire.

Learn more about the composer