Scenes from "The Louvre"

From Wind Repertory Project
Norman Dello Joio

Norman Dello Joio


Subtitle: Based on Ancient Airs


General Info

Year: 1966
Duration: 11:30
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Edward B. Marks Music
Cost: Score & Parts - $85.00    |    Score Only - $7.50


Movements

1. The Portals - 2:30
2. Children's Gallery - 2:05
3. Kings of France - 2:55
4. Nativity Paintings - 1:30
5. Finale - 2:30


Instrumentation

Full Score
Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III-IV
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Cornet I-II-III
B-flat Trumpet I-II
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion (4 players), including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Glockenspiel
  • Snare Drum
  • Tam-tam
  • Tubular Bells


Errata

In Score:

  • Trombone III, mvt.III, m.10: The dotted half note should be a third-line D, not an Eb. It is correct in the part.
  • Timpani, mvt.I, m.5: Second quarter note should be a first-space A, not a G. It is correct in the part.

In Parts:

  • B-flat Trumpet III mvt.II, m.35: After the 3 meas. rest, add an additional measure with a whole rest and a fermata, followed by a 4/4 meter signature (see 1st Trumpet part).
  • B-flat Trumpet I, mvt.II, mm.45-end: Printed measure numbers are incorrect. The last two marks should read 45 and 50 respectively.
  • B-flat Trumpet I, mvt.III, throughou:. Printed measure numbers are incorrect. The first mark should read “5”, and each consecutive mark given should be a multiple of 5.


Program Notes

Scenes from "The Louvre" comes from a 1964 television documentary produced by NBC News called A Golden Prison: The Louvre, for which Dello Joio provided the soundtrack. The documentary tells the history of the Louvre and its world-class collection of art, which is in many ways inseparable from the history of France.

Dello Joio chose to use the music of Renaissance-era composers in his soundtrack in order to match the historical depth of the film. He collected the highlights of this Emmy-winning score into a five-movement suite for band in 1965. The first movement, Portals, is the title music from the documentary, and it consists entirely of Dello Joio’s original material, complete with strident rhythms and bold 20th-century harmony. The second movement, Children’s Gallery, never actually appears in the film. It is a light-hearted theme and variations of Tielman Susato’s Ronde et Saltarelle. The stately third movement is based on themes by Louis XIV’s court composer, Jean-Baptiste Lully, and is aptly titled The Kings of France. Movement four, The Nativity Paintings, uses the medieval theme In Dulci Jubilo. The Finale uses the Cestiliche Sonata of Vincenzo Albrici as its source material, to which Dello Joio adds his own harmonic flavor, particularly in the final passages of the piece.

- Program Note from Ohlone Wind Orchestra concert program, 10 November 2013


This band version of Scenes from “The Louvre” is adapted from the 1965 Emmy Award winning original film score. The five movements of this suite pay tribute to the development of the museum and feature thematic material from the Renaissance time period. The Portals begins with a low brass choir and evokes notions of the grandeur of the Louvre. The light, delicate staccato playing of the clarinets conveys the gaiety of children at play in the Children’s Gallery. Visions of state occasions and courtly dances evolve from the brass’s contrapuntal parts in The Kings of France. The religious theme In Dulci Jubilo appears in Nativity Paintings and features the solo clarinet and oboe. The Finale is introduced by a royal fanfare and bears the pomp and elegance of the era as the ensemble brings the work to a noble conclusion.

- Program Note by Richard Floyd for the 2015 Texas All-State 5A Symphonic Band


Media


State Ratings

  • Florida: V
  • Georgia
    • V - Movement 1 & 5, plus one other movement
    • VI - Complete
  • Minnesota: Category I
  • Texas: Grade IV- Movement 1 & 5, plus one other movement


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Pinnacle Winds (Kansas City, Mo.) (John Carmichael, conductor) – 18 February 2024
  • State University of New York at Fredonia Symphonic Winds (Carrie Pawelski, conductor) - 22 February 2023
  • Kanawha Valley (W. Va.) Community Band (David Williams, conductor) - 16 December 2022
  • Kentucky Wesleyan College (Owensboro) Band (Pat Stuckemeyer, conductor) - 17 November 2022
  • Rockford (Ill.) Wind Ensemble (Ken Goodman, conductor) - 23 October 2022
  • University of North Carolina at Charlotte Wind Ensemble (Hunter Kopczynski, conductor) – 19 October 2022
  • Luther College (Decorah, Ia.) Symphonic Band (Cory Near, conductor) - 13 April 2022
  • Cornell College (Mount Vernon, Iowa) Symphonic Band (Joshua W. Neuenschwander, conductor) - 29 October 2021
  • Ohio Wesleyan (Delaware, Ohio) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Rich Edwards, conductor) - 17 May 2021
  • Georgia State University (Atlanta) Wind Orchestra (Tina Christiansen, conductor) - 28 April 2021
  • McLennan Community College (Waco, Tx.) Wind Ensemble (John Conrad, conductor) - 22 April 2021
  • University of North Texas (Denton) Concert Band (Joel Davidson, conductor) - 16 April 2021
  • Western Illinois University (Macomb) Concert Band (Matt Thomas, conductor) - 9 April 2021
  • University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg) Concert Band A (Travis Higa, conductor) - 16 November 2020
  • Traverse City (Mich.) West Senior High (Chad Mielens, conductor) - 11 December 2019
  • University of Colorado Boulder Concert Band (Jason Steinmetz, conductor) – 9 December 2019
  • California State University Northridge Wind Ensemble (Lawrence Stoffel, conductor) – 19 November 2019
  • Houghton (N.Y.) College Wind Ensemble (Marissa Perez, conductor) – 1 November 2019
  • Stephen F. Austin State University (Nacogdoches, Tx.) Wind Symphony (Tamey Anglley, conductor) – 15 October 2019
  • University of California, Santa Barbara, Wind Ensemble (Paul Bambach, conductor) – 30 May 2019
  • Stuart (Fla.) Community Concert Band (Jim LeBob, conductor) – 28 April 2019


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources

  • Miles, Richard B., and Larry Blocher. (2010). Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 1. Chicago: GIA Publications. pp. 548-558.
  • Woojcik, John. (1998, February) “Scenes from The Louvre: A performance analysis of Dello Joio’s Grade 4 piece for band.” The Instrumentalist 52(7), 46-58