Xenolith

Xenolith (or "foreign rock") is a rock fragment that becomes enveloped in a larger rock during the latter's development and solidification. Xenoliths may be engulfed along the margins of a magma chamber, tornloose from the walls of an erupting lava conduit, or picked up along the base of a flowing body of lava on the Earth's surface. With this as inspiration, I set out to write a musical depiction of this natural formation. In the bookend chorale sections, you hear the calm before the storm (though the bubbling below the surface can be perceived). Thisleads to a "B" section that depicts the lava being tossed about and those rock fragments being torn from the earth.Xenolith for solo marimba is gratefully dedicated to Michael Barnes, who commissioned the work.