Saudade

Item details

Description +
- Duration: 5 min.
  
  Saudade is a Portuguese word that very loosely means 'the love that remains.' It is a term that is used to denote the melancholic feeling of missing someone or something; a bittersweet emotion, as it is both a feeling of sadness due to their absence and a feeling of nostalgic joy from their memory. This piece is my attempt at painting this feeling in music.
  
  This version of the piece is scored for unaccompanied solo marimba. A version with string quartet accompaniment is also published separately as Saudade Fantasia.
Instrumentation +
- Marimba (5.0)
Watch+
- Performed by Joey Eng
About the composer +
- Joey Eng (b. 2001) is a percussionist, composer and educator from Perth, Western Australia. He has performed and given masterclasses to audiences in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Joey was the winner of the 2022 Warana Concerto Competition and a fi nalist in both the inaugural 2019 and the 2021 Marimbafest international solo marimba competition, in which he won 2nd prize and the audience choice award.
  
  A multi-skilled percussionist and collaborator, Joey has performed with many orchestras across Australia including the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra, Perth Symphony Orchestra, Australian Baroque, and the Australian Youth Orchestra. He was also a member and soloist with the World Percussion Group.
  
  As a composer, Joey’s solo percussion and chamber works are being performed regularly by thousands around the world and are on the repertoire lists for multiple notable competitions, including Marimbafest, the Australian Marimba Competition, and the East Switzerland Solo Competition. He has been commissioned by many ensembles/organizations, including the World Percussion Group, Edition Svitzer, Edith Cowan University, the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, and the Silver Sands Guitar Quartet. His compositions have been featured multiple times in the Percussive Notes magazine.
  
  Joey completed his Bachelor of Music from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, receiving the 2022 WAAPA Medal as the top graduate of the entire university. As an educator, he was a lecturer specialising in keyboard percussion studies at Edith Cowan University and has taught high school percussionists across schools in Perth, with his students winning a multitude of awards including the Premier of WA Award and the 2023 Marimbafest Open Class Ensemble 1st Prize.
  
  Joey is a Premier Artist for instrument manufacturer Marimba One (USA) and is endorsed by Salyers Percussion and Encore Mallets (USA). His compositions are published by Edition Svitzer (Denmark).
Reviews +
- Review (Percussive Notes, February 2025)
  
  “Saudade” is a Portuguese word that does not have an easy equivalent in English, creating a magical charm around the intangible concept of longing and nostalgia for someone you love or a moment that may never happen again. This mystique allures composers to write works devoted to the complexities of emotions when there is an emptiness inside. Marimbist and composer Joey Eng eloquently tackles this topic with his marimba solo “Saudade.” This short, sweet, and yearning solo starts quiet and delicate, then gradually develops into full-blown emotions before ending where it began, creating a sincere arc of melancholy in just over four minutes.
  
  “Saudade” is a four-mallet solo requiring good control and competency on the marimba — suitable for professional performances, college recitals, or juries. It is written idiomatically to the instrument, but the constantly changing bass notes and large leaps between bars make for a more difficult work than a beginner should tackle. Eng does a great job of highlighting the melody hrough clear notation in the score, opening up opportunities for possible interpretations to bring personal approaches to this piece. With clearly defined melodies and a pleasant harmonic progression, “Saudade” is appealing for listeners and performers alike.
  
  The piece creates a nice arc from beginning to end, with character notes added throughout to help performers approach the sections — for example, “soaring with resolve” and “pensive.” Eng relies on two contrasting themes to connect the piece, both of which are very lyrical and memorable. These catchy melodies develop their own sense of nostalgia, as if we have heard the tunes many times before. Although short, “Saudade” covers a lot of ground and works well to feature subtlety on the instrument while also demonstrating good power and melodic direction on the marimba.
  
  —Matthew Geiger
Credits +
- With support from Koda’s Cultural Funds
  Front Cover Graphics and Layout: Nicola Lee
  Photo: Joey Eng
  Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
  Copyright © Edition SVITZER
  www.editionsvitzer.com

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