Belle of the Ball

Leroy Anderson

General Info

Year: 1951
Duration: 3:00
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Belwin Mills/Kalmus
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $60.00 | Score Only (print) - $5.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
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
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Percussion (4 players), including:

Bass Drum
Bells
Crash Cymbals
Snare Drum

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

The year 1951 was a fairly productive one for Leroy Anderson, yielding a number of popular works that included Plink, Plank, Plunk!, The Phantom Regiment, Blue Tango, China Doll, the song version of Sleigh Ride, and this delightful piece, Belle of the Ball. Like most of the composer's efforts, it is light, effervescent, and devoid of conflict or disharmony. Anderson looked upon the piece as a modern-day American revival -- or revitalization -- of the Viennese waltz tradition. Having said that, the main theme sounds rather unlike a Strauss waltz, but the voice of Tchaikovsky is evident in its playful, fantasy-like character. The melody is rhythmic and comes in short groups of notes, beginning with two notes, then three, then expanding further; the music skates along elegantly. The middle section features a delightful variation on the theme, in which Anderson's gentle belled sonorities impart a playful innocence.

- Program Note by Robert Cummings

Media

Audio CD: Dallas Wind Symphony (Frederick Fennell, conductor)

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

La Crosse (Wisc.) Wind Symphony (Jack C. Krauklis, conductor ) - 23 April 2023
Karl L. King Municipal Band (Fort Dodge, Iowa) (Jerrold P. Jimmerson, conductor) - 10 July 2022
Cottonwood Community Band (Sedona, Ariz.) (Sy Brandon, conductor) – 17 March 2019
Stuart (Fla.) Community Concert Band (Jim LeBon, conductor) - 10 February 2019
Peninsula Symphonic Band (Palo Alto, Calif.) (Ted Henderson, conductor) - 20 May 2018
Oak Ridge (Tenn.) Community Band/Wind Ensemble (Dale Pendley, conductor) - 15 April 2018
Virginia (Alexandria) Grand Military Band (Loras John Schissel, conductor) – 16 September 2017
State College (Penn.) Area Municipal Band (Ned C. Deihl, conductor) – 12 February 2017
Virginia Grand Military Band (Alexandria) (Loras John Schissel, conductor) – 4 February 2017
Atascadero Community Band (Jennifer Martin, conductor) - 2 November 2013
Band of Long Island (Michael Flamhaft, conductor) - 2013

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)
Serenata (rev/ed. Rogers) (1947/2023)
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. (1951). Belle of the Ball: Concert Band [score]. Belwin-Mills: [s.l.]
"Leroy Anderson: Belle of the Ball." Allmusic. Web. Accessed 12 May 2018
Leroy Anderson website Accessed 14 May 2021