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Blazhen Muzh
Sergei Rachmaninoff (arr. William V Johnson)
Subtitle: (Blessed Be the Man); From Vespers (All-Night Vigil) Op.37
General Info
Year: 1915/2012
Duration: c. 4:00
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Manuscript
For availability information, see Discussion tab, above.
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
Contrabass 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-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Choral music makes up a relative small part of Rachmaninoff’s creative output, yet his Vespers is praised as his finest achievement. This work consists of 15 liturgical choral works for a-capella choir and was composed in less than two weeks in January and February 1915. The first performance was given in Moscow on March 10th of that year. It was received warmly by critics and audiences alike, and was so successful that it was performed five more times within a month. “Even in my dreams I could not have imagined that I would write such a work,” Rachmaninoff told the singers at the first performance.
Vespers draws from the ancient musical tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church, with its self-effacing focus on communal worship. The work shows Rachmaninoff anticipating an alternative to modernism’s abrupt break with tradition by reclaiming early-music elements outside the mainstream classical tradition -- a strategy that continues to be followed by a wide spectrum of contemporary composers.
For years I have been fascinated and moved by the beauty of these choral pieces. Working with woodwinds and brasses and even percussion, I have come to realize that the wind band is much like a choir with its many colors and vocal-like emphasis on blend and balance. Indeed, Percy Grainger’s Hortstow Grange for wind band sounds much like a Russian choir, and some of the wind band works of Eric Whitacre and Frank Ticheli are transcriptions of beautifully lush choral works.
- Program Notes by William V. Johnson
Media
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra (William V. Johnson, conductor) - 8 December 2012
Works for Winds by This Composer
Adaptable Music
- Morceaux de fantaisie (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Deterling) (1892/2020)
All Wind Works
- Andante Cantabile (arr. Custer) (1934/1995)
- Bogoroditse Devo (arr. Genervo) (1915/2009)
- Bogoroditse Devo (arr. Salzman). See: Three Vespers from "All-Night Vigil"
- Morceaux de fantaisie (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Deterling) (1892/2020)
- Chimes of Moscow
- Concerto for Piano No. 2, Theme 3rd Mvt. (arr. Lang)
- Evocation of the Spirit (tr. Singleton) (2017)
- Glory and Honor (arr. Houseknecht)
- Hymn (arr. Grauer) (1915/2005)
- Italian Polka (arr. Leidzen) (1941)
- Italian Polka (arr. Lucas) (1938/2006)
- Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor (tr. Oaks) (1901/2007)
- Piano Concerto No. 2, Themes from (arr. Williams)
- Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor (tr. Patterson)
- Prelude in C minor
- Prelude in G minor (arr. Lake) (1901/1922)
- Prelude, Opus 3, No. 2 (arr. Longfield)
- Rachmaninoff Prelude (arr. Cichy)
- Rachmaninoff Prelude (arr. McGinty)
- Russian Liturgy (arr. Singleton) (1910/1999)
- Russian Polka
- Suite from “All-Night Vigil” (Vespers) (arr. Juchniewicz) (1915)
- Symphonic Dance Op 45 No 3 (arr. Satoh) (1940/1984)
- Symphonic Dances, Op 45, No. 3 (arr. Lavender) (1940/2015)
- Symphony No. 1 - Finale (arr. Hanna)
- Symphony No. 2: Adagio (arr. Hanna) (1907/2013)
- Theme from "Piano Concerto No 2" (arr. Bennett) (1901/1947)
- Three Vespers from "All-Night Vigil" (arr. Salzman) (1915/2008)
- Bogoroditse Devo (arr. Salzman) (1915/2005)
- Vespers, Opus 37, for Symphonic Winds (arr. Johnson) (1915/2011)
- Svete Tokhyi (arr. Johnson)
- Blazhen Muzh (arr. Johnson)
- Blagoslovi, Dushe Moya (arr. Johnson)
- Vocalise (arr. Wheeler) (1909/2019)
- Vocalise, Opus 34, No. 14 (arr. Hunsberger) (1909/2004)
- Vocalise, Opus 34, No. 14 (arr. Roszell) (1909/)
Resources
None discovered thus far.