Aloysius and Joesphus is a duet for two marimbas. The name of the piece comes from the two main characters in Johann Joseph Fux's pedagogical work Gradus ad Parnassum ("Steps to Parnassus"). In this work, Fux discusses his rules and teachings of counterpoint through a dialogue between a master and his student. The master, Aloysius, represents the renowned composer Palestrina. The student, Josephus, represents Fux himself. Although this composition does not utilize the exact teachings and rules described by Fux in his text, it still serves to represent a conversation between a student and a master. In this work, the Marimba 1 part represents a student (Josephus) and the Marimba 2 part represents their teacher (Aloysius). The piece starts with the teacher introducing an idea to the student. The student quickly absorbs this idea and chimes in on the discussion. Throughout the piece, the teacher and student trade ideas creating a conversation. Over time, the student starts to borrow ideas from the master and puts their own twist on them. Overall, this piece is a vibrant and active conversation between two musicians, and should be played as such. The parts should fit together into one seamless line of music.