An Exploratory Analysis of The Influence of Professional, Personal, & Musical Experiences On Gordon Stout's Compositions For Marimba

INFLUENCES ON GORDON STOUT’S COMPOSITIONS 1
An Exploratory Analysis of the Influence of Professional, Personal, & Musical Experiences
on Gordon Stout’s Compositions for Marimba
Will Alderman
School of Music, James Madison University
MUPED 704: Music Pedagogy in Higher Education
Dr. Lisa Maynard
Fall 2020
Abstract
This paper is an exploratory analysis of the influences on compositions for marimba by
American composer and percussionist-performer, Gordon Stout. Gordon Stout is one of the
earliest, prolific composers for the marimba. His music has greatly influenced the trajectory of
percussion music at large; specifically, for the marimba. This paper seeks to understand what
professional, musical, and personal influences shaped the style, language, and structure of
Stout’s writing. The research for this paper included an interview with Gordon Stout, referencing
literature resources surrounding the topic of compositional influences, listening to Stout’s
compositions, analysis of Stout’s compositions, and a comparative analysis of Stout’s
compositions with known influences. Part one of the paper will provide a look into the life and
upbringing of Stout. Specifically, looking at his earliest memories and formative music
experiences. Part two will provide, in broad terms, an overview of what influences composers at
large. Concepts of ecological impact, intertextuality, childhood, education, and the compositional
process will be surveyed. The final part of the paper will explore Stout’s compositional style and
influences. In this section, his compositional process will be analyzed and described.
Additionally, this section will attempt to quantify Stout’s style. This will include a look at the
harmony, form, texture, and rhythmic devices that are unique to his works. The purpose of this
paper is to identify what influences had the most impact on Gordon Stout’s style and to identify
which of these techniques are most representative of his idiosyncratic style.

Gordon Stout Biography
Gordon Stout is Professor Emeritus at Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY where he taught from
1980 to 2019. He is recognized, worldwide, as one of the most prolific American
percussion-composers, performers, and educators of his time. Stout was inducted into the
Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 2012. Leigh Howard Stevens, a 2006 Percussive Arts
Society Hall of Fame Inductee once said, “If you’re talking about Gordon, you can’t single out
only his teaching, or only his playing, or even just his compositions. It’s not fair to someone who
has that kind of breadth of a career.” (Weiss, 2012) Currently, Stout lives in Spencer, NY where
he produces hand-made marimba mallets and composes. He still travels around the world
regularly to provide master classes and participate in judging panels for major marimba
competitions. He was born in Wichita, Kansas on October 5, 1952. His parents both worked as
professional musicians. His mother was a flutist, who taught privately and performed. His father,
Leo Stout, played French Horn in the Chicago Symphony for six years and taught as a tenured
professor at the University of Michigan for twenty-eight years. (Weiss, 2012) His childhood was
steeped in orchestral music and pedagogy.
Stout recalls beginning his composing career at a very young age. “We're talking, say,
1960. I would have been eight or nine,” he remembers. (G. Stout, personal communication,
October 27, 2020) After practicing his piano lesson material, he would improvise at the piano.
This is where he wrote his first pieces. At such a young age, he lacked the necessary skills to
notate these compositions. His mother, however, would listen to him play and notate the
compositions on staff paper for him. “So that was a big influence on me. Because, it was like,
‘Okay. It's okay if I do this.’ It's not that I was being yelled at for not practicing my piano
lesson,” Stout recalls. (G. Stout, personal communication, October 27, 2020) Because of this, the
use of improvisation as a compositional tool became natural for Stout at a young age. He began
his percussion career a short time later after his family moved to Ann Arbor, MI where his father
began teaching as the French Horn professor. “As the story goes, “ Stout recalls, “my dad took
me to the school of music when I was about eight or nine years old. He introduced me to all the
professors and I chose the marimba, and Jim Salmon.” (Sickmeier, 2017) Jim Salmon, who was
inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 1972, was the professor of percussion
at the University of Michigan from 1954 to 1972. He would act as Stout’s first introduction to
percussion and, consequently, to the marimba. “I chose Jim Salmon because he was a very nice
man who was easy to be around,” Stout says. “And I chose the marimba because the first time I
hit a bar, I thought the sound was just incredible.” (Weiss, 2012)
After spending his formative percussion years with Jim Salmon, Stout moved on to study
at the Eastman School of Music with John Beck. Gordon remembers, “I had studied with Jim
Salmon for more than ten years, so it was time to move on.” He recalls sneaking into the
Eastman Theatre to watch the Rochester Philharmonic rehearse. He was a student of the art;
always hungry to learn more. In addition to percussion, Stout began his compositional studies
there as well. Stout’s first-year composition professor was Joseph Schwanter. Schwanter had just
begun instructing at Eastman when Gordon Stout arrived. Stout premiered many of Schwanter’s
works for percussion as well as many other ensembles while at Eastman. (Sickmeier, 2017) Stout
recalls that Schwanter, “[He] had the least influence on my composition.” (G. Stout, personal
communication, October 27, 2020) Stout does, however, recall that Schwanter had taught him
the valuable lesson of how to copy music. He remembers, “Scan [it] with ink and take it down to
the city blueprint. Joe Schwanter was one of the very best at that. And, that was the only way
you could get your music played at Eastman.” (G. Stout, personal communication, October 27,
2020) From there, Stout went on to study composition with Samuel Adler during his sophomore
and junior years. Adler was Stout’s first introduction to writing twelve-tone music and for a
variety of ensemble instrumentations. Stout recalls, “He's a twelve-tone composer, and he got me
into writing for other instruments like clarinet choir, string quartet, brass choir. Now, I didn't
really stick with twelve-tone music because I've always felt restricted by the system.” (G. Stout,
personal communication, October 27, 2020) Stout would find ways around this system; changing
notes here or there until he achieved the desired sound. Stout attributes much of his disciplined
approach to his studies with Adler. “He was really nitpicky, specific, about note choices and
things like that. So, that was interesting, because I think it developed a certain kind of discipline
in me as a young, inexperienced composer who was in my second year of ever taking
composition lessons.” (G. Stout, personal communication, October 27, 2020) Finally, Stout went
on to study with Warren Benson during his senior year and into grad school. Benson suggested
that Stout stay at Eastman to pursue a master’s in composition as it would make him more
versatile. (Sickmeier, 2017) In Stout’s words, he and Benson, “Got along famously well.” (G.
Stout, personal communication, October 27, 2020) Benson would be the one to name Stout’s
famous composition, “Two Mexican Dances.”
After his time at Eastman, Stout went on to become one of the most well-respected
performers and composers of his time. Not only in the percussion field but the classical music
field at large. The first PASIC (Percussive Arts Society International Conference) was held in
Rochester, NY in the fall of 1976. Stout was featured on the marimba. He has made thirteen
appearances at PASIC to date. He began his professorial career at St. Mary’s College in St.
Mary’s, Maryland where he taught percussion and music theory. He served on faculty there for
three years before moving onto to serve the rest of his academic career as a faculty member at
Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY. He has served, frequently, as a performer and clinician
internationally. He has performed and taught throughout the United States and Canada, Europe,
Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Spain, England, Puerto Rico, Hungary, and Mexico.
(Mostly Marimba, n.d.) During his time at Ithaca College, Stout mentored and instructed some of
the most prominent percussionist composers and performers in the field today. Percussionists
such as Michael Burritt, Thomas Burritt, Kevin Bobo, Paul Smadbeck, David Hall, Valerie
Naranjo, Yun-Ju Pan, Naoko Takada, and many others studied there under the tutelage of Stout.
In addition to his compositions, Stout has added to the standard pedagogical literature of the
percussion field. He authored a marimba technique book, Ideo-Kinetics. This book was
specifically ground-breaking as it taught students how to play notes that lie outside their field of
vision. (Sickmeier, 2017) He is considered one the best in the field in regards to sight-reading at
the marimba.
A Composer’s Influences
Music, or any form of art, is said to be a reflection of the environment it is birthed in.
When discussing the many influences on Gordon Stout’s music, it is important to ask several
questions about compositional influences in general. What personal experiences affect
composition? What ecological, or environmental factors shape compositions? How did the
composer’s academic and professional career affect their work? What instances of intertextuality
can be found, and how do these affect the composer’s sound? After exploring these ideas, in
general terms, one can apply the findings to Stout’s life and compositions.
First, we will explore a composer’s personal experiences. Although it is impossible to
scientifically verify the influences, or lack thereof, on a composer’s works, one can surmise a
result based on the conglomerate of a composer’s life-circumstances at any one point in time.
Certainly, compositional ebbs and flows, growth and change, may happen in spite of
life-circumstance. However, a thoughtful look at the finer details of a composer’s life can often
reveal a new understanding in regards to their music. Suppose a large collection of J.S. Bach’s
personal letters were found. Many of them detailing personal relationships, secrets, confessions,
and, perhaps, some marginal references to music. The musicological community would be, no
doubt, chomping at the bit to study and compare these letters against Bach’s works. Generally,
the music community believes there is a strong connection between a composer’s life and their
art; some believe they are inherently connected. There is, however, a wing of musicologists that
believe the contrary. One journalist states the opposing view:
And yet there has always been a wing of the musicology profession that insists on the
essential irrelevance of biography. Its extreme champions contend that the incidents of a
composer's life cannot be shown to influence his music in any significant way and that
the proper study of musicologists can only be the composition, not the composer.
(Henahan, 1984)
While each side is welcome to their opinion about the connection between life and art, it is clear,
in many cases, that composers draw on their current circumstances for inspiration in their
compositions. For example, in Mozart’s opera, Così fan tutte, there is, at times, a distinct
connection between the libretto, by Lorenzo Da Ponte, and the circumstances in Mozart’s
personal life at the time. We know this from letters he had penned while composing the opera.
He wrote of his worry for his wife’s reputation, and even concerns surrounding her faithfulness.
Mozart could empathize deeply with the libretto that spoke of humanity’s moral frailty. There
are musical undertones related to Mozart’s letters throughout Così fan tutte. While on the surface
it appears to be a light-hearted tale, a deeper look reveals the confession of lost innocence
throughout the opera. A performer who is well-acquainted with Mozart’s personal life would see
the opera through a new lens and with new understanding as opposed to an obscure combination
of notes and rhythms understood only through functional harmony and music theory. (Henahan,
1984) It is clear that oftentimes a composer’s music is directly affected by their life events.
Next, we will explore the ecological and environmental factors that help to shape the
style, instrumentation, and language of a composer. The colleagues, contemporaries, and
educators of a composer may directly, or indirectly shape their work. Location and time period
play an important role as well. For reference, we will take a look at three Austrian composers; J.
Haydn, Mozart, and Schubert born respectively in 1732, 1756, and 1792. These three are
traditionally associated with the Classical period of Western classical music. Schubert is
recognized as a transitional composer from the Classical to Romantic period. A casual listen to
the music of these three composers would reveal similarities in style, instrumentation, and
harmonic language, although Mozart and J. Haydn would sound more similar to each other than
they would Schubert. An exploration of their common influences begins to explain why these
three may share such closely related compositional traits and why Haydn and Mozart may share
more similarities to each other than to Schubert. Figure 1 shows each composer’s web influences
and which of these they share in common.

Figure 1
Common Composer Connections of Mozart, Haydn, and Schubert
Note. Table of composer’s connections from Georges (2017).
This web reveals that the three share two common influences: Handel and Gluck. Schubert and
Mozart share two others (J.S. Bach and M. Haydn) as common influences, while Mozart and J.
Haydn share five others (Fux, J. Stamitz, C.P.E. Bach, G.B. Sammartini, and Hasse) as common
influences. Based on the number of connections between Mozart and Haydn, it is clear why their
music may objectively share more similar qualities to each other than they would to Schubert’s.
Because these three composers were born in the same country and the same era, it is no wonder
they share a similar language, set of influences, and instrumentations in their compositions.
Figure 2 shows the musical ecological niches of each composer and which of these they share in
common.
Figure 2
Mozart, Haydn, and Schubert Common Styles
Note. Table of composer’s styles from Georges (2017).
Again, we find that J. Haydn and Mozart share many more of these musical ecological niches in
common than either of them does with Schubert. It can be inferred from Figure 1 and Figure 2
that culture, location, colleagues, educators, era, and common music practices of the day greatly
impact a composer’s work. Additionally, one can gather that the more connections to a particular
source of influence (i.e. a teacher, colleague, region, etc.), the greater the likelihood of the
qualities of such influence finding its way into a composer’s music.
Over the course of western-classical music history, composers have cited their teachers
and parental figures as a source of great influence in their writings. Although a prudent teacher
may do their best to spur their student on toward original sounds and ideas, it is rare that the
idiosyncrasies of a teacher’s style will fail to appear within their student’s creations. For
instance, Leon Kirchner, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, drew greatly on the style of his
composition instructor, Arnold Schoenberg. Kircher’s String Quartet No. 2 is infused with the
spirit of Schoenberg’s string quartets. Using basic thematic principles, exotic colors, and
mysterious chords, Kirchner consistently alludes to the tendencies of Schoenberg. Perhaps even
more interesting is the content found in Kirchner’s String Quartet No. 1. Here we find the style
and techniques not of Schoenberg, but of his contemporary, Béla Bartók. The use of smooth
slurs, gritty staccato, resonant pizzicato, and colegno all mimicking Bartók’s quartets.
(Fonseca-Wollheim, 2016) Kircher’s first quartet so greatly resembles that of Bartók’s quartets,
it has been referred to as “Bartók’s Seventh Quartet.” (Fonseca-Wollheim, 2016) It is clear that a
teacher’s influences and environment will often times shape the creative works of their pupils.
Finally, the concept of intertextuality is crucial when discussing formative influences on
a composer. Musical scholars have used the term in two main contexts: to avoid making
historical claims where evidence is uncertain, and to facilitate discussions of musical meaning,
especially from a semiotic perspective. (Burkholder, n.d.) Intertextuality allows for the listener
and researcher to draw connections, directly and indirectly, to a particular composition. These
may be general, stylistic connections, or specific quotations, motivic ideas, and rhythmic
patterns taken directly from another work. An example of this intertext can be found in Clara
Schumann’s “Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 17.” In Figure 3, we see an excerpt from the work.
Figure 3
Excerpt from Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio in G Minor
rom the opening section of Schumann’s Piano Trio in G Minor from Schumann (1847).
Note. F
The use of a forceful minor chord followed by dotted rhythms and cadential quarter notes is
nearly identical to the opening of Beethoven’s “Pathetique Sonata.” Figure 4 shows the opening
measure of this work.
Figure 4
Excerpt from Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata
he opening measure of Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata from Beethoven (1799).

Note. T
Upon listening to these two works and a quick glance at the scores, it is clear to the listener that
Clara Schumann is directly referencing Beethoven in her piano trio. As a well-versed pianist,
Schumann would have known and performed many of Beethoven’s works. With this in mind, it
is not surprising that she would intentionally and directly quote Beethoven in many of her
compositions. Throughout the course of western-classical music history, intertextuality is evident
in composer’s writings both directly and indirectly.
The Influences on Gordon Stout’s Marimba Compositions
Gordon Stout is one of the most prolific composers of his time. He has written over one
hundred pieces, largely for the marimba or with the marimba as a prime instrument, and shows
no sign of slowing down. His works for marimba have shaped the landscape of performance and
composition for the instrument. He undoubtedly has had an impact on marimba composers and
performers for generations to come. Prior to Stout’s arrival on the scene of marimba
composition, the field was largely unexplored. This raises several questions in regard to Stout
and his compositions. Where did his inspiration come from? What factors led to the creation of
such a large breadth of work? What styles and techniques are idiomatic of his works and what
was their genesis? As one considers these questions, they must again ponder the agents of
influence on the composer’s life. The personal, professional, and musical experiences that have
shaped who they are.
The most formative experiences a person can have are during their childhood. Gordon
Stout is no exception to this rule. His parents, both professional musicians, played a vital role in
fostering Stout’s passion for composing and performing music. His father, Louis Stout, was a
Chicago Symphony hornist and studio faculty member of the University of Michigan music
school. His mother was a professional flautist; teaching a full studio of private students out of
their home. Stout was steeped in western-classical music from a young age. He cites his mother
as his first major influence. Stout recalls his first compositions being written at the piano. They
began as short improvisations. His mother encouraged him to keep writing and assisted him in
notating the music on staff paper. “So after practicing my piano lesson material then I would
start improvising and that's where these compositions came from. Just playing things by ear,” he
remembers. Stout quickly followed up this memory by exclaiming, “Kind of still what I do to
this day!” (G. Stout, personal communication, October 27, 2020) Improvisation became an
important part of Stout’s compositional process at a young age and continues to be the technique
he relies on most heavily. He describes writing as a cyclical process. He’ll start by improvising at
the marimba, then write down what he has played on manuscript paper. Then he’ll return to the
marimba to find a new idea. He’ll do this several times before inputting the music to a digital
notation program. (Sickmeier, 2017) Stout lets his compositions develop organically. Before
writing his pieces, he has no concept of form, instrumentation, or length. Stout comments, “I
don't know what a piece is going to be for, how long it's going to be, or what form it is until I
finish it.” (G. Stout, personal communication, October 27, 2020) There have been few times in
his career that Stout composed away from the instrument. His first two marimba compositions,
Elegy and Reverie, were written during study hall in high school. Stout recalls, “So I wrote those
away from an instrument. Which is one of the few times I've ever done that.” (G. Stout, personal
communication, October 27, 2020) His compositional process from a young child through the
present day could be summarized as improvisation followed by experimentation. The process is
truly organic and leaves his music with the most natural feeling of growth and decay throughout.
Stout comes from a long lineage of well-known percussion performers and composers.
Their influence, however great or small, can be felt in his works for marimba. Jim Salmon, the
percussion studio professor at the University of Michigan from 1954 to 1972, was Stout’s first
percussion instructor. He provided Stout with the fundamentals of percussion and was Stout’s
first introduction to the marimba. From there, Stout went on to continue his percussion studies at
the Eastman School of Music with John Beck. It was here that he began his studies in
composition as well. Stout recalls his early years at Eastman,
“So, basically, I just immersed myself in the classical, orchestral literature world as a
college kid. Which was classical music, romantic music, contemporary music. You know,
through Bartok and Stravinsky, and then eventually through even more contemporary
composers. I remember going to a concert of an Elliott Carter orchestra piece...I thought
it was the most awful thing that I ever heard in my life.” (G. Stout, personal
communication, October 27, 2020)
Stout’s first composition teacher at Eastman was Joseph Schwanter. Although Stout states that
Schwanter was the least influential of his teachers, it should be noted that Schwanter has written
two staple works in the modern percussion literature after Stout was his student, Velocities
(1990) and Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra (1994). The first is a work for solo marimba.
The second has become a standard of the percussion concertos played worldwide. One could
hypothesize that Stout’s relationship with Schwanter played a role in each of their respective
compositional careers. After spending a year with Schwanter, Stout went on to study
composition with Samuel Adler. Adler, a primarily twelve-tone composer, would be one of
Stout’s favorite instructors. Stout states, “Now, I didn't really stick with twelve-tone music
because I've always felt restricted by the system.” (G. Stout, personal communication, October
27, 2020) Although he ceased to pursue a traditional career in twelve-tone music, post-tonal
language can be found in his works. One of Stout’s most popular solos, Sedimental Structures
(1998), when analyzed using Set Theory, is found to be largely based on the prime form {014}.
Each of the four-note grouping’s first three notes contains the prime form {014}. Further
analysis of the entirety of the piece reveals this prime form can be found from the beginning to
the end. While Stout himself cites a marked move away from twelve-tone music, it would seem
that the language has continued on in his music. Figure 5 shows the opening measure of the
piece, and the prime forms found throughout.
Figure 5
Excerpt From Gordon Stout’s Sedimental Structures
he first measure from Stout’s Sedimental Structures f rom Stout (1998).

Note. T
In addition to post-tonal language influence, Adler would encourage Stout to explore the basic
ideas in his compositions as much as possible before moving on. Stout recalls that Adler once
said that it was “good to try and see how much you can develop from how little material.”
(Sickmeier, 2017) Because of this influence, Stout’s pieces can usually be traced back to one or
two basic ideas. This can be seen clearly in “Sedimental Structures” with the use of just a select
few prime forms. Another example of Stout’s ability to manipulate a basic idea can be found
within his marimba solo, Rumble Strips (2000). The solo is based on a “harmonic game” as Stout
calls it. Stout simply placed his left hand on the lowest Db and Ab on the marimba, his right
hand on the lowest F and C, and began planing up the marimba keeping his left hand on the
accidentals and his right hand on the naturals. The result produced five seventh-chords that Stout
used as the basis for the entire second movement of the piece. Figure 6 displays the opening
statement of the second movement. Using inversions, rhythmic motives, notated articulations and
metric changes, Stout gives a new sound to each of these five chords.
Figure 6
Excerpt From Gordon Stout’s Rumble Strips Movement II
he opening measures from Stout’s Rumble Strips from Stout (2000).

Note. T
It’s clear that Adler’s language and pedagogical style have influenced not only the language of
Stout’s works but his compositional process as well. This is an idea that Stout has passed onto
his students as well. Why write down a new idea when you haven’t fully explored what you
already have? (Sickmeier, 2017) The last of Stout’s instructors at Eastman was Warren Benson.
Benson convinced Stout to stay at Eastman to pursue his master’s in composition. While
studying with Benson, Stout wrote his most popular piece to date, Two Mexican Dances. Stout
cites Benson as one of his most influential teachers. “I'm not sure why,” Stout states, “but, I
guess I just really hit it off with Warren. I liked him a great deal and he liked me.” (G. Stout,
personal communication, October 27, 2020) “Two Mexican Dances” was originally written to be
the ninth etude in a book of etudes. When Benson heard the etude, he encouraged Stout to write
another in a similar style and pair the two together as a two-movement solo. Additionally,
Benson was responsible for the naming of the work. “Warren was the one who heard something
Mexican sounding, to him, in this etude. I followed his advice and called it ‘Two Mexican
Dances.’ So, it’s totally Warren Benson’s fault,” Stout recalls. (Vogel Weiss) Each of Stout’s
teachers has left a mark, however big or small, on his compositions.
The ecological and environmental influences in Stout’s life are vast. In addition to
influential teachers, Stout has been colleagues with some of the greatest percussionists and
composers of our time. Stout was contemporaries with such percussionists and composer greats
as Bob Becker, Bill Cahn, Ted Rounds, Keiko Abe, Robert VanSice, Leigh Howard Steves, Eric
Ewazen, and the list goes on. His students have, no doubt, been of influence on Stout’s style as
well. Stout has mentored dozens of percussion virtuosos including Naoko Takada, Thomas
Burritt, Michael Burritt, Paul Smadbeck, David Hall, Kevin Bobo, Yun-Ju Pan, and Valerie
Naranjo. Figure 7 shows the many influential connections to Gordon Stout.

Figure 7
Gordon Stout’s Connections: Teachers, Colleagues, Students
omplied from author’s research (2020).

Note. C
The concept of intertextuality is broad. Frequently, connections made between two pieces
of art, literature, film, or music lie in the eye of the beholder. On the contrary, there are many
instances where direct connections are articulated by the composer themselves. Such is the case
with Gordon Stout’s composition Rumble Strips. The work was written to be recorded for one of
his albums and premiered by She-e Wu. Stout had written this piece as an alternative to the
marimba solo Merlin a work by Andrew Thomas. Merlin was standard repertoire for music
school auditions and Stout wanted to offer something similar in length, difficulty, and form. The
influence of Merlin on Stout’s Rumble Strips is unmistakable. Starting with the form, both works
are divided into two movements. The first movement slow and the second movement fast. The
first movement of Merlin is a choral; largely rolled throughout. Similarly, the bulk of the first
movement of Rumble Strips is a rolled-chorale. The opening of the second movement of Merlin
consists of a technical, sixteenth-note run from the bottom range of the marimba to the top.
Again, “Rumble Strips” follows suit with technical, sixteenth-note material starting in the bottom
range of the marimba and ending towards the top. Both works are similar in length, between
eight and ten minutes. Stout, who is quite familiar with the work by Thomas, was certainly
influenced by it when composing Rumble Strips. In addition to his original compositions, Stout is
well-known for his arrangements of Augusto Marcellino’s choros originally written for guitar.
The choro is a genre of Brazilian music that originated in the 19th century in Rio de Janeiro.
Stout’s colleague, Pablo Cohen, at Ithaca College suggested Stout try to play some of
Marcellino’s choros for guitar on marimba. “So it was really due to Pablo that I got to know
Marcellino's music,” Stout recalls. (G. Stout, personal communication, October 27, 2020) One of
Stout’s main motivations to play the choros of Augusto Marcellino was to collaborate with
percussionist and friend, Dane Richeson. (Harris, 2015) Richeson, a proficient pandeiro player,
has performed with Stout several times. This environmental factor of collaboration spurred Stout
on toward arranging and publishing the choros. Stout has published several arrangements of
Marcellino’s choros. This introduction to Brazilian music would prove to be highly influential in
Stout’s compositions to follow. “Did that influence me? Well, yeah! I got much more interested
in Brazilian music, Argentinian music, tango music, and also the Bossanova. Which I think is
one of the greatest styles of music ever,” Stout states. (G. Stout, personal communication,
October 27, 2020) Stout was so inspired by the choros of Marcellino that he composed his own,
original, choros for marimba and accompaniment. Brazilian style and influence can be found
throughout Stout’s works, usually as a rhythmic motive. This is yet another instance of
intentional intertextuality.
Conclusion
Composers draw from many different places when developing their sound. Their personal
background, professional, and academic environment, colleagues, and students all shape who
they are and artists. While it is nearly impossible to quantify what exactly a composer’s sound is
comprised of, it is possible to create a hypothesis based on these previously mentioned factors.
This is true, as well of Gordon Stout’s music. Stout’s style is unique. His use of unique harmonic
language, sometimes diatonic, sometimes not, rhythmic manipulation, quick metric changes, and
thorough exploration and development of basic ideas are what makes his sound so unique. His
upbringing with professional, classical musicians, illustrious education background, and time
instructing in higher education all contributed to the composer and performer that he is today.
Stout is living proof that we are, to some extent, the sum of our experiences and endeavors.
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Fonseca-Wollheim, C. D. (2016, May 20). Review: The Orion Quartet Plays Kirchner, Disguised
as Bartok. The New York Times. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/21/arts/music/review-the-orion-quartet-plays-kirchner
-disguised-as-bartok.html
Gordon Stout. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.mostlymarimba.com/composers/composers-p-t/874.html?itemid=27
Harris, E. (2015). Choro of Gordon Stout: Representation in a living art (Doctoral dissertation,
James Madison University, 2015). ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Henahan, D. (1984, February 19). Music View; Does a Composer’s Life Affect His Music? The
New York Times. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/1984/02/19/arts/music-view-does-a-composer-s-life-affect-his-
music.html
Schumann, C. (1847). Piano trio in g minor, op. 17 [Full score]. Breitkopf und Härtel.
Sickmeier, A. (2017). The Soundscapes of a Marimba Master: A Style Guide to the Music of
Gordon Stout (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). The University of Texas at Austin,
Austin, Texas.
Stout, G. (2020, October 27). An Exploratory Analysis of the Influence of Professional,
Personal, & Musical Experiences on Gordon Stout’s Compositions for Marimba:
Interview [Online interview].
Stout, G. (2000) Rumble strips [Marimba score]. Keyboard Percussion Publications.
Stout, G. (1998) Sedimental structures [ Marimba score]. Keyboard Percussion Publications.
Weiss, L. V. (2012). Gordon Stout. Retrieved November 22, 2020, from
https://www.pas.org/about/hall-of-fame/gordon-stout
Appendix A
An Exploratory Analysis of the Influence of Professional, Personal, & Musical Experiences on
Gordon Stout’s Compositions for Marimba: Interview
Gordon Stout [00:00:00]The two mics.
Will Alderman [00:00:00]Oh, yeah!
Gordon Stout [00:00:01]I bought some microphones and I'm about, in the next week or so,
ready to do my first recording of a new composition that I, that I wrote recently.
Will Alderman [00:00:11]Oh, that's awesome.
Gordon Stout [00:00:12]Oh, we'll see. I'm still playing with placement of the mics to get the
sound that I like the most and once I get that done, then I'll make a recording and then I'll be able
to, I use, uh, Reaper.
Will Alderman [00:00:26]Oh, yeah.
Gordon Stout [00:00:27]So, that'll be my editing program.
Will Alderman [00:00:30]Reaper's great. Yeah, and it's free, isn't it?
Gordon Stout [00:00:33]Uh, it's $60.
Will Alderman [00:00:35]Oh, yeah. Low-cost.
Gordon Stout [00:00:36]And I think it's a pro-I'm still just barely opened, opened it.
Will Alderman [00:00:40]Mmhmm.
Gordon Stout [00:00:41]But, I will soon really get to know it, and my friend Larisa Venzi-
Will Alderman [00:00:46]Oh, yeah!
Gordon Stout [00:00:47]-uses it all the time. So, she'll be able to give, be my, my tutor if I need
help with Reaper.
Will Alderman [00:00:54]Yeah, it's always good to have a friend that knows. That's what I've
found.
Gordon Stout [00:00:58]Yeah, that's kind of what I've been occupying my time with, uh, here in
the studio for the last month or so. I do that and then I can do other recordings that will, I'll put it
on my YouTube channel. So that's my hope. Cause right now most of the things in my YouTube
channel aren't by me.
Will Alderman [00:01:19]Right!
Gordon Stout [00:01:19]That's got some things on it. Eriko Daimo. Other people have let me
use their recordings of my pieces for my YouTube channel, but there's very little by me actually.
Will Alderman [00:01:32]Right, right. No, that's, that's something people will love to see too, to
you playing. Yeah.
Gordon Stout [00:01:37]Yeah. Unfortunately, I'm probably not going to do video.
Will Alderman [00:01:41]Mmm, okay, Yeah.
Gordon Stout [00:01:42]I'm going to probably do like, uh, slideshows, or pictures during,
during it. I don't know. I may change my mind, but I'm not wild about the video thing for me.
Will Alderman [00:01:57]Yeah.
Gordon Stout [00:01:58]Because you know doing, doing a complete take of even a 7-minute
piece is really hard for me at this age.
Gordon Stout [00:02:06]One piece. So I don't know if I can do complete takes to have a video
to start with and then work, work on lining it up with, ah. We'll see. But, I'm starting to deal with
all that shit.
Will Alderman [00:02:19]Yeah, it takes so long if, once you get into a different takes and edits
it just takes so long.
Gordon Stout [00:02:25]I know I'm way behind on that, but that's kind of one of my goals.
Will Alderman [00:02:29]Well, if it makes you feel better we all are. Except, except Casey.
He's like, he's been doing it for a decade, so.
Gordon Stout [00:02:36]Frickin' genius when it comes to all of that stuff.
Will Alderman [00:02:39]He's so good at it. Yeah.
Gordon Stout [00:02:42]He's really quite amazing.
Will Alderman [00:02:44]Yeah, that's, uh, you know, one of the things that attracted me to him
the most was the fact that he just did all of that stuff himself. He recorded his own videos and his
own audio and he started the YouTube thing and 2010 or 9. It was just wild, so.
Gordon Stout [00:02:57]Yeah.
Will Alderman [00:02:58]Yeah, that's cool. It's exciting. I know, um, Nick Merrillat. I just put
out some recordings, no video, on his YouTube channel and it was great. I think it was the four
rotations. It was great.
Gordon Stout [00:03:08]Yeah I'll have to check those out. Yeah. Yeah.
Will Alderman [00:03:10]Yeah, he plays, he just plays perfect. Nick, he just always plays like
note-perfect. So-
Will Alderman [00:03:16]-it's fun.
Gordon Stout [00:03:19]Well, I'm recording, so.
Gordon Stout [00:03:22]All right.
Will Alderman [00:03:24]Um, we can talk about anything too, Gordon if you have some other
ideas...
Gordon Stout [00:03:29]Let's stick to the list for the moment. My earliest memories, um, and
the first instrument that I wrote for was piano.
Will Alderman [00:03:37]Oh, yeah. Okay.
Gordon Stout [00:03:39]So that was probably in the early, mid-sixties when I started piano.
Cause by, you know, probably early sixties. Cause by mid-to-late sixties then I had also started
marimba. So my compositions were piano. Uh, my very first composition is on my website too.
And I remember because my mother had to write these down for me.
Will Alderman [00:04:06]Okay.
Gordon Stout [00:04:07](I couldn't) Notate music at that point in my life. So, she was very
patient with me and wrote many of my original first compositions on piano down for me. I still
have them in, in her manuscript. Which of course is something now that, she passed away about
a week ago, I, I value more-
Will Alderman [00:04:28]Sorry to hear that Gordon, yeah.
Gordon Stout [00:04:30]She was ninety-nine.
Will Alderman [00:04:32]Oh, good life. Yeah good life, then.
Gordon Stout [00:04:34]She had a very good life. She was kind of suffering for dementia. So
she probably wouldn't have remembered who I was anyways for most of the, the last year. So I
didn't see her. I think the last time I saw her was two years ago.
Gordon Stout [00:04:49](I have nice) memories of that visit. She was still kind of aware there
and she played her flute for me.
Will Alderman [00:04:55]Oh cool.
Gordon Stout [00:04:56]So I've got that all on video and you know, she led a good life and it
was just, it was her time to go.
Will Alderman [00:05:02]Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's good. I'm glad to get those memories and
that's awesome to have that manuscript. Wow.
Gordon Stout [00:05:08]Yeah, and there'll be a memorial service online at some point. There's
no funeral. So she'll have her ashes combined with my dad's-
Will Alderman [00:05:16]Oh, cool.
Gordon Stout [00:05:17]-ashes and then my older brother Louis and I will drive them up to
Maine and put them in the lake at the New England the music camp.
Will Alderman [00:05:24]Oh, wow. That's wonderful.
Gordon Stout [00:05:26]Always so happy there for, for decades. So that's the plan at this point.
And, I think that's the way for us to handle it.
Will Alderman [00:05:37]Yeah, it's a nice way to honor. Yeah.
Gordon Stout [00:05:40]Yeah, but yeah, she helped me out with my very first, uh, compositions
which were all on piano and they were just things that I played, improvised, and came up with
ideas, and then she would write them down. There were very short pieces.
Will Alderman [00:05:57]Wow. How old do you think you were then?
Gordon Stout [00:06:00]Well, if I was born in '52, we're talking say 1960, I would have been
eight or nine.
Will Alderman [00:06:06]Wow!
Gordon Stout [00:06:07]Somewhere around eight, nine, ten years old when I started writing on,
on piano. And, I usually did it, you know, cause she would be teaching downstairs, my dad
would be teaching downstairs. So after practicing my piano lesson material then I would start
improvising and that's where these compositions came from. Just playing things by ear.
Gordon Stout [00:06:32]Kind of still what I do to this day. But then my first marimba
compositions were when I was a senior in high school. Which would have been 1969. And, I
wrote two solo marimba pieces, "Elegy" and "Reverie." I wrote those in study hall. So I wrote
those away from an instrument. Which is one of the few times I've ever done that, with those
first two compositions. But they were really study pieces for the Fissinger Suite for Marimba.
Will Alderman [00:07:06]Oh, yeah. Okay.
Gordon Stout [00:07:08]Yeah and actually Theodor Milkov has recently recorded "Elegy." So-
Will Alderman [00:07:13]Oh, really?
Gordon Stout [00:07:14](he's gonna)-release a whole CD of my music.
Will Alderman [00:07:17]Oh, that's awesome.
Gordon Stout [00:07:18]Yeah! I'm, I'm, needless to say quite happy about that. I think he just
did "Sedimental Structures."
Will Alderman [00:07:24]I heard his Sedimental. It was really good.
Gordon Stout [00:07:26]Yeah, I can only imagine. I've only heard a clip of it.
Will Alderman [00:07:30]Yeah me too. Just that little snippet. Yeah.
Gordon Stout [00:07:32]He also did "Elegy" which is the very first piece I ever wrote for
marimba. So, I was kind of flattered by that. Uh, and I'm not sure all the other ones said he's
doing yet, but it's mostly older ones I think. So we'll see. Um, you asked, excuse me, which
teachers had the impact on my writing. Well, I guess initially that would be my mom since she,
never, she encouraged me to write these things and, and helped me in writing them down. So that
was a big influence on me because it was like, okay, it's okay if I do this. It's not, not that I was
being yelled at for not practicing my piano lesson. Which I always did anyway, so. You know,
and then my teachers at Eastman as a freshman, it was Joe Schwanter.
Will Alderman [00:08:26]Right.
Gordon Stout [00:08:29]And I would say he had the least influence on my composition. I mean
of my teachers, but he taught me the valuable skill of how to copy music properly.

Gordon Stout [00:08:42]Scan with ink, and take it down to the city blueprint and all that kind of
stuff. So I got that skill. from Joe Schwanter, who's one of the very best at that, and that was the
only way you could get your music played at Eastman. You know, you handed somebody a part
written in pencil. They would say fuck you. Sorry, if I shouldn't say...
Will Alderman [00:09:08]No, It's okay. I'll leave it out of the paper.
Gordon Stout [00:09:11]Yeah you had to do it on, professionally and take it down to the city
blueprint shop and have it printed up like blueprints. And that way people would be okay to play
your music. And that I all learned from Joe Schwanter. Then as for two years, I studied with Sam
Adler. And he was the one who got me into writing twelve-tone music. He's a twelve-tone
composer. And he got me into writing for other instruments like clarinet choir, string quartet,
brass choir. Most of those pieces were written when I was studying with Sam Adler because that
was the curriculum that he presented. Okay, now you're going to write for strings. Now, you're
going to write for winds, etcetera. And that was mostly the twelve-tone music. Now, I didn't
really stick with twelve-tone music because I've always felt restricted by the system. I came up
with different ways of using it. Like if you have a matrix, right, you know what that is?
Will Alderman [00:10:19]The top corner and then work my way around in a spiral to the center
and then go back out to where I started. That was my twelve-tone, kind of, way to, that was my
way to use the twelve-tone system in a way that, to me, was less liberating. It was more
liberating.
Will Alderman [00:10:38]Sure. Right, right.
Gordon Stout [00:10:40]But, with Sam, he was very, very picky. So I’d bring something into
my lessons, he would set it on the piano and he just sit there and he'd be going. (Hmm) For
maybe 5-10 minutes just kind of looking through it.
Gordon Stout [00:10:58]And then he'd say, "Okay, now in this measure you need to change this
note from e flat to e-natural.
Will Alderman [00:11:04]Wow.
Gordon Stout [00:11:06]And I went, "How did you know that?" He was really nitpicky, specific
about note choices and, and things like that. So, that was interesting because I think it developed
a certain kind of discipline in me as a young, inexperienced composer who was in my second
year of ever taking composition lessons, to begin with. So, that was valuable and I just liked him.
Gordon Stout [00:11:31]He would say, "Gordon, you didn't write much this weekend. Are you
in love?" He was right! He just kind of saw right through me. To what was going on in my life.
And so I came to have a great respect for him and ended up performing and recording a number
of his pieces in, in subsequent years. Then, of course, I study with Warren Benson as a senior
and during grad school. And, I guess he was the most influential of all of my teachers to my
composition. I'm not sure why, but he was I guess I just really hit it off with Warren. I liked him
a great deal and he liked me. And we just got along famously well. And he's the one who, who
came up with the title Two Mexican Dances.
Will Alderman [00:12:22]Oh, that's right. Yeah.
Gordon Stout [00:12:24]Yeah,so he was a huge influence and I kept in touch with him after my
Eastman days, uh, for the, for the rest of the time that he was alive. So, uh, those were my early
influences.
Will Alderman [00:12:38]Okay. Yeah.
Gordon Stout [00:12:40]Yeah, uh...
Will Alderman [00:12:41]I guess, um, you know, I'm curious about Vida Chenoweth too. And,
kind of like, maybe not compositionally, but is there any like technique, or anything that kind of
made its way into your writing?
Gordon Stout [00:12:53]Well, I played for Vida twice.

Gordon Stout [00:12:57]Once was in high school. I was living in Ann Arbor and my dad found
out that she was coming to the University of Michigan to give some lecture on ethnomusicology
or something. And arranged for her to come to the house. And I played for her. And I seem to
remember playing for hours. Like everything I knew I played for her.
Gordon Stout [00:13:23]I don't know if the Mexican Dances were written by that point or not. I
don't think so. And what I remember is that I asked her to play for me. And she wouldn't, she
wouldn't touch the marimba. She said, "No, I'm not in good shape right now. I don't play if I'm
not in perfect shape." And I said, I thought, of course, "Well, I'm just a little, little kid what the
hell's the problem?" But, she wouldn't play a single note for me.
Will Alderman [00:13:51]I remember you, That's the story I remember you telling me about
her. That's right. That's right.
Gordon Stout [00:13:56]And, uh, then I played, I took a lesson with her that was a shared lesson
with Leigh (Stevens).
Will Alderman [00:14:04]Okay, cool.
Gordon Stout [00:14:06]And I played for the first part of the lesson. Leigh listened. And then
we switched, and I played the Musser "G Major Prelude," The Mexican Dances, other things for
Vida at that point. And she didn't have much to say except when I was playing the Musser
Prelude in G Major and she kept stopping every time I missed a note. I never really had a teacher
do that before.
Gordon Stout [00:14:35]And eventually I said, "Vida do I get to play this piece? You keep
stopping me." She said, "Well, yeah, you keep making mistakes. You keep missing notes." "I
don't try to I just occasionally do." And she said, "Well, you shouldn't."

Will Alderman [00:14:50]"Well, what am I doing?" She said, "Go slower. Slower." It would
seem to me a lot slower and she still stopped me when I missed a note. And basically,
bom-bom-bom-bom-bom, really slow. And I could get through the whole piece and she said,
"That's what you need to do when you're learning a piece every time. Is be able to play from the
first note to the last note without missing a single note."
Gordon Stout [00:15:16]And you know, it's just full strokes, no musicality. You know and she
said, "If you can do that then you can go gradually faster and faster. As you approach
performance tempo, then the musical elements start to enter the picture.
Gordon Stout [00:15:30]That was what I learned from Vida.
Will Alderman [00:15:33]That's amazing. Okay. That's so fun for me to hear, you know, just
kind of those...
Gordon Stout [00:15:41]...consistently over the years after that lesson. I certainly did it with the
Prelude. And I can still play that piece to this day even though I haven't played it in ten years or
more. As long as I still remember it I can play it flawlessly even to this day. Because I took the
time to actually learn it perfectly.
Will Alderman [00:16:00]Yeah, right, note by note.
Gordon Stout [00:16:03]We just don't have the kind of life that affords us that kind of time.
Right? Right, but they're good principles to keep in mind. Go slower. Don't make mistakes. If
you're making a lot of mistakes, stop. Figure it out. Slow it down. Says, what does he say about
rudimental stuff? Break it down. Slow it down. So you can throw it down.
Will Alderman [00:16:30]Yeah. There you go.
Gordon Stout [00:16:32]Isn't that great?
Will Alderman [00:16:33]And it's true.

Gordon Stout [00:16:35]It's true. So I guess that's what I learned from Vida Chenoweth.
Will Alderman [00:16:38]Okay, awesome. I guess we're onto, um, "Who are some of your
favorite composers?"
Gordon Stout [00:16:47]Well as a kid, you know, through high school, you know, up until a
senior, I was a senior in high school, I was really a piano major/ percussion minor.
Gordon Stout [00:17:01]Composers that I studied on piano? Of course, were Bach. I love
playing Bach's music. But, Clementi, easy Mozart Sonatas, things like that. I studied that, that
same basic core literature that most young pianists go through. A little bit of Bartok. Things like
that. And it was really about when I was a senior in high school that I switched to become a
percussion major.
Gordon Stout [00:17:30]So, when I got to Eastman as a freshman, I had no idea what jazz was.
I had never heard it. My parents were orchestral musicians.
Gordon Stout [00:17:43]And, believe it or not, in the sixties, at the University of Michigan,
music majors were not allowed to play in the jazz band. And the jazz band was not allowed to
rehearse in the music building. That's in the sixties!
Will Alderman [00:18:00]That's wild.
Gordon Stout [00:18:02]In Michigan. So, I grew up listening to rock and roll. Ted Nugent &
The Amboy Dukes were a local Ann Arbor band. So, I knew Ted Nugent and went to the clubs
to hear him play. Things like that. That's the music that I grew up with. Sixties rock and roll. So
when I got to Eastman I found this thing called Jazz. I listened to a lot of jazz. Nothing official,
but in people's dorm rooms there would be jazz going and I was always into doing that. I listened
to my first recordings of Gary Burton in the early seventies. But, classically, which was more my
emphasis, definitely Bartok and Messiaen were probably two of the composer's I listened to and
studied the most. You know, I listened to all the Mahler Symphonies when I was in college. I
listened to and studied all the Beethoven Symphonies. Learning, learning the timpani parts with
John Beck in lessons.
Gordon Stout [00:19:05]So basically I just immersed myself in the classical, orchestral
literature world as a college kid. Which was classical music, romantic music, contemporary
music. You know, through Bartok and Stravinsky, and then eventually through even more
contemporary composers. I remember going to a concert of an Elliott Carter orchestra piece. I
think the student Orchestra and I wanted to go up on stage and pee on him, cause I thought it was
the most awful thing that I ever heard in my life. For the most part, I liked a lot of contemporary
music. The ones I really like were Bartok and Messiaen.
Will Alderman [00:19:49]Okay, that's great. Yeah, now I'm curious what Elliott Carter piece it
was.
Gordon Stout [00:19:56]I couldn't tell you. It was a big orchestra piece.
Will Alderman [00:19:59]Got you.
Gordon Stout [00:20:00]At this point, I couldn't even tell you what it is.
Will Alderman [00:20:04]We were just talking about, Casey and I were talking about George
Crum and his music.
Gordon Stout [00:20:09]Yeah. I played a bunch of that when I was in school. I did "Ancient
Voices of Children." I did a lot, a few Druckman pieces.
Gordon Stout [00:20:19]...series with Jandy Guytani who is one of the most famous of the
contemporary vocalists. Of that time. I did all the composer's forums. So, every month I was
playing a new piece by a student composer.

Gordon Stout [00:20:38]So, I was very much involved in the student composition life at
Eastman. Both getting my own pieces played and playing those of other pieces.
Will Alderman [00:20:47]Absolutely. Wow.
Will Alderman [00:20:52]So, I just kind of immersed myself in whatever I could get my hands
on. I played a number of Schwanter pieces, the early consortium pieces. I did three or four of
those, etc.
Will Alderman [00:21:06]It's pretty amazing. I was, I'm just thinking I remember you
mentioned talking in knowing Eric Ewazen.
Will Alderman [00:21:16]It was that you guys were classmates?
Gordon Stout [00:21:19]He was a year behind me.
Gordon Stout [00:21:22]We were friends and we spend a lot of time together. Preparing
Stockhausen's Kontakte, which is a huge 20-minute piece for percussion, piano, and electronic
tape.
Will Alderman [00:21:38]Oh, cool.
Gordon Stout [00:21:40]And, so, I found a room in the basement of the Cutler Union where I
pieced together all the instruments and I could leave it set up for the whole time. And I practiced
my part for a whole semester by myself. While Eric practiced his part by himself. Then we spent
a second semester just working the two of us together without the tape.
Will Alderman [00:22:04]And then we came back the next year and did three performances of it
with, with the tape. So, that was a huge undertaking and, and that means that I'm still very good
friends with Eric Ewazen. We became very close together. And of course, I premiered his work
Northern Lights.
Gordon Stout [00:22:23]Etc. so,
Will Alderman [00:22:25]Yeah, that's cool.
Gordon Stout [00:22:26]...Facebook. I haven't seen him in a while because I haven't been able
to make that trip to New York City.
Gordon Stout [00:22:34]Since COVID happened.
Will Alderman [00:22:34]Yeah, it's-man-that's-what a testament to how, how it takes or, you
know, the process it takes to prepare a piece. I think that's really cool.
Gordon Stout [00:22:43]Yeah we both really wanted to do this because we're both original
members of the Zeitgeist of Music. Which was a student-run contemporary music group.
Will Alderman [00:22:55]Oh, cool!
Will Alderman [00:22:56]And in the early seventies there was not a contemporary chamber
ensemble. Didn't exist. It existed a student group. And that was the big piece that we contributed
to that with. And then eventually they became Musica Nova as a full school, Eastman School
ensemble which still exists.
Will Alderman [00:23:18]Right. That's right.
Gordon Stout [00:23:19]I think in large part to what we did as students.
Will Alderman [00:23:22]Yeah. It sounds like it.
Gordon Stout [00:23:23]Yeah. Sydney Hodkinson was our faculty advisor.
Gordon Stout [00:23:29]He was on the faculty there teaching composition and orchestration, so.
Will Alderman [00:23:34]Just amazing.

Gordon Stout [00:23:36]Yeah, so, compositional process from beginning to end? Has the
process changed at all over the years? I guess I would say the process is still the same.
Gordon Stout [00:23:51]I don't get an idea unless I'm playing. And, I hear sounds when I'm
improvising.
Will Alderman [00:23:57]Gotcha.
Gordon Stout [00:23:58]That, still, is really how I've written my music. I can, you know,
"Elegy" and "Reverie," my very first marimba pieces, were written with my ears. But, I don't
think I did that again. I did come up with the theme of a marimba orchestra piece that I wrote and
premiered a couple of years to go just walking. I think I dreamed it, actually. I remembered it the
next day and that was the theme. But, those are exceptions. Basically, nowadays, I play marimba
to come up with my ideas. Even if it's not a marimba piece.
Gordon Stout [00:24:38]I get the idea by playing the marimba.
Gordon Stout [00:24:40]I'd be at the piano.
Gordon Stout [00:24:44]That's where I got most of my ideas, but I don't have a piano keyboard
right now. So, I can't do that. Or, just to do it right over, right over here. And I guess the only
other exception would be, I did write a symphony a couple years ago.
Will Alderman [00:25:01]Oh, okay.
Gordon Stout [00:25:03]Never has been played. But, it's about a 25-minute, three-movement at
piece. And I just went into Sibelius, opened up a score for all the instruments I thought I wanted
to use and just start filling in some notes.

Gordon Stout [00:25:21]Two months later I had a 25-minute symphony.
Gordon Stout [00:25:27]But, again, that's kind of an exception.
Gordon Stout [00:25:30]It's almost through, always through improvisation. And then I think I
have good technique. Meaning, when I improvise something, I can write it down quickly enough
so I don't forget it or get it mixed up.
Gordon Stout [00:25:45]And then I'll improvise some more, write some more down. For ever
how long it is I've had Sibelius, then I involve that in the process as well. Most of the time. So, I
can remember coming up with about a thirty-second marimba lick that I thought was pretty cool.
Gordon Stout [00:26:09]I put it in Sibelius. But, then I figured you know, this isn't really
enough to sustain a whole piece. So, before it was done, it was a piece for three violins, two
oboes, two french horns, and two percussion with marimba.
Gordon Stout [00:26:29]So I just kept adding in instruments, you know. And, and worked from,
from there to come up with this piece. So yeah, I still write pieces entirely with paper and pencil
and don't do the computer until it's done.
Will Alderman [00:26:45]Oh wow.
Gordon Stout [00:26:46]So that happens sometimes too. But it's still through improvisation,
writing things down. I like paper and pencil cause I could cross things off and you know work
things out and sketch things and do that. And then at some point go to the computer.

Gordon Stout [00:27:02]Sometimes I finish a piece at the computer.
Will Alderman [00:27:06] Right.
Gordon Stout [00:27:07]Sometimes I finish it at paper and pencil. So that's kind of the basic
process that I still use to this day of improvisation, reflection, improvisation. The computer is
such a big help because it saves a lot of time.
Gordon Stout [00:27:26]I mean pasting and transposing, and retrograde, and it just is so fast. It
allows my mind to kind of go into warp drive and get a piece of accomplished in a very short
amount of time.
Will Alderman [00:27:39]Right, right. And, you and I had talked about this a long time ago I
think as well, but, you know kind of in terms of, like, how the form of your piece develops that
that's kind of through the improvisation as well, right? It's just, "Oh, here's a 'B' section now."
Gordon Stout [00:27:54]I don't know what a piece is going to be for, how long it's going to be,
or what form it is until I finish it.
Will Alderman [00:28:03]That's so cool.
Gordon Stout [00:28:05]Like "Sedimental Structures" was composed by ear.
Gordon Stout [00:28:12]Writing paper and pencil. That was right before computer notation.
Gordon Stout [00:28:19]And, yeah, it was just written by ear. Come to find out later, you know,
it's all based on 013 a pitch set. That's consistently throughout the whole thing. And there's no,
there's no pitch "C's" anywhere in the piece except for these few bars about two-thirds of the way
through the piece. There are four "C's" that happen. And, I didn't even know that until somebody
pointed it out to me. I didn't know that it was all based on a, consistently on a pitch set, until
somebody pointed it out to me. And I go, "Oh, okay. Well, that's cool. I just wrote it by ear."
Will Alderman [00:28:57]So, you just like...I think that's really cool, you know, your ears
developed in such a way that you can, you can really rely on your improv, improvisation to...
Gordon Stout [00:29:08]Well, you know, I had a strong piano background and I think that
helps.
Will Alderman [00:29:12]Yeah
Gordon Stout [00:29:12]And I had a strong foundation in tonal music when I was young. And I
was always good at music theory. So, I very seriously learned all the four parts, you know
part-writing things for that kind of music. Studied twelve-tone music. Studied the set theory.
Studied Schenker analysis. I did all that stuff when I was in college. So, I got a pretty good
understanding of how music was written in different styles and different genres. And I always
had a really good ear. I don't have perfect pitch, but I have a high degree of relative pitch. So,
like on a marimba, I do have perfect pitch.
Will Alderman [00:29:58]Yeah, yeah.
Gordon Stout [00:30:03]I don't on violin, or flute, or anything. Marimba I do. Piano I have
perfect pitch and timpani.
Gordon Stout [00:30:08]My, I think my relative pitch allows me to, to use my ear to guide me.
And plus, you know, I've gotten, I've studied a lot of different styles of music. Like one of the
questions at the end is about the choros.
Will Alderman [00:30:27]Yeah!
Gordon Stout [00:30:27]Well, Pablo Cohen, who's a guitar teacher, is from Buenos Aires,
Argentina and he knew Marcellino.

Gordon Stout [00:30:37]And he just stopped in my office someday at IC (Ithaca College) and
said here's some Marcellino guitar music. I think you should play this on marimba. I said, "Okay,
I'll check it out." And I've been playing it ever since.
Gordon Stout [00:30:52]So it was really due to Pablo that I got to know Marcellino's music. I've
not really transcribed other guitar Pieces by other composers. Really just, there's four
Marcellino's that I've transcribed and published with Keyboard Percussion Publications. 1,3, and
9 are the...and then there's...I think there's two or four now. There's another one published. And I
actually have all nine.
Will Alderman [00:31:23]Oh, okay.
Gordon Stout [00:31:24]But, I just haven't yet gotten to study and learn all of them and know if
they're going to work well on marimba. But, the one's I've done definitely work well on
marimba. Did that influence me? Well, yeah! I got much more interested in Brazilian music,
Argentinian music, tango music, and also the Bossanova. Which I think is one of the greatest
styles of music ever.
Will Alderman [00:31:56]Yeah!
Gordon Stout [00:31:58]And a lot of my new pieces are based on that. (vocalizes Bossanova) I
use that a lot because I just love the feel of Bossanova. That started, I think, with learning about
the Marcellino choros which then connected to the history of choros, the history of tango, and
music from other cultures. So, do I, you know, try and listen to music as much as when I was
younger? No. Part of that is a conscious thing. I don't want to listen to too much music cause I
like to keep my ears free and clean for when I'm improvising. But, if I do listen to one of the
things, I love to listen to is is popular Brazilian and Argentinian vocal music.
Gordon Stout [00:32:51]Oh, Wow. Okay.
Gordon Stout [00:32:52]Just some incredibly gorgeous music. And compared to popular music
in this country, it's such exceptionally wonderful music.

Gordon Stout [00:33:03]So, I love Brazilian and Argentinian popular music.
Will Alderman [00:33:08]Yeah, you know, it's a lot of your music has that dance feel. And not
always. But. in certain sections, you know.
Gordon Stout [00:33:16]And I don't know what they're singing about or anything. But, there's
just a certain feel that I just really love. That, that style. And so, rhythmically, harmonically a lot
of my compositions are based on things I learned about that kind of music. Starting with the
Marcellino choros.
Will Alderman [00:33:35]That's amazing.
Gordon Stout [00:33:37]I still play them occasionally. Not, not as often. But, I still do play
them occasionally.
Will Alderman [00:33:41]I think when I was at IC (Ithaca College) you played one on a recital.
Gordon Stout [00:33:45]Probably some.
Will Alderman [00:33:46]Yeah, I was fun. The guitar music just lays so well, you know. on our
instrument as well. It's amazing how the fingerings fit so well with our permutations. It's pretty
wild.
Gordon Stout [00:33:57]Yeah, a lot of guitar music you can just put the music on the stand or
marimba, and just play it as written.
Will Alderman [00:34:03]Right, right.
Gordon Stout [00:34:04]You have to kind of re-voice things a little bit. But, most of the time,
it's perfect just like it is.
Will Alderman [00:34:09]That's amazing. Let's see here.
Gordon Stout [00:34:15]Favorite composition of mine for marimba. Well, I think one of the
very best pieces I ever wrote was Sedimental Structures.
Will Alderman [00:34:26]I love that piece.

Gordon Stout [00:34:27]The piece has held up very well. It still is used on international
competition lists. So, that's one of my favorite pieces. Do I have an actual favorite one? I'm not
sure I do. I'm very fond of the "Wood That Sings." "Beads of Glass," "Wood That Sings." Some
of the pieces from that era. I really love that music. One of my most, most recent pieces I wrote
for Eriko Daimo and she premiered it at my last faculty recital at Ithaca College. Called "Never
Less the Same."
Gordon Stout [00:35:08]And I think that's a really good piece. So that's one of my favorite ones
of the more recent pieces that I've written. But, I guess I have to keep going back to Sedimental
Structures because it's just a really good composition. It really holds together well and people
like it. Yeah. Yeah. Oh,
Will Alderman [00:35:29]Yeah, it's, it's technically challenging. But. I think musically it's really
fun to latch, you can latch onto so many of those themes that come back.
Gordon Stout [00:35:35]Yeah, exactly!
Will Alderman [00:35:36]Yeah. I'm thinking about playing it, just a side note, while I'm at
JMU. Yeah.
Gordon Stout [00:35:41]Send me a, a reminder. I'll send you the analysis that one of Leigh's
kids did of the piece.
Gordon Stout [00:35:48]Shows that pitch set structure really well throughout the piece.
Will Alderman [00:35:53]Yeah, I'd love to read that.
Gordon Stout [00:35:55]I'll get that to you.
Will Alderman [00:35:55]Yeah, please thank you, thank you.
Gordon Stout [00:36:01]I don't even remember the guy's name who did the analysis. But, I
think it was a student of Leigh's when Leigh taught at the conservatory in London.
Gordon Stout [00:36:11]Some, some, one of his students there did this.
Will Alderman [00:36:13]Gotcha.
Gordon Stout [00:36:14]It's really well done.
Will Alderman [00:36:15]Yeah. Yeah.
Gordon Stout [00:36:18]So I guess that, that still sort of rises to the top. There are a number of
my newer pieces that are not even published, or known yet that I'm very fond of. The one that
I'm about to start recording I think is a really good piece. About a six-minute solo piece. So that
you'll be able to hear sometime in the near future I hope.
Will Alderman [00:36:41]I'm excited for that. That's going to be cool.
Gordon Stout [00:36:44]Yeah, I'm always writing pieces. I really can't stop. Yeah. It's a
problem. Even when I'm trying to learn this new piece of mine, I've already got an idea for
another piece. And, and if I let myself, I would spend all my time working on this new piece and
not practice the piece I'm trying to record. Once I got the initial idea, I had just put it away and
forget about it 'til I'm finished with this recording. But, I, when I, when I warm up, I improvise.
And then I get ideas. So, I'm always writing new pieces.
Will Alderman [00:37:22]That seems to be pretty, you know, with, with composers like
yourself and other composers I've heard of, including Casey, who I'm with now. It's like, he's
like, "I don't know what else I would do. I just always am writing" You know?
Gordon Stout [00:37:34]Yeah. Yeah, I think since I've retired, I've written and maybe a dozen
new pieces. So, I mean if, I can send this to you, this is a chronological list of compositions.
Will Alderman [00:37:47]Oh, cool!
Gordon Stout [00:37:48]And, I use it because uh, I keep the ASCAP registration numbers and
things registered. So nineteen, in the seventies, I wrote 12 pieces. Including the "Two Mexican
Dances," the etudes, "Duo Dance Song" for trumpet and marimba, "Astral dance." In the
eighties, I only wrote two pieces. My first ten years here. (Ithaca College)
Gordon Stout [00:38:21]And I don't know why. People have asked me about that, and I don't
really have an answer. Except, that I think I was just so intent on doing the job really well. I got
totally absorbed in the teaching. And I also have to admit that was, the eighties were my heavy
drinking era too.
Gordon Stout [00:38:41]Oh, okay. Yeah.
Gordon Stout [00:38:43]So, eventually, I was able to stop drinking.
Gordon Stout [00:38:48]But, I think in the eighties, I was still heavily into drinking a lot.
Will Alderman [00:38:52]Yeah, that slows you down.
Gordon Stout [00:38:54]So, I didn't write in the eighties aside from two pieces. 1990s I wrote
ten pieces. "Duo Concertante" which is for two marimbas and wind ensemble was in the 90s.
Sedimental Structures, you know. 2000's I wrote 21 pieces. So, I get more productive. That's
"Rumble Strips." "Wood that Sings," "Beads of Glass," "The Four Episodes." That's when I did
the choros. The first decade of 2000. And, 2010, I wrote forty-nine pieces.
Will Alderman [00:39:41]Whoa!
Gordon Stout [00:39:45]"Quondom Reflections..."
Gordon Stout [00:39:49]...was in that era, commissioned by JMU.
Will Alderman [00:39:52]That's right!
Gordon Stout [00:39:56]Etcetera.
Will Alderman [00:39:59]What's amazing to me about it, Gordon, is that I feel, I feel like some
composers they hit their stride in a decade, and they write a lot of great stuff, and then nothing,
nothing else of there's is memorable, But, you have stuff in every era of the...every decade that
you've mentioned that people are playing all the time still.
Gordon Stout [00:40:16]Yup.
Will Alderman [00:40:17]Pretty cool.
Gordon Stout [00:40:22]And, and then my list is less organized. But, yeah post-retirement.
(counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) In 2019, since 2020, I've written ten new pieces. So, I guess it's somewhere
probably around a hundred pieces total.
Gordon Stout [00:40:54]So, I'm not slowing down with the writing. I think I'm getting better
and better as I do it more. I think I'm better at doing it now. I'm also able, my last couple of years
teaching at Ithaca, you know, when you're teaching full-time, it's hard to compose. Cause you
really want to have, like, a nice block of time where you can really get into it. When you're
teaching full-time you don't have that.
Gordon Stout [00:41:21]But, you might have an hour in the morning cause a kid doesn't show
up. Or, you might have a half an hour later in the afternoon. And so I was able to learn how to
keep a composition going with just small amounts of time periodically throughout the week.
Gordon Stout [00:41:38]And that was, I think, a big help to me to keep my composition output
going. I didn't need to wait till the evening, when I was really tired, to have hours where I could
compose.
Gordon Stout [00:41:52]I've always loved composing in the mornings the most.
Will Alderman [00:41:56]Yeah. I've heard someone else say that once. They, they think their
brain’s the most fresh.
Gordon Stout [00:42:00]Yeah, exactly. I'm not encumbered by the activities of a day. Or, the
Trump news, or this or that. It's just you're kind of free and you’re clear. Your mind is an open
book. I always like to compose in the mornings. I like to practice in the afternoons. And then do
things with Christy in the evenings.
Will Alderman [00:42:21]Yeah, there's some science behind that to you about your, your brain
can only make so many calculations and decisions in one day before you sleep. And then when
you sleep it resets.
Will Alderman [00:42:30]So, there's some, there's some science that actually proves that theory
of early morning and creativity.
Gordon Stout [00:42:35]Yeah, when is this project of yours due?
Will Alderman [00:42:39]End the semester. So, December.
Gordon Stout [00:42:44]I can, I can finish up the latter part of this list, which I would like to do
because it's, you know, it's kind of, and then it gets worse as we get more and more into the
future. So, I need to just spend an hour or two on the computer and get this updated so it's all like
this. Oh, yeah, that's and I'd be happy to send that to you.
Will Alderman [00:43:05]Please do that would be so great. I'll, I'll use probably that in my in
my paper. Yeah.
Gordon Stout [00:43:11]I'll try to get that in the next week or so and get it to you. Bug me about
it. Send me an email, "where's the list, Gordon?" I appreciate it when people remind me cause...
Will Alderman [00:43:24]Yeah, sure. I'll give you a little reminder and...
Gordon Stout [00:43:33]I had a mini-stroke. I don't know if you knew that about twelve years
ago.
Will Alderman [00:43:36]Yeah, I was actually at IC (Ithaca College) when it happened. So

yeah, I've done much better at taking care of myself since then. I reformed my diet. I eat much
better. I exercise more. I'm still active. So, I'm trying to take better care of myself.
Will Alderman [00:43:56]I was going to say you look good Gordon. Yeah.
Gordon Stout [00:43:59]Yeah. Because it kind of makes things real.
Will Alderman [00:44:04]Yeah
Gordon Stout [00:44:05]Real fast. No, I was incredibly lucky. I was only in the hospital for
about a day.
Will Alderman [00:44:12]Yep.
Gordon Stout [00:44:13]A couple of weeks later I was back at work. And you know, like 96%
back to normal. I still kind of mix things up in my, my mouth. Sometimes there's a disconnect
between my brain and my mouth. And that was, that was the main thing that happened when I
had the stroke. I could, I could think really well, and I could read something, but it came out as
gibberish. It was fine in my mind, but it came out as gibberish.
Gordon Stout [00:44:46]So, I'm lucky that I got most everything back.
Will Alderman [00:44:49]Yeah. It's pretty amazing.
Gordon Stout [00:44:50]Some people, when they get strokes, you know their lives change
forever. So, I'm a lucky guy.
Will Alderman [00:44:56]Yeah, it's pretty cool. And just to, you know, what a great thing that
you get to keep composing too. And, you know, and playing.
Will Alderman [00:45:05]So yeah, man, Gordon, I really appreciate the time. It's really good to
talk to you. It's been, it's been a long time.
Gordon Stout [00:45:12]Yeah it has. I wish there was a time we could get together and hang
out.
Will Alderman [00:45:18]Me too.

Gordon Stout [00:45:19]Come down to JMU just to hang out and relax.
Will Alderman [00:45:23]Oh, yeah, I mean, you know, once it's safe again, once you know, we
can, we can do it safely, Megan and I want to make a trip up to Ithaca during the summer
sometime too. So, if we do, we want to spend like a week or so there and just she's never really
seen it.
Gordon Stout [00:45:37]Yeah. Well, we've gotten together with a few people over the summer
and even this fall a little bit. We just say, "Okay bring your food and we'll meet you at Stewart
Park on a picnic table."
Will Alderman [00:45:51]It's a great idea.
Gordon Stout [00:45:52]And it works out great! Yeah, not nowadays so much cause the
weather is getting colder. I think we're going to have our first snow by the end of this week.
Will Alderman [00:46:00]Oh, yeah, I forgot about that in Ithaca. It's windy and cold.
Gordon Stout [00:46:07]Yeah, so that's, obviously this time of year we're not going to want to
do that. But, we, we had some nice meetings with, with friends and things at Stewart park over
the summer. And it was, I think, perfectly safe to do.
Will Alderman [00:46:18]I think so. And, maybe if Megan I end up going that way in the
summer, we'll give you a call and see if we can do that.
Gordon Stout [00:46:27]That would be wonderful. I mean, I don't know when things are gonna
get better in this country.
Will Alderman [00:46:28]Yeah, who knows.
Gordon Stout [00:46:29]Maybe longer than everybody wants it to be. Which is the problem
because people are losing patience.
Will Alderman [00:46:39]Yeah, they really are and, and yeah, so the safety, you know
precautions just going way down. With the students, I see it too. It's, they're just they're over it
man.
Gordon Stout [00:46:51]Yeah. So, yeah, I think kids are not back on campus at all now.
Everything's completely remote for this fall. This spring they're going to start coming back.
Students will still have the option to take all their courses online from home. They can take a
certain number of courses online from their dorm room, or from their apartments. So it'll be a
kind of blended approach. I don't know what the school of music is going to do for rehearsals
and that stuff. I, I'm kind of out of the loop there now for the most part.
Will Alderman [00:47:26]It's pretty it's, it's a, it's a complicated process. JMU's trying it right
now and they have to do so many things just to be safe in an hour rehearsal. They, they take a
fifteen-minute break at one point and it's a lot.
Gordon Stout [00:47:40]I found that out at Penn State. It was a percussion studio recital that Gif
Howarth. Because Dan Armstrong retired.
Will Alderman [00:47:50]Oh, I didn't know that. Okay.
Gordon Stout [00:47:52]Cause he didn't want to do the whole Covid thing. So he said, "See you
later."
Will Alderman [00:47:56]Not a bad idea.
Gordon Stout [00:47:57]Gif has been teaching down there this spring and they put on a
percussion studio recital. I think there were three people that played for about 20 minutes and
they said, "Now we're not going to have to break for half an hour to recycle the air and the staff
comes in and sterilize this thing. We'll see you in half an hour." That's what you have to do I
guess.
Will Alderman [00:48:22]That's amazing.
Gordon Stout [00:48:23]And I'm glad to see that they're taking it seriously. Cause otherwise,
we'll never get through this.
Will Alderman [00:48:29]No, because the spread, it spreads so fast. And, if you don't do that,
it's going to, you know, if people contract it through the air even you know? Depending on where
you're at, so. So anyway, well, hey, I'll keep you updated on the project.
Gordon Stout [00:48:44]Great.
Will Alderman [00:48:45]If you want to read the paper, I'll send it your way, but you certainly
don't have to.
Gordon Stout [00:48:48]I'd love to and I'll send this thing to you in the next week or so.
Will Alderman [00:48:52]Perfect.
Gordon Stout [00:48:53]I'll send you. I'll just make a note now to send you the "Sedimental
Structure" thing. So, if you're ever would like to have it.
Gordon Stout [00:49:01]Yeah, please. It's been on my list of your pieces to learn since I think
since I was at IC. (Ithaca College) And I just haven't had the time. So, now I do. Which is nice.
Gordon Stout [00:49:12]I will send it to you.

An Exploratory Analysis of The Influence of Professional, Personal, & Musical Experiences On Gordon Stout's Compositions For Marimba

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INFLUENCES ON GORDON STOUT’S COMPOSITIONS 1

An Exploratory Analysis of the Influence of Professional, Personal, & Musical Experiences

on Gordon Stout’s Compositions for Marimba

School of Music, James Madison University

MUPED 704: Music Pedagogy in Higher Education

Dr. Lisa Maynard

This paper is an exploratory analysis of the influences on compositions for marimba by

literature resources surrounding the topic of compositional influences, listening to Stout’s

compositions, analysis of Stout’s compositions, and a comparative analysis of Stout’s

which of these techniques are most representative of his idiosyncratic style.

Gordon Stout Biography

1980 to 2019. He is recognized, worldwide, as one of the most prolific American

steeped in orchestral music and pedagogy.

in me as a young, inexperienced composer who was in my second year of ever taking

famous composition, “Two Mexican Dances.”

questions about compositional influences in general. What personal experiences affect

First, we will explore a composer’s personal experiences. Although it is impossible to

believe the contrary. One journalist states the opposing view:

style, instrumentation, and language of a composer. The colleagues, contemporaries, and

and which of these they share in common.

Common Composer Connections of Mozart, Haydn, and Schubert

Note.​ ​ ​Table of composer’s connections from Georges (2017).

Mozart, Haydn, and Schubert Common Styles

Note.​ ​ ​Table of composer’s styles from Georges (2017).

qualities of such influence finding its way into a composer’s music.

Finally, the concept of intertextuality is crucial when discussing formative influences on

Excerpt from Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio in G Minor

measure of this work.

Excerpt from Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata

​ he opening measure of Beethoven’s ​Pathetique Sonata ​from Beethoven (1799).

compositions. Throughout the course of western-classical music history, intertextuality is evident

in composer’s writings both directly and indirectly.

The Influences on Gordon Stout’s Marimba Compositions

shaped who they are.

present day could be summarized as improvisation followed by experimentation. The process is

composition as well. Stout recalls his early years at Eastman,

composers. I remember going to a concert of an Elliott Carter orchestra piece...I thought

communication, October 27, 2020)

piece, and the prime forms found throughout.

Excerpt From Gordon Stout’s Sedimental Structures

​ he first measure from Stout’s ​Sedimental Structures f​ rom Stout (1998).

Excerpt From Gordon Stout’s Rumble Strips Movement II

​ he opening measures from Stout’s ​Rumble Strips​ from Stout (2000).

teachers has left a mark, however big or small, on his compositions.

Naranjo. Figure 7 shows the many influential connections to Gordon Stout.

Gordon Stout’s Connections: Teachers, Colleagues, Students

​ omplied from author’s research (2020).

Burkholder, J. (n.d.). Intertextuality. Retrieved from

as Bartok. ​The New York Times​. Retrieved from

Gordon Stout. (n.d.). Retrieved from

James Madison University, 2015). ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

New York Times​. Retrieved from

Gordon Stout (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). The University of Texas at Austin,

Stout, G. (2020, October 27). An Exploratory Analysis of the Influence of Professional,

Personal, & Musical Experiences on Gordon Stout’s Compositions for Marimba:

Interview [Online interview].

Stout, G. (2000) ​Rumble strips ​[Marimba score]. Keyboard Percussion Publications.

Stout, G. (1998) ​Sedimental structures [​ Marimba score]. Keyboard Percussion Publications.

Weiss, L. V. (2012). Gordon Stout. Retrieved November 22, 2020, from

An Exploratory Analysis of the Influence of Professional, Personal, & Musical Experiences on

Gordon Stout’s Compositions for Marimba: Interview

Gordon Stout​ ​[00:00:00]​The two mics.

Will Alderman​ ​[00:00:00]​Oh, yeah!

Note. Table of composer’s connections from Georges (2017).

Note. Table of composer’s styles from Georges (2017).

he opening measure of Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata from Beethoven (1799).

he first measure from Stout’s Sedimental Structures f rom Stout (1998).

he opening measures from Stout’s Rumble Strips from Stout (2000).

omplied from author’s research (2020).

as Bartok. The New York Times. Retrieved from

New York Times. Retrieved from

Stout, G. (2000) Rumble strips [Marimba score]. Keyboard Percussion Publications.

Stout, G. (1998) Sedimental structures [ Marimba score]. Keyboard Percussion Publications.

Gordon Stout [00:00:00]The two mics.

Will Alderman [00:00:00]Oh, yeah!

Will Alderman [00:00:11]Oh, that's awesome.

Will Alderman [00:00:26]Oh, yeah.

Gordon Stout [00:00:27]So, that'll be my editing program.

Gordon Stout [00:00:33]Uh, it's $60.

Will Alderman [00:00:35]Oh, yeah. Low-cost.

Will Alderman [00:00:40]Mmhmm.

Will Alderman [00:00:46]Oh, yeah!

Will Alderman [00:01:19]Right!

Gordon Stout [00:01:37]Yeah. Unfortunately, I'm probably not going to do video.

Will Alderman [00:01:41]Mmm, okay, Yeah.

Will Alderman [00:01:57]Yeah.

Will Alderman [00:02:05]Oh, yeah.

Gordon Stout [00:02:36]Frickin' genius when it comes to all of that stuff.

Will Alderman [00:02:39]He's so good at it. Yeah.

Gordon Stout [00:02:42]He's really quite amazing.

Gordon Stout [00:02:57]Yeah.

Gordon Stout [00:03:15]Yeah.

Will Alderman [00:03:16]-it's fun.

Gordon Stout [00:03:18]Yeah.

Gordon Stout [00:03:19]Well, I'm recording, so.

Gordon Stout [00:03:22]All right.

Will Alderman [00:03:37]Oh, yeah. Okay.

Will Alderman [00:04:06]Okay.

Will Alderman [00:04:28]Sorry to hear that Gordon, yeah.

Gordon Stout [00:04:30]She was ninety-nine.

Will Alderman [00:04:32]Oh, good life. Yeah good life, then.

Will Alderman [00:04:49]Okay.

Will Alderman [00:04:55]Oh cool.

Will Alderman [00:05:16]Oh, cool.

Will Alderman [00:05:24]Oh, wow. That's wonderful.

Will Alderman [00:05:37]Yeah, it's a nice way to honor. Yeah.

Will Alderman [00:06:06]Wow!

Will Alderman [00:06:32]Wow!

Will Alderman [00:07:06]Oh, yeah. Okay.

Will Alderman [00:07:13]Oh, really?

Gordon Stout [00:07:14](he's gonna)-release a whole CD of my music.

Will Alderman [00:07:17]Oh, that's awesome.

Will Alderman [00:07:24]I heard his Sedimental. It was really good.

Will Alderman [00:07:30]Yeah me too. Just that little snippet. Yeah.

Will Alderman [00:08:26]Right.

Will Alderman [00:08:40]Okay.

Will Alderman [00:10:18]Yeah.

Will Alderman [00:10:38]Sure. Right, right.

Will Alderman [00:10:57]Yeah.

Will Alderman [00:11:04]Wow.

Will Alderman [00:11:30]Yeah.

Will Alderman [00:12:22]Oh, that's right. Yeah.

Will Alderman [00:12:38]Okay. Yeah.

Gordon Stout [00:12:40]Yeah, uh...

Gordon Stout [00:12:53]Well, I played for Vida twice.

Will Alderman [00:12:56]Okay.

Will Alderman [00:13:20]Yeah.

Will Alderman [00:14:04]Okay, cool.

Will Alderman [00:14:32]Yeah.

Will Alderman [00:14:49]Wow.

Will Alderman [00:15:15]Wow.

Will Alderman [00:15:30]Wow.

Gordon Stout [00:15:30]That was what I learned from Vida.

Will Alderman [00:16:00]Yeah, right, note by note.

Will Alderman [00:16:30]Yeah. There you go.

Gordon Stout [00:16:32]Isn't that great?

Will Alderman [00:16:33]And it's true.

Will Alderman [00:17:00]Okay.

Will Alderman [00:17:29]Okay.

Will Alderman [00:17:42]Right.

Will Alderman [00:18:00]That's wild.

Will Alderman [00:19:04]Oh, yeah.

Will Alderman [00:19:59]Got you.