Yiddish Dances

Adam Gorb

General Info

Year: 1997
Duration: c. 16:00
Difficulty: VI (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Maecenas Music
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - £87.50 | Score Only (print) - £26.00

Movements

1. Khosidl – 3:15
2. Terkishe – 2:15
3. Doina – 2:00
4. Hora – 4:25
5. Freylachs – 4:15

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
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
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III (3 players), including:

Bass Drum
Bongo
Clash Cymbals
Cowbell
Hi-Hat
Snare Drums (2)
Suspended Cymbals (2)
Tambourine
Temple Blocks (5)
Tom-toms
Triangle
Wood block
Xylophone

Errata

In Parts:

Trumpet II, Mvt. 1, b.6: Second note (A) is missing in the part.

In Score and Parts:

Horn in F I-IV, Movement 2/6 bars before rehearsal 24: Bass clef notation is quite confusing. To clear things up, this should be old bass clef horn notation instead of the modern one (in other words, the printed notes in bass clef are played an octave higher than written).

Program Notes

Yiddish Dances was commissioned by Timothy Reynish for his 60th birthday. It is very much a party piece and brings together two of my abiding musical passions: the symphonic wind ensemble and klezmer -- the folk music of the Yiddish speaking people. The piece is about fourteen minutes long and is in five movements, all based on set klezmer dances:

I. Khosidl - a medium tempo 2/4 in which the music moves between satire, sentimentality, and pathos.
II. Terkishe - an up-tempo Jewish tango.
III. Doina - a free recitative in which various instruments in the band get a chance to show off.
IV. Hora - slow 3/8 time with a characteristic rocking rhythm.
V. Freylachs - very fast 2/4 time in which themes from the previous movements are recalled, ending in a riotous “booze-up” for all concerned.

Le Chaim! - to Life!

- Program Note by composer

Media

Audio MP3: Coastal Communities Concert Band (Tom Cole, conductor) – 2020
Audio: Reference recording. University of Florida Wind Symphony (David Waybright, conductor)
Audio CD: Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra (Clark Rundell, conductor) – 2005

State Ratings

Alabama: Class AA
Florida: VI
Kansas: V
Louisiana: IV
North Carolina: VI
North Carolina: Concert Band Masterworks
Oklahoma: V-A
Oregon: VI-A
South Carolina: VI
Tennessee: VI
Virginia: VI

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Pinnacle Winds (Kansas City, Mo.) (John Carmichael, conductor) – 11 December 2023
St Cat's (UK) Ensemble (Adam Broughton, conductor) - 29 October 2023 (2023 National Concert Band Festival, Southern Regional)
Florida International University (Miami) Wind Ensemble (Brenton F. Alston, conductor) - 13 October 2023
North Cheshire (UK) Wind Orchestra (Timothy Reynish, conductor) – 12 March 2023
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Wind Ensemble (John Climer, conductor) – 8 April 2021
University of Central Arkansas (Conway) Wind Ensemble (Ricky Brooks, conductor) – 16 March 2021
Chesapeake Bay Wind Ensemble (Hampton, Va.) (William Garlette, conductor) – 14 December 2019
Western Illinois University (Macomb) Wind Ensemble (Mike Fansler, conductor) – 9 November 2019
University of Manitoba (Winnipeg) Wind Ensemble (Jacqueline Dawson, conductor) – 6 December 2019
Young Artists Wind Ensemble (Boston, Mass.) (David Martins, conductor) – 14 July 2019
Youngstown (Ohio) State University Wind Ensemble (Stephen L. Gage, conductor) – 17 April 2019
University of Cincinnati (Ohio) College-Conservatory of Music Wind Symphony (Kevin Michael Holzman, conductor) – 28 November 2018
University of Wyoming (Laramie) Wind Symphony (Bob Belser, conductor) – 8 November 2018
Boston University (Mass.) Wind Ensemble (David Martins, conductor) – 2 October 2018
Henry (Tx.) Middle School Band (Robert Herrings, conductor) – 16 February 2018 (2018 TMEA Conference, San Antonio)
El Cerrito (Calif.) High School Wind Ensemble (Keith Johnson, conductor) – 15 February 2018 (2018 CASMEC Conference, San Jose)
Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah) Wind Symphony (Don L. Peterson, conductor) – 12 December 2017
New York Wind Symphony (Central Valley) (Richard Rogan, conductor) – 9 December 2017
Cornell University (Ithaca, N.Y.) Wind Symphony (James Spinazzola, conductor) – 17 November 2017
Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester, Eng.) Wind Orchestra (Timothy Reynish, conductor) – 9 March 1998 *Premiere Performance*

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

A Little Tango Music (Flex instrumentation) (2007/2020)

All Wind Works

Adrenaline City (2006)
African Samba (2006)
Ascent (1996/2004)
Awayday (1996)
Awayday (arr. Wintringham) (1999/2015)
Battle Symphony (1999)
Bells Across the Atlantic (2013)
Bermuda Triangle (1994)
Bohemian Revelry (2013)
Bohemian Revelry: For Chamber Ensemble (2013/2021)
Bohemian Revelry (tr. Holland) (2013/2017)
Bridgewater Breeze (1996)
Candlelight Procession (2001)
Concerto for Violin, Viola and Wind Ensemble (2022)
Dances from Crete (2003)
Downtown Diversions (2000)
Eine Kleine Walzermusik (2009)
Eine Kleine Yiddishe Ragmusik (2003)
Elements (1998)
Euphonium Concerto 1997
Farewell (2008)
French Dances Revisited (2004)
A Little Salsa Music
A Little Tango Music (2007)
Metropolis (1992)
Midnight in Buenos Aires (2007)
Out of the Darkness (2023)
Parade of the Wooden Warriors (1999)
Pikes Peak (2017)
Repercussions (2011)
Scenes from an English Landscape
Scenes from Bruegel (1994)
Suite for Winds (1993)
Summer Dances (2012)
Sunrise and Safari (2006)
Symphony No. 1 in C (2000)
Three Way Suite
Towards Nirvana (2002)
Tranquility (2009)
Viderunt Omnes (2014)
Yiddish Dances (1997)
Yiddish Dances (Chamber) (1997/2020)

Resources

Adam Gorb lecture: The Art of Scoring – WASBE Journal Volume 9.
Adam Gorb website
Miles, Richard B., and Larry Blocher. 2002. Teaching Music Through Performance in Band. Volume 4. Chicago: GIA Publications. pp. 740-748.