Oenanthe

Using the Greek modes with which he is so familiar, Papadimitriou has crafted a piece around the story of Oenanthe, a drummer and courtesan from the Saamos Island who was killed with her children by the Egyptians in 221 B.C. The result is a solo marimba work filled with exciting dance rhythms in an idiomatic setting appropriate for the intermediate marimbist.

Program Notes

Oenanthe is a femine name that belonged to a drum player and a courtesan from the Saamos island. She had a son named Agathocles, and a daughter named Agathoclea who was a drum player and a courtesan like her mother. Agathoclea was furnished by her mother to Ptolemy the fourth, the Philopater (221-204 B. C.), who loved her deeply. So Oenanthe through her came by a complete influence on Ptolemy, essentially ruling Egypt until the people of Egypt murdered her and her children. (Plutarch States Oenanthe in his Erotic 9,735 D.)

Grade Level: 3
Copyright: 2006
Number of Players: 1
Duration: 3:30
Publisher: C. Alan Publications
Category: Solo Works

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Instrumentation

Marimba (4.5-octave)