Higdon's 'Splendid Wood'

Higdon's 'Splendid Wood'

From Composers Datebook by American Public Media

May 2, 2026 · 2 min

About this episode

The episode discusses Jennifer Higdon's marimba piece 'Splendid Wood' and its significance in contemporary music.

Synopsis The marimba is a percussion instrument of tuned bars, usually made of wood, arranged like the keys of a piano. These bars are struck with mallets to produce resonate, rounded — and, well, woody — musical tones. The marimba was developed in Mexico and Guatemala, inspired by instruments native to Africa reconstructed in the New World by enslaved Africans in Central America. By the mid-20th century, the marimba was showing up in jazz ensembles, and classical composers would, on occasion, even write a marimba concerto or two. More recently, massed marimbas make up a sonorous, albeit stationary, component of hyper-kinetic drum and bugle corps spectaculars. Contemporary American composer Jennifer Higdon loves the sound of the marimba, and so in 2006 wrote a piece for three marimbas, Splendid Wood . ‘ Splendid Wood ’ is a joyous celebration of the sound of wood, one of nature’s most basic materials. Wood is a part of all sorts of things in our world, but is used most thrillingly and gloriously in instruments. This work reflects the evolving patterns inside a piece of wood, always shifting, and yet every part is related and contributes to the magnificent of the whole,” she said…

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New England Conservatory Percussion Ensemble, Mannes Percussion Ensemble

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