Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic:Funny Xylophone Book I
有趣的木琴書I

DER KLEINE PAGANINI (1996) is written for xylophone and placed in a "Funny Xylophone 1". This fast and short piece is a sparkle of brilliant two-mallets-technique. An excellent encore piece, written in a great tradition of German xylophone music from the twenties and thirties.

Hailed by the critics as one of the most unique and expressive artists in the field today, a composing virtuoso Zivkovic is recognized as one of the worlds top marimba and percussion soloists. He embodies a very rare tradition: the tradition the composer and virtuoso in one person, which was common in the 19th century among famous concert artists.

Zivkovic completed his master's degrees in composition, music theory and percussion in Mannheim and Stuttgart, Germany. He tours extensively throughout Europe, and performs frequently in the USA, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Latin America, Russia and Scandinavian countries. As a soloist, mostly with his own Marimba concertos, Zivkovic played among other with Stuttgart Philharmonic, Munich Symphonic, Bochum Phiharmonic, Austrian Chamber Symphony, Hannover Radio Symphony, Bielefeld Philharmonic, Belgrade Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Costa Rica, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra (Finland) Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, to name a few. 

難度：3–4 級

《Funny Mallets: Funny Xylophone Book 1》是一套為中級打擊樂學習者所設計的基礎木琴獨奏曲集。其中的〈Der Kleine Paganini〉（1996）為木琴而作，收錄於本冊《Funny Xylophone 1》中。這首作品節奏快速、篇幅精簡，展現了精湛且華麗的雙琴槌技巧，是一首極佳的返場（Encore）曲目，也延續了二、三十年代德國傳統木琴音樂的風格與精神。

Zivkovic 被樂評形容為當今最具特色與表現力的打擊樂藝術家之一，既是作曲家亦是演奏家，被公認為世界頂尖的馬林巴及打擊樂獨奏者。他身兼作曲家與炫技演奏者的傳統，在 19 世紀的知名演奏家中十分常見，如今卻相當罕見。

Zivkovic 於德國曼海姆與斯圖加特完成作曲、音樂理論與打擊樂的碩士學位。他長年巡演於歐洲，並經常赴美國、日本、台灣、韓國、拉丁美洲、俄羅斯與斯堪地那維亞等地演出。作為獨奏家，他多以自己的馬林巴協奏曲與歐洲與世界各地的樂團合作，包括斯圖加特愛樂、慕尼黑交響樂團、波鴻愛樂、奧地利室內交響樂團、漢諾威廣播交響樂團、比勒費爾德愛樂、貝爾格勒愛樂、哥斯大黎加國家交響樂團、圖爾庫愛樂（芬蘭）、立陶宛國家交響樂團等。