Fragment (Arr. Fitzsimons)

PROMETHEAN EDITIONS 

JOHN PSATHAS 

Fragment (arr. Fitzsimons) 

Vibraphone & Marimba

John Psathas 

Fragment 

Marimba and Vibraphone 

(Arranged by Jeremy Fitzsimons) 

PROMETHEAN EDITIONS 

WELLINGTON

Fragment (PE089), for Marimba and Vibraphone by John Psathas 

(2001, 2005), arranged by Jeremy Fitzsimons (2005) 

© John Psathas 2001, 2005 

Published exclusively by Promethean Editions Limited 

First edition © 2009 Promethean Editions Limited (201707) 

Series Editor: Ross Hendy 

Editor: Alison Grant 

ISBN: 978-1-877218-89-7 (print) 

ISBN: 978-1-77660-089-2 (ebook) 

ISMN: 979-0-67452-115-4 

Promethean Editions Limited 

PO Box 10-143 

Wellington 

NEW ZEALAND 

http://www.promethean-editions.com 

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by 

any means without permission in writing from the Publisher. 

PE089 – ii

John Psathas (1966) 

John Psathas is one of New Zealand’s most frequently performed composers. With works 

in the repertoire of such high profile musicians as Evelyn Glennie, Michael Brecker, Pedro 

Carneiro, Michael Houstoun, Joshua Redman, Federico Mondelci, the Takács Quartet, the 

Netherlands New Blazers Ensemble, the Hallé Orchestra and others, he has established an 

international profile and is receiving regular commission offers from outside New Zealand. 

Psathas grew up in Taumaranui and then Napier, and left high school early to study 

composition and piano at Victoria University of Wellington. Psathas studied further with 

composer Jacqueline Fontyn in Belgium before returning to New Zealand, where he has since 

lectured in music at the New Zealand School of Music and continued to fulfil a busy schedule 

of commissions. 

Early success came in 1991 with Matre’s Dance, a maximum-energy duet for percussion and 

piano that has since made Psathas’ name internationally known through having been taken 

up and championed by percussionist Evelyn Glennie. This work and Drum Dances are now 

standard repertoire for percussionists throughout the world. 

In August 2000, the premiere of his saxophone concerto, Omnifenix, by legendary jazz 

saxophonist Michael Brecker in Bolgna, Italy, brought international acclaim; further 

prominent performances of his works have included the 2001 Klangspuren Schwaz Festival 

of Contemporary Music in Austria; Psyzygysm, performed by Pedro Carneiro with Strike and 

Stroma in the 2002 New Zealand Festival; the premiere of View From Olympus at the 2002 

Royal Gala Concert in Manchester, and the premiere of Orpheus in Rarohenga in November 

2002. This last, a major work for choir, soloists and orchestra, was a joint commission from 

poet Robert Sullivan and John Psathas by the Orpheus Choir of Wellington. In April 2004, 

pianist Stephen Gosling first performed Psathas’ piano concerto, Three Psalms, with the New 

Zealand Symphony Orchestra, who commissioned the work for pianist Michael Houstoun. 

Saxophonist Federico Mondelci commissioned Psathas to write his second saxophone 

PE089 – iii

concerto, Zahara, which he first performed with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, 

conducted by David Atherton, at the Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington, New Zealand on 

22 September 2006. In 2008, Chamber Music New Zealand commissioned Psathas to write 

a string quartet, A Cool Wind, for the world renown Takács Quartet, who presented the first 

performance in the Auckland Town Hall, Auckland, New Zealand on 23 July 2008. 

Psathas’ recent career highlights include the creation of key ceremonial music for the 

2004 Athens Olympic Games and more recently Zeibekiko, an entire programme of music 

celebrating the heritage of Greek music from antiquity and the present day. Zeibekiko was 

commissioned by the Eduard van Beinum Foundation at the request of the Nederlands 

Blazers Ensemble and toured Holland in 2004. It was a highlight of both the 2004 Bath 

Festival (UK) and the 2006 New Zealand International Festival of the Arts. 

Psathas’ inclination to work in a collaborative capacity with artists from a wide range of 

musical genres and backgrounds has resulted in projects such as Elect the Dead Symphony 

with Serj Tankian, and Pounamu with New Zealand roots musician Warren Maxwell. In 2011, 

Psathas produced his first film score for the feature-film, Good for Nothing, and further film 

music followed with White Lies in 2013. Psathas’ involvement with Booktrack—a company 

focused on developing synchronised soundtracks for eBooks—saw the opportunity to write 

music for the Salman Rushdie novel, In the South. 

Psathas has received a number of awards and honours, including twice winning the SOUNZ 

Contemporary APRA Silver Scroll Award (2002 and 2004) for individual works and taking 

three Classical CD of the Year awards (2000, 2004 and 2007) in the NZ Music Awards. In 2003 

he was made a New Zealand Arts Foundation Laureate and in 2005 was appointed an Officer 

of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM). 

In 2014 Victoria University of Wellington awarded Psathas a Higher Doctorate in the degree of 

Doctor of Music (DMus) for the immense body of work he has contributed to his field. 

Latest information about the composer may be found at www.johnpsathas.com. 

PE089 – iv

Fragment (2001, 2005) 

This short work is an adaptation of a piano duet originally composed to commemorate 

the occasion of the retirement of Psathas’ first piano teacher, Peter Williams. At the time 

of its composition, Psathas was engaged in writing his double concerto for percussion, 

piano and orchestra, View from Olympus (PE073), and in mood and musical material, 

Fragment is related to the second movement of that work (in fact, it forms an optional 

encore to the concerto). Gentle and reflective, Fragment is a simple and tranquil 

meditation in which gently pulsing marimba chords provide hushed support to the 

vibraphone’s delicate melody. 

This arrangement of Fragment was arranged by percussionist Jeremy Fitzsimons. 

Fitzsimons first performed the work with Kristie Ibrahim, together as Double Lateral, in 

the Ilott Theatre, Wellington Town Hall, Wellington, New Zealand on 2 October 2005. 

The piano duet version of Fragment is published in the fourth volume of Promethean 

Editions’ Firestarters series (PE097). 

Performance notes 

• Mallet choice is to be determined by the performer. 

• A loose-leaf version of the score is enclosed to be used by the marimba player. 

PE089 – v

PE089 – vi

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FRAGMENT 

John Psathas (arr. Fitzsimons) 

Vibraphone 

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Fragment © 2001, 2005 John Psathas 

This edition © 2009 Promethean Editions Limited 

PE089 – 1 

ISMN: 979-0-67452-115-4

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PE089 – 2

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PE089 – 3

PROMETHEAN EDITIONS

Fragment (Arr. Fitzsimons)

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