birdfrog (2024) marimba trio (shared 4.3 octave) · 4 minutes · intermediate+
birdfrog was written for Brandon Berlanga, Anthony Kain Cantu and Edric Salazar as part of the Austin Percussion Collective, and premiered on July 9th, 2024 at Monks Jazz in Austin, TX.
It is on the following state repretoire lists:
- Texas UIL Prescribed Music List · Grade 1 · Percussion Ensemble
- Florida FBA Music List · Grade 5 · Mallet Trio
You will be emailed a PDF file of the score within 24 hours of your purchase, which can be printed from any computer.
If you wander Austin late at night, you will often hear a quiet, subtle chirping emanate from tall grass. It sounds like baby birds, and it's always been in the background ever since I moved here.
Sometimes I'd look for these "birds", but I could never find anything. It was odd to me. Maybe it was mice?
I kept searching, until one day I finally found what was chirping. Tiny frogs, woven within the grass, each the size of a U.S. quarter. Singing away, late at night.
When I first moved to Austin and started my undergrad, I made a few friends in the percussion studio. They were older than me, so they graduated and went off to do their own projects, while I continued my undergrad.
From afar, I have watched them do so many wonderful things and musical pursuits of their own. I grateful to have shared memories with you all, even if only for a short while.
This piece was written for you. Thank you.
Musically, birdfrog draws upon math rock, gentle acoustic covers of rock music, and minimalism.