La Tregenda (arr Beck)

Giacomo Puccini

Subtitle: Witches' Dance from La Villi

General Info

Year: 1883 / 2012
Duration: C. 2:50
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Alfred Publishing
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $60.00; (digital) - $60.00 | Score Only (print) - $9.00

Instrumentation

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

Bass Drum
Bells
Chimes
Crash Cymbals
Suspended Cymbal
Tambourine
Triangle
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Originally written as a one-act opera, Puccini was asked by the publisher Ricordi to expand it to a full opera. It premiered in Hamburg in 1892 with Gustav Mahler on the podium. Poet Heinrich Heine wrote this description of the fairy figures called La Villi (The Willis): “Willis are betrothed maidens who died before their weddings. These poor creatures cannot find rest in their graves. In their dead hearts, in their dead feet, the passion for dancing lives on, a passion that they could not satisfy in their lifetime. At midnight they appear in groups along country lanes. Woe betide the young man that encounters them! He will be forced to dance with them, and he must dance until he drops dead!”

Puccini wrote La Tregenda as one of two movements to be used as symphonic intermezzi between the two acts of the opera. The legend of La Villi is explained: When a woman dies of a broken heart, the fairies force the heartbreaker to dance himself to death.

- Program Note from Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown

State Ratings

Louisiana: IV
South Carolina: IV
Texas: IV. Complete

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Association of Texas Small School Bands (ATSSB) Concert Band (Caroline Beatty, conductor) - 12 February 2022 (2022 TMEA Conference, San Antonio)
Austin College (Sherman, Tx.) Wind Symphony (Alan Harkey, conductor) - 28 April 2021
Computech Middle School (Fresno, Calif.) Wind Band (Marco Mellone, conductor) - 21 April 2017 (2017 San Joaquin Valley (Calif.) Concert Band Invitational)
Edison-Computech Middle School (Fresno Calif.) Wind Ensemble (Marco Mellone, conductor) - 25 March 2017 (2017 Sutherland Wind Festival (Fresno, Calif.)
Arkansas Winds Community Concert Band (Fayetteville) (Michael Ferguson, conductor) – 25 February 2017
Marcus High School (Flower Mound, Tex.) Symphonic Band – 26 May 2016

Works for Winds by This Composer

Angelo del Cielo (arr. de Meij) (1917/2007)
Ch'ella Mi Creda (arr. de Meij) (1910/2008)
Christmas Scene from "La Bohème" (arr. Morita) (1896/2002)
Corazzata Sicilia (ed. Creux) (1897/2017)
Donde Lieta from "La Bohème" (arr. Kreines) (1896/)
Edgar (arr. de Meij) (1889/2008)
Fantasy on "Madama Butterfly" (arr. Goto) (1904/2000)
Gianni Schicchi (arr. Suzuki) (1918/2015)
Highlights from Act 1, "Tosca" (arr. Goto) (1900/2014)
Intermezzo from "Manon Lescaut" (arr. McBeth) (1893/1984)
Kyrie from Messa di Gloria (tr. Paxton) (1980/2015)
La Bohème (arr. Stebbing) (1896/1948)
La Bohème (arr. Dawson) (1896/1992)
La Fanciulla del West (arr. de Meij) (1910/2008)
La Tregenda (arr. Beck) (1883/2012)
La Tregenda (arr. Foster) (1883/1996)
Nessun Dorma (arr. Bocook) (1926/2003)
Nessun Dorma (arr. Beringen) (1926/1991)
Nessun Dorma (arr. Cray)
Nessun Dorma (arr. Hattendorf) (1926/2007)
Nessun Dorma (arr. Rossi) (1926/2008)
Nessun Dorma (arr. Turrin) (1926/2010)
Nessun Dorma (arr. Vinson) (1926/2009)
Nessun Dorma (arr. Williams) (1926/2000)
Nessun Dorma (tr. Patterson) (1926/)
Nessun Dorma from "Turandot" (arr. Rickard) (1926/1993)
O Mio Babbino Caro (arr. Balmages) (1918/2000)
O Mio Babbino Caro (arr. Vinson) (1918/2011)
O Mio Babbino Caro from "Gianni Schicchi" (arr. Kondo) (1918/2010)
O Mio Babbino Caro from "Gianni Schicchi" (arr. Kreines) (1918/)
Puccini's Arias Fantasy (arr. Yamazato) (2012)
Quando me’n vo (arr. McLain) (1896/2011)
Scenes from "La Bohème" (arr. Hanna) (1896/)
Scossa Elettrica (arr. King) (1896/2019)
Scossa Elettrica (arr. Yates) (1896/2001)
Te Deum (tr. de Meij) (1900/2010)
Tosca Fantasy (arr. Gee) (1900)
Tosca Fantasy (arr. Hermann) (1900/1972)
Turandot (arr. Goto) (1926/2007)
Two Scenes from "Tosca" (arr. Hanna) (1900/)
Vogliatemi Bene from "Madama Butterfly" (arr. Odom) (1904/)
Witches' Sabbath, The (arr. de Meij) (1892/2010)

Resources

Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Giacomo Puccini." Accessed 29 June 2021
Le Villi, Wikipedia Accessed 29 June 2021
Perusal score