Funiculi Funicula Rhapsody

Luigi Denza

General Info

Year: 1880 / 2001
Duration: c. 6:35
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Bravo/Brain Music
Cost: Score and Parts - $85.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Contra Alto Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III, including:

Bass Drum
Chimes
Crush Cymbals
Glockenspiel
Marimba
Snare Drum
Suspended Cymbal
Tambourine
Tam-Tam
Triangle
Vibraphone
Whip
Wind Chimes
Wood Block
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

The words to Funiculi Funicula were written by journalist Peppino Turco and set to music by Denza in 1880, for the opening of the first funicular railway on Mt. Vesuvius. Although the song was composed in only a few hours, it has remained popular for over a century. Richard Strauss later included the tune in the fourth movement of his orchestral tone poem, Aus Italien, believing it to be a popular Neapolitan folk tune.

- Program Note by Edward C. Harris for the San Jose Wind Symphony

The famous melody Funiculi-Funicula was written in 1880 by Luigi Denza to lyrics by Peppino Turco to celebrate the opening of Mount Vesuvius’ funicular railway. A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope, the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalancing each other.

Yo Goto’s arrangement begins with bold fanfares that segue into a traditional tarantella. As the melody passes through each section of the ensemble, the polyrhythms eventually give way to a simple, slow, romantic rendering before the vibrancy of the original melody returns in the finale.

- Program Note from University of North Carolina, Greensboro, Wind Ensemble concert program, 21 April 2016

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown
Audio CD: Band of the 15th Field Artillery Regiment - 2011
Audio CD: Dobyns-Bennett High School Symphonic Band (Lafe Cook, conductor) – 2002

State Ratings

North Carolina: V
Tennessee: V

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Florida State University (Tallahassee) Concert Band (Drew Hardy-Moore, conductor) - 4 April 2023
University of North Carolina School of the Arts (Winston-Salem) Wind Ensemble (Mark Harmon, conductor) - 12 February 2023
Los Alamos (N.M.) Community Winds (Ted Vives, conductor) – 5 May 2022 (ACB 2022 Annual Convention (Santa Fe, New Mexico))
University of Kentucky (Lexington) Symphony Band (John Cody Birdwell, conductor) - 14 October 2019
Foothill Symphonic Winds (Palo Alto, Calif.) (Roy Stahle, conductor) – 9 June 2019
James Madison University (Harrisonburg, Va.) Symphonic Band (Stephen Bolstad, conductor) – 25 April 2019
University of North Texas (Denton) University Band (Brett Penshorn, conductor) – 8 April 2019
New England Conservatory (Boston, Mass.) Senior Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble (Michael Mucci, conductor) – 18 December 2017
Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah) Symphonic Band (Kirk Saville, conductor) – 7 November 2017
University of North Texas (Denton) Symphonic Band (Dennis W. Fisher, conductor) – 23 April 2017
Tallahassee (Fla.) Winds (Patrick Dunnigan, conductor) – 26 April 2016
University of North Carolina, Greensboro, Wind Ensemble (John R. Locke, conductor) – 21 April 2016
Macungie (Penn.) Band (Michael Moran, conductor) – 2 April 2016 (ACB 2016 Annual Convention (Pittsburgh, Penn.))
Macungie Band (Bethlehem, Penn.) (Michael Moran, conductor) - 5 June 2015
University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) Summer Band (Linda Moorhouse, conductor) - 18 July 2013
Wheaton (Ill.) Municipal Band (Bruce Moss, conductor) – 30 July 2009
University of North Carolina at Greensboro Wind Ensemble (John R. Locke, conductor) – 27 March 2009 (CBDNA 2009 National Conference, Austin, Tx.)
Dobyns-Bennett High School (Kingsport, Tenn.) Symphonic Band (Lafe Cook, conductor) – 18 December 2002 (2002 Midwest Clinic)

Works for Winds by This Composer

Funiculi Funicula (arr. Lang) (1880/1947)
Funiculi Funicula (arr. Reed) (1880/1994)
Funiculi Funicula Rhapsody (arr. Goto) (1880/2001)
Jammo
Merry Life March, A

Resources

Denza, L.; Goto, Y. (2001). Funiculi-Funicula Rhapsody: For Concert band [score]. Bravo Music: [Deerfield Beach, Fla.]
Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Luigi Denza." Accessed 19 May 2015
White, Christopher G. "Funiculi-Funicula Rhapsody for Concert Band." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 10, Compiled and edited by Richard Miles, 571-578. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2015.