Happiness
Composer: Adam Tan
Instrument: Marimba (5.0 Octave)
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Published: 2025
Price: €16.00
Item details
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Description +
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"Something in the wind has learned my name And it's tellin' me that things are not the same In the leaves on the trees, and the touch of the breeze There's a pleasing sense of happiness for me"
– Top Of The World by the Carpenters (1970).
Happiness continues on the theme set by my previous work for solo marimba, Joy, which is also related to the joyful and grateful feelings of life spent with those close to you. Happiness focuses more on the idea of long-term happiness having its own set of victories and challenges along the way. Although happiness is not a promise of eternal positivity, the challenges faced towards happiness are worth every effort.
Happiness is dedicated to my partner Machi Ishida, who has been a continuous source of warmth and support in my life for the last two years prior to the release of Happiness. We are both huge fans of music by the band Carpenters, and their song Top Of The World mentions a "pleasing sense of happiness" from being with someone important to you. Happiness demonstrates this idea with a pleasant main theme that starts in a simple manner, before being continually developed in more complex ways. It is interrupted suddenly by a chorale in a completely different tonal colour, signifying challenges that come along the way whilst in the pursuit of happiness, before culminating in a grand and powerful octave passage that represents the resolution of these challenges. Happiness finishes on a softer note with the original melody, giving light to the bright future ahead.
Happiness is written as the Compulsory Work for the finals of the Marimbafest 2025 OPEN CLASS Solo category, marking my fifth Compulsory Work that I’ve written for the Marimbafest competitions of 2021–2025 (Hope, Together, Starlight, Joy, and now Happiness). With the OPEN CLASS category being the top level of Marimbafest, Happiness places emphasis on bringing out the player's individuality, including some seemingly simple passages, octave runs, and a very busy left hand accompaniment, which will hopefully complement whatever free choice work the player has chosen at Marimbafest 2025. This is also the first ever 5-octave Compulsory Work by me, accommodating to the high world-class level of our OPEN CLASS participants.
Happiness was written for Marimbafest 2025’s OPEN CLASS Solo Category and will be premiered by Marimbafest 2025 OPEN CLASS Solo finalists.
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Instrumentation +
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Marimba (5.0 Octave)
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Watch+
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About the composer +
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Adam Tan is a marimba soloist, educator and composer based in Perth, Western Australia. Adam is most known for being a YouTube content creator on THE STUDIO, a self-produced YouTube show uploading weekly episodes for education and entertainment relating to percussion.
Adam has performed and presented in-person in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and the United States, and has also presented online classes in Argentina, Central America and the United Kingdom. Highlights include solo performances at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), inc. percussion days (Japan), PAS Hong Kong Days of Percussion and Oh! Asian Percussionists Series (Hong Kong), Malaysia Percussion Festival, Chosen Vale Percussion Seminar (USA), Australian Percussion Gathering and masterclass presentations at the 505A Percussion Gathering (Hong Kong), MalletLab Summer Intensive (USA), WA Day of Percussion (Australia) and various universities and schools across Taiwan.
As a composer, Adam's works for percussion are performed regularly as they appear in repertoire lists for auditions, examinations and competitions around the world, such as the UIL Texas Prescribed Music List (PML). Adam’s works can be listened to on all music streaming platforms and stores.
Adam is the founder and director of Marimbafest Australia, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of percussive arts in Australia, curating various events including the annual marimba festival and competition Marimbafest, as well as the annual concert series Percussion All-Stars.
Adam has a Master of Music (Research, Percussion) and Bachelor of Music (1st Class Hons) from the University of Western Australia Conservatorium of Music.
Adam is a Marimba One Premier Artist and a Signature Artist of Encore Mallets with his own signature series of mallets. Adam's compositions are published by Edition Svitzer.
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