Creston Concertino Manuscript

First and last page of the first movement

courtesy Christopher Norton's Creston Concertino for Marimba

Donated by Ruth Stuber Jeanne
Concertino for Marimba and Orchestra, Op. 21
by Paul Creston
Solo marimba part
Movements I and II: Vigorous, Calm.
Various grades of paper,
trimmed unequally and bound with adhesive tape.
24-25 cm x 16.2-17.3 cm. 5 pp. In ink, with annotations in
pencil.
Movement III: Lively.
31.5 cm x 21.2 cm. 3 pp. In ink, with annotations in
pencil and blue pencil.

On April 29, 1940, Ruth Stuber gave the premiere performance of the Concertino for Marimba and Orchestra by American composer Paul Creston.

In 1994, Ruth Stuber Jeanne donated several programs, clippings and her copy of the solo marimba part for the Concertino to the PAS Museum. This music includes 'the original manuscripts as Paul Creston wrote them, bringing sections for me to try out.' In an interview published in the April 1996 issue of Percussive Notes, Jeanne said there was no written correspondence between her and Creston, but he 'hand-delivered the portions to me, and we talked about things there.'

These holographs illustrate small changes and adjustments made to the solo part during its composition, and reveal some of Creston's personality.