Danse Funambulesque
General Info
Year: 1925 / 1930 / 2006
Duration: c. 10:50
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: HaFaBra
Cost: Score and Parts - €267.00 | Score Only - €54.00
Instrumentation
Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Cornet I-II
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
B-flat Flugelhorn I-II (optional)
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
E-flat Tenorhorn I-II (optional)
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Baritone I-II
Euphonium I-II
E-flat Tuba
B-flat Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion I–II-III, including:
- Bass Drum
- Crash Cymbals
- Snare Drums (2)
- Suspended Cymbal
- Triangle
- Whip
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Danse Funambulesque was originally written for orchestra in 1925, and rescored for symphonic wind band in 1930, dedicated to the conductor of the Belgian Guides, Arthur Prévost, with "admiration et reconnaissance artistique."
The opening Andante with evocative solos for flute, oboe and clarinet is reminiscent of the music of Maurice Ravel, perhaps especially his song cycle Shérhérezade though this indolent atmosphere is constantly interrupted by more energetic music which eventually dominates and turns into an increasingly frenetic dance. The scoring is for the usual European lineup of the Belgian Guides or the French Garde Republicaine, with multiple clarinets and, in addition to the normal brass instruments, a team of keyed bugles, alto horns in E-flat, and bombardons in both B-flat and E-flat. The work is in my opinion a worthy companion piece to Florent Schmitt’s Dionysiaques and is quite unjustly neglected.
- Program Note by Tim Reynish
Media
- Audio Download: United States Marine Band (Michael J. Colburn, conductor)
- Audio CD: University of Kentucky Wind Ensemble (Timothy Reynish, conductor) - 2003
- Audio CD: Royal Symphonic Band of the Belgian Guides (Norbert Nozy, conductor) - 2005
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- University of Maryland (College Park) Wind Ensemble (Michael Votta, Jr., conductor) - 9 October 2021
- Nazareth College (Rochester, N.Y.) Wind Symphony (Jared Chase, conductor) – 20 October 2019
- Banda Sinfónica de La Federació de Societats Musicals de la Comunitat Valenciana (Spain) (Carlos Ramón-Pérez, conductor) – 10 July 2019 - WASBE Conference (Buñol, Spain)
- World Youth Wind Orchestra Project (WYWOP) (Schladming, Austria) (Miguel Etchegoncelay, conductor) – 14 July 2018
- University of Maryland (College Park) Wind Ensemble (Michael Votta, conductor)- 17 October 2017
- University of Delaware (Newark, Del.) Wind Ensemble (Lauren Reynolds, conductor) – 12 October 2017
- Texas All-State Concert Band (Cynthia Johnston Turner, conductor) - 11 February 2017 (2017 TMEA Conference, San Antonio)
- University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory Wind Symphony (Steven D. Davis, conductor) – 15 March 2016
- San Francisco Wind Ensemble (Martin H. Seggelke, conductor) - 1 December 2012
- Strasbourg Conservatory of Music (Strasbourg, France), Orchestre à vents (Miguel Etchegoncelay, conductor) - 24 March 2012
- University of South Florida (Tampa) Wind Ensemble (John Carmichael, conductor – 26 February 2010 (CBDNA 2010 Southern Division Conference, Oxford, Miss.)
- Norwegian Defence Band (Timothy Reynish, conductor) - Oslo, Norway - 18 April 2008
- Chethams School Wind Orchestra (Manchester UK) - 15 March 2008
- Singapore Wind Philharmonic (Timothy Reynish, conductor) - 15 June 2008
- University of Montana (Missoula) Wind Ensemble (Steve Bolstad, conductor) – 15 March 2006 (CBDNA 2006 Western/Northwestern Division Conference, Reno, Nev.)
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Carnaval d’été (1939)
- Danse Funambulesque (1925/1930/2006)
- Danse tragique (1938)
- Gil Blas (1921/1955)
- Préludes Lyriques (1927)
- Quartetto (1950)
- Quintette op.34 (1943)
- Rapsodie Polyrythmique (1953/2017)
- Sur des Airs de Chasse (1951)
- Trio Op. 50, for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon (1954)
Resources
- Digital Resource. Danse funambulesque, Op. 12 - Individual Digital Teacher Resource Guide (GIA Publications)
- Perusal Score
- Prescott, Kyle. "Danse funambulesque." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 6, edit. & comp. by Richard Miles, 800-808. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2007.