Gee, Officer Krupke

Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein (arr. Paul Murtha)

Subtitle: From West Side Story

General Info

Year: 1957 / 2015
Duration: c. 2:05
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Hal Leonard
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $75.00   |   Score Only (print) - $7.50

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass 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:

• Bells
• Crash Cymbals
• Drumset
• Police Siren
• Ratchet
• Slide Whistle
• Tam-Tam
• Wood Block
• Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Gee, Officer Krupke is a satirical novelty song from the music play West Side Story (1967). Two of the Jets gang, A-Rab and Baby John, are set upon by Officer Krupke, a New York police officer, but they manage to escape him. They meet the rest of the gang. To cheer themselves up, they lampoon Officer Krupke, and the other adults who don't understand them.

- Program Note adapted from Wikipedia

Media

• Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

• Bonita Springs (Fla.) Concert Band (Gary Smith, conductor) – 17 May 2023 (ACB 2023 Annual Convention (Orlando, Fla.))
• South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Pride Wind Ensemble (Dan Bassett, conductor) - 14 May 2022
• Coastal Communities Concert Band (San Diego, California) (Tom Cole, conductor) – 18 August 2019
• Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble (Oneonta, N.Y.) (Scott Rabeler, conductor)– 28 April 2019
• Arkansas Winds Community Concert Band (Farmington) (Michael Ferguson, conductor) – 16 December 2018
• Austin (Tx.) Symphonic Band (Richard Floyd, conductor) – 18 November 2018
• Marion (Mass.) Concert Band (Tobias Monte, conductor) - 24 August 2018
• Western Reserve Community Band (Hudson, Ohio) (Ralph Meyer, conductor) - 19 August 2018
• Atlantic Pops (Atlantic City, N.J.) (Mark Kadetsky, conductor) – 8 December 2017
• Bonita Springs (Fla.) Concert Band (Gary Smith, conductor) – 5 May 2017 (ACB 2017 Annual Convention (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.))
• Allan Hancock College (Santa Maria, Calif.) Concert Band (Greg Stoll, conductor) – 5 November 2016
• Ventura County (Calif.) Concert Band (Julie Budd, conductor) – 31 January 2016

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

• Cool (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Murtha) (1957/2018)
• West Side Story (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Sweeney) (1957/2015)

All Wind Works

• Almighty Father (arr. Hunsberger) (1971/1974)
• America (arr. Vinson) (1963/2018)
• America from "West Side Story" (arr. Brown)
• A Bernstein Tribute (adapt. Grundman) (1991)
• Candide Suite (arr. Grundman) (1956/1993)
• Cool (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Murtha) (1957/2018)
• Dance Suite (1990)
• Danzón (arr. Bocook) (1944/1990)
• Danzón (arr. Krance) (1944)
• Divertimento (arr. Grundman) (1980/1984)
  • BSO Forever, The
• Fanfare for the 25th Anniversary of the High School of the Arts (orch. Ramin)
• Fanfare for the Inauguration of John F. Kennedy (orch. Ramin) (1961/1995)
• Fanfare from "Dance Suite"
• Four Dances from "West Side Story" (tr. Polster) (1957/1980)
• Gee, Officer Krupke (arr. Murtha) (1957/2015)
• Glitter and Be Gay (arr. Frenkel) (1956/)
• Glitter and be Gay from "Candide" (tr. Davis)
• Highlights from "West Side Story" (arr. Ingram) (1963)
• I Hate Music! (arr. Nowlin) (1943/)
• Make Our Garden Grow (arr. Kreines) (1956/2017)
• Make Our Garden Grow (arr. John Gibson) (1956/)
• Mambo from "West Side Story" (arr. Sweeney) (1957/2013?)
• Maria (arr. Murtha) (1957/2003)
• Maria from "West Side Story" (arr. McCoy) (1957)
• Meditation No. 2 (arr. Hunsberger) (1971/1973)
• A Musical Toast (tr. Grundman) (1982)
• Overture to "Candide" (trans. Beeler)
• Overture to "Candide" (tr. Grundman) (1955/1986)
• Overture to "Candide" (arr. Howell) (1955/2020)
• Overture to "Candide" (tr. Hunsberger) (1955/)
• Prelude, Fugue and Riffs (1974/1991)
• Presto Barbaro from "On the Waterfront" (arr. Erickson)
• Prologue from "West Side Story" (arr. Gilmore) (1962)
• Selections from "Wonderful Town" (arr. Saurer) (1953)
• Shivaree (1970)
• A Simple Song (arr. Sweeney) (1971/2010)
• Slava! (tr. Grundman) (1977)
• Slava! (arr. Linden) (1977/2011)
• Slava! (tr. Longfield) (1977/)
• Somewhere (arr. Brown) (1957/2012)
• Somewhere from "West Side Story" (arr. Bocook)
• Suite from "MASS" (arr. Sweeney) (1971/2009 )
• Suite from "On the Town" (arr. Higgins) (1944)
• Suite from "West Side Story" (arr. Davis)
• Symphonic Dance Music from "West Side Story" (arr. Polster) (1980)
• Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story" (arr. Leon) (1967/2007)
• Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story" (tr. Lavender) (1967/2008)
• Symphonic Suite from "On the Waterfront" (arr. Bocook) (1954/2011)
• Symphony No. 1 (tr. Bencriscutto) (1942/1952)
  • Profanation from "Symphony No. 1"
  • Lamentation from "Symphony No. 1"
• Three Dance Episodes from "On The Town" (arr. Lavender) (1944/2016)
• Three Dance Episodes from "On The Town" (tr. Stith) (1944/1972)
• West Side Story: Highlights (tr. Ingram)
• West Side Story: Medley (arr. Bocook) (1957/1991)
• West Side Story: Selection (arr. Duthoit) (1957/1959)
• West Side Story (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Sweeney) (1957/2015)
• West Side Story (arr. Norris)
• A White House Cantata (tr. Nowlin) (1997/)
• Wrong Note Rag (arr. Ricketts) (1953/2005)

Resources

• Bernstein, L.; Murtha, P. (2015). Gee, Officer Krupke: From West Side Story [score]. Hal Leonard: Milwaukee, Wisc.
• Pease, Andy. "Gee, Officer Krupke by Leonard Bernstein." Wind Band Literature, 29 August 2022. Web. Accessed 29 August 2022
• West Side Story, Wikipedia Accessed 23 January 2016