Les Trois Notes du Japon | Toshio Mashima | Music - Rundel.de
Arguably the most famous movement, “Hummingbird” is a virtuosic showpiece for the woodwinds, particularly the flutes and clarinets. Mashima employs minimalist techniques here: rapid, repeating 16th-note figures that hover over shifting harmonies. The title is apt; the music seems to hang in the air, vibrating. The tempo is frantic but controlled, requiring immense breath control and finger precision from the players. A middle section introduces a lyrical counter-melody in the horns and saxophones, representing the hummingbird pausing to feed before darting away again. This movement is often programmed as a stand-alone contest piece. Toshio Mashima Birds Pdf
Toshio Mashima died in 2016. Under international copyright law (Berne Convention), his works remain under copyright protection until at least 2066 (Life + 70 years in Japan and the EU; Life + 70 in the USA for works published after 1978). "Birds" was published by De Haske Publications (now part of Hal Leonard Europe). Les Trois Notes du Japon | Toshio Mashima | Music - Rundel