Composed in 1895, Priere a Notre-Dame is the third movement of Leon Boellmann’s (1862-1897) Suite Gothique. This arrangement by Rick Puzzo (b. 1960), published in 2019, includes the arrangers encouraged mallet voicing below each stave when necessary. The original concept of this arrangement is to showcase the beautiful and rich tones of the low notes on a 5-octave marimba. The piece, originally written for organ, is full of sustained notes that connect seamlessly. This arrangement allows the performer to bring out sustain through the stroke and not tremolos or rolls exclusively. The use of softer and heavier mallets yields a rounded, full tone with sustain that carries the long tones. This piece is mostly in the softer end of the dynamic spectrum where the marimba best shows its nuance and subtlety.

For more information about Rick, including his other published works, visit his composer page.