Nucleation

by Ben Justis

Advanced Marimba Quartet

4 Players

Instrumentation:

• 2 marimbas — (1) low A, (1) 5-octave
• Sizzle cymbal

Nucleation by Ben Justis is an advanced marimba quartet that explores the gradual formation and transformation of musical ideas. Inspired by the process through which particles gather to form a crystal, the work builds from small gestures into increasingly intricate patterns offering advanced players a chamber work that rewards precision, communication, and sensitivity.

Scored for four players sharing two marimbas, the piece demands exceptional ensemble awareness as fast passages and rhythmic material move between performers. An array of less conventional techniques includes playing with mallet shafts, clicking and buzzing shafts together, and muting the marimba with the leg, while a large sizzle cymbal positioned between the marimbas expands the sound palette. These elements combine with passages of free time, independent accelerations and decelerations, and tightly synchronized rhythmic writing to create dramatic shifts between texture and intensity.

This piece ships as a fully bound score. Individual parts come exclusively in PDF format.