Saturnalia (for Toy Glockenspiel Quartet) — Full score and parts

Saturnalia (for Toy Glockenspiel Quartet) — Greg Harradine

Full score and parts. Listen on YouTube

Why not acquire four toy glockenspiels and three musically-minded friends and play this piece yourself!


About the piece:

One of the bonuses of having a child is the range of new musical instruments they bring into the home. When my son Raphael was 11 months old he acquired a one-octave glockenspiel, tuned (approximately) to a C major scale. It was too much of a temptation not to compose something for such a noble instrument, and so my 'Saturnalia for Toy Glockenspiel Quartet' was born. In writing this piece I embraced the naivety and imperfections inherent in the toy glock, and I suggest a similar acceptance of such foibles in any performance.

Key: C major.

Duration: c. 2:37

Style/mood: festive, playful

Full score: 8 pages, 97 bars. Parts are 2 pages each.