Merry Widow, The

From Wind Repertory Project
Franz Lehár Jr.

Franz Lehár Jr. (arr. Eiji Suzuki)


Subtitle: Selections


General Info

Year: 1905 / 2001
Duration: c. 9:00
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Bravo Music
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $95.00   |   Score Only (print) - $9.50


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
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Saxophone
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
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Piano/Harp
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Glockenspiel
  • Marimba
  • Sizzle Cymbal
  • Sleigh Bells
  • Snare Drum
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Triangle
  • Tubular Bells
  • Vibraphone
  • Wood Block


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

A comic operetta, The Merry Widow was premiered in 1905 in Vienna. It was Lehár's first major success, becoming internationally the best-known operetta of its era. It has continued to enjoy success since its premiere, and is often revived and recorded. The opera is based on a comedic story about a rich widow and her countrymen’s attempts to keep her money “in-house” by finding her a husband. Franz Lehár was an Austrio-Hungarian composer mainly known for his operettas. Born in Komarom (in what is now Slovakia), Lehár studied at the Prague Conservatory, where he was advised by Antonín Dvořák to pursue composition. While he is most famous for his operettas, he also wrote sonatas, symphonic poems, marches, and a number of waltzes. Lehár died in 1948 at the age of 78.

- Program Note by Nikk Pilato


The Merry Widow (German: Die lustige Witwe) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play, L'attaché d'ambassade (The Embassy Attaché) by Henri Meilhac.

The operetta has enjoyed extraordinary international success since its 1905 premiere in Vienna and continues to be frequently revived and recorded. Film and other adaptations have also been made. Well-known music from the score includes the Vilja Song, Da geh' ich zu Maxim ("You'll Find Me at Maxim's"), and the Merry Widow Waltz.

- Program Note from Wikipedia


Media


State Ratings

  • Florida: V
  • Georgia: V
  • South Carolina: V
  • Tennessee: VI


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • First Coast Wind Symphony (Jacksonville, Fla.) (Artie Clifton, conductor) - 19 October 2023
  • Golden Gate Park Band (San Francisco, Calif.) (German Gonzalez, conductor; Diana Pray, vocal) - 20 August 2023
  • Texas Tech University (Lubbock) Concert Band (Joel Pagán, conductor) - 20 April 2023
  • Northern Kentucky University Symphonic Winds (Nikk Pilato, conductor) - 6 October 2022
  • Kings Park Concert Band (Springfield, Va.) (Rich Bergman, conductor) - 8 July 2022
  • Florida State University (Tallahassee) Concert Band (Steven N. Kelly, conductor) - 15 November 2021
  • Golden Gate Park Band (San Francisco, Calif.) (Robert Calonico, conductor) – 29 September 2019
  • Tallahassee (Fla.) Winds (David Plack, conductor) – 21 February 2017
  • Magee Secondary School (Vancouver, B.C.) Wind Ensemble (Christopher Haas, conductor) – 19 December 2013


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources

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