Clair de lune by Claude Debussy arr. for marimba by Justin McConchie

Clair de lune by Claude Debussy
arranged for marimba by Justin McConchie

Performed by Justin McConchie in the James W. Black Music Center at Virginia Commonwealth University, June 4, 2023

Sheet Music from C. Alan Publications
https://c-alanpublications.com/clair-...

Audio/Video by GreenHaus Productions
https://www.greenhausproductions.com

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I wanted to play Clair de lune on marimba because my dog, Blue, loved the marimba and loved this piece of music. Blue was always there to listen when I practiced marimba, usually sleeping under the instrument, and he would even get upset anytime it needed to be moved out of the house. Blue was the sweetest and most loving dog I’ve ever known, and he brought comfort and joy to everyone he met. The only time Blue needed to be comforted himself was during the occasional thunderstorm, and music was the one thing that could calm him. Piano music was the most effective, and Clair de lune became the go-to piece anytime thunder could be heard in the distance.

I was surprised to not find any existing arrangements of Clair de lune for solo 5-octave marimba. It is not an easy piece to play on the instrument, and this arrangement quite literally pushes the limits of both the marimba and the performer, at one point requiring simultaneous notes spanning nearly the full length of the instrument. I imagine the difficulty is the reason that more versions of this piece do not exist for marimba, but it was important to me to keep this arrangement as true to the piano score as possible in an effort to capture the beauty and emotion of the original work. While I hope I accomplished this goal, I’m certain that Blue would love it and that’s all that truly matters to me.