Sleigh Ride

Leroy Anderson

General Info

Year: 1948
Duration: c. 2:45
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Belwin Mills/Alfred
Cost: Score and Parts - $70.00 | Full Score - $9.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
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 Cornet I-II-III
B-flat Trumpet I-II
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Percussion I-II-III (4-7 players), including:

Bass Drum
Cymbals
Glockenspiel (extended high range with high F required)
Sleigh Bells
Snare Drum
Temple Blocks (2)
Whip
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Sleigh Ride is a light orchestra standard whose music was composed by Leroy Anderson. The composer had formed the original idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946, and he finished the work in February 1948. The original recordings were instrumental versions. The lyrics, about riding in a sleigh and other fun wintertime activities, were written by Mitchell Parish in 1950. The orchestral version was first recorded in 1949 by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra. A selection of the artists who have recorded it include Herb Alpert, The Andrews Sisters, The Carpenters, Bing Crosby, The Boston Pops Orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald, the amazing Debbie Gibson, The Muppets, and Andy Williams.

- Program Note from Wikipedia

Media

Audio CD: VanderCook College of Music Symphonic Band (Charles T. Menghini, conductor) – 2003
Audio CD: Leroy Anderson, conductor orchestral version

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Atlanta (Ga.) Wind Symphony (David Kehler, conductor) - 3 December 2023
West Valley High School (Yakima, Wash.) Wind Ensemble (Kirk Knight, conductor) - 5 January 2023
Dallas (Tx.) Winds (Shiree X. Williams, conductor) - 21 December 2022
Patrick Henry High School (Roanoke, Va.) Wind Symphony (Alexander Schmitt, conductor) - 20 December 2022
Kanawha Valley (W. Va.) Community Band (David Williams, conductor) - 16 December 2022
South Carolina Governor's School of the Arts (Greenville) Wind Ensemble (Leslie W. Hicken, conductor) - 12 December 2022
Triangle Wind Ensemble (Cary, N.C.) (Evan Feldman, conductor) - 11 December 2022
Beaver County Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Rochester, Penn.) (Kevin Newton, conductor) - 10 December 2022
Peninsula Concert Band (Williamsburg, Va.) (Ronnie Tong, conductor) - 7 December 2022
Piedmont Wind Symphony (Winston-Salem, N.C.) (Mark A. Norman, conductor) - 6 December 2022
Bluewater Wind Ensemble (Sarnia, Ont., Can.) (Charles Dalmas, conductor) - 24 November 2022
Dallas (Tx.) Winds (Jerry Junkin, conductor) - 22 December 2021
Bishop Carroll High School (Calgary, Alb., Can.) Symphonic Band (Cassandra Anvik, conductor) - 10 December 2021
National Concert Band of America (Washington, D.C.) (Adrian Holton, conductor) - 5 December 2021
North Central College (Naperville, Ill.) Concert Winds (Lawrence Van Oyen, conductor) - 5 December 2021
Grace College (Winona Lake, Ind.) Wind Ensemble (Eric Criss, conductor) – 29 November 2021
Florida State University (Tallahassee) Concert Band (Chandler L. Wilson, conductor) - 22 November 2021
San Antonio (Tx.) Community Wind Ensemble (Albert Aguilar, conductor) - 13 December 2020
Central College (Pella, Iowa) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Eileen McGonigal, conductor) - 10 December 2020
Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, Minn.) Bands (Heidi Johanna Miller, conductor) - 8 December 2020
Texas Christian University (Fort Worth) Symphonic Band (Brian Youngblood, conductor) - 3 December 2020
University of Central Missouri (Warrensburg) Symphonic Band (Anthony Pursell, conductor) - 2 December 2020

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

Sleigh Ride (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Fernie) (1948/)
Sleigh Ride (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Torskangerpoll) (1948/2020)

All Wind Works

Belle of the Ball (1951)
Blue Tango (1951)
Blue Tango (arr. Ployhar) (1951/1980)
The Bluebells of Scotland (1954/1962)
Bugler's Holiday (arr. Edwards) (1954)
The Captains and Kings (1962)
China Doll (1951/1953)
A Christmas Festival (1950)
A Christmas Festival (arr. Smith) (1950/2007)
Clarinet Candy (1962)
Concerto in C for Piano and Symphonic Wind Orchestra (arr. Murschinski) (1953/2008)
Fiddle-Faddle (arr. Lang) (1947)
Forgotten Dreams (1954)
The Girl I Left Behind Me. See: Irish Suite: The Girl I Left Behind Me
The Girl in Satin (1953)
The Golden Years (1962)
Home Stretch (1962)
Horse and Buggy (1951)
Irish Suite: The Girl I Left Behind Me (1949)
Irish Suite: The Irish Washerwoman (1947)
Irish Suite: The Last Rose of Summer (arr. Wagner) (1950/2010)
Irish Suite: The Minstrel Boy (as arranger) (1947/1952/2009)
Irish Suite: The Rakes of Mallow (1947)
Irish Suite: The Wearing of the Green (arr. Wagner) (1947/2009)
Jazz Pizzicato (arr. Lang) (1938)
The Last Rose of Summer. See: Irish Suite: The Last Rose of Summer
Leroy Anderson, a Legacy in Sound (arr. Smith) (1991/2008)
A Leroy Anderson Portrait (arr. Barnes) (1982/2006)
Lullaby of the Drums (1970)
March of the Two Left Feet (orch. Boyd) (1969/2008)
The Penny Whistle Song (1951)
The Phantom Regiment (1951)
Pirate Dance (1962)
Promenade (arr. Lang) (1945/1948)
Promenade (arr. Wagner) (1945/2017)
Pyramid Dance (1960)
The Rakes of Mallow. See: Irish Suite: The Rakes of Mallow
Sandpaper Ballet (1954)
Selections from Leroy Anderson's "Irish Suite" (arr. Wagner) (1947/2011)
Serenata (1947)
Sleigh Ride (1948)
Sleigh Ride (Brass Ensemble) (arr. Fernie) (1948/2010)
Sleigh Ride (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Fernie) (1948/)
Sleigh Ride (arr. Mellema) (1948/)
Sleigh Ride (arr. Ployhar) (1948/1980)
Sleigh Ride (arr. Schwalgin) (1948/)
Sleigh Ride (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Torskangerpoll) (1948/2020)
Sleigh Ride (arr. Warner) (1948/2006)
Sleigh Ride (ed. Woodfield) (1948/)
Song of Jupiter (as arranger) (1952)
Song of the Bells (1953)
Suite of Carols for Brass (1955)
Suite of Carols for Woodwinds (1955)
Summer Skies (1953)
The Syncopated Clock (1945)
The Syncopated Clock (arr. Lang) (1946/1948)
The Syncopated Clock (arr. Schubert) (1946/1997)
Ticonderoga March (ed. Boyd) (1939)
A Trumpeter's Lullaby (arr. Lang) (1950/1978)
The Typewriter (arr. Heide) (1950/)
The Typewriter (arr. Werle) (1950)
The Waltzing Cat (arr. Lang) (1950)
The Wearing of the Green. See: Irish Suite: The Wearing of the Green

Resources

Anderson, L. (1948). Sleigh Ride [score]. Belwin-Mills: Melville, N.Y.
Leroy Anderson website Accessed 14 May 2021
Pease, Andy. "Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson." Wind Band Literature, 14 December 2020. Web. Accessed 14 December 2020
Sleigh Ride/ Wikipedia. Accessed 30 November 2021