Dance of the Jesters

Peter I. Tchaikovsky

Peter I Tchaikovsky (trans. Ray E Cramer)

General Info

Year: 1873 / 1997
Duration: c. 4:45
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: Curnow Music Press
Cost: Score and Parts - $129.00   |   Score Only - $25.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
Piccolo I-II
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
Eb Soprano Clarinet
Bb Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
Eb Alto Clarinet
Bb Bass Clarinet
Eb Contra-Alto Clarinet
Bb Contrabass Clarinet
Eb Alto Saxophone I-II
Bb Tenor Saxophone
Eb Baritone Saxophone
Bb Trumpet I-II
Bb Cornet I-II
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-II
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III

• Bass Drum
• Crash Cymbals
• Snare Drum
• Tambourine
• Triangle
• Xylophone

Errata

There is a missing accent on beat two in measure 349 of the tenor saxophone part.

Professor Cramer's program note from the score (copied below) erroneously attributes this music to a nonexistent ballet entitled The Snow Maidens. It is actually from incidental music to an 1873 play by Alexander Ostrovsky entitled The Snow Maiden.

Program Notes

Dance of the Jesters is a prime example of Tchaikovsky’s keen sense of musical nationalism. Originally composed as incidental music for the ballet The Snow Maidens, the dance forever captures the color and zest of Russian folk dance music. The ballet about the Snow Maiden, the daughter of Father Frost, tells of her forbidden love with a human, Misgir, who is already betrothed to Coupava. The Snow Maiden follows him southward with plans to interrupt his wedding, but tragically melts under the rays of the southern sun.

Upon meeting Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1868, Tchaikovsky renewed his keen sense of musical nationalism. Inspired by the master composer, Tchaikovsky's compositional style would forever capture the color and zest of Russian folk dance and music. The flurry, energetic drive and playful melodies associated with his ballet scores are all heard in this rare and invigorating music. This edition comes from an arrangement from the ballet The Snow Maidens that was originally transcribed for a Russian military band.

- Program Note from transcriber

Dance of the Jesters (Dance of the Buffoons) is one of the more commonly performed works from The Snow Maiden, often used as an encore in orchestral settings. In the band transcription, Cramer captures the flurry and energetic spirit of the original work with brass fanfares, playful ballet melodies, rapid woodwind and keyboard passages, along with invigorating percussion scoring which punctuates throughout.

- Program Note by Rich Pauch for the Wheaton Municipal Band concert program, 21 December 2017

Commercial Discography

• Audio CD: Texas A&A University Symphonic Band (Timothy Rhea, conductor)

Audio Links

Sample download; ensemble and conductor unknown

State Ratings

• Alabama: Class AA
• Indiana: ISSMA SENIOR BAND GROUP I
• Louisiana: IV
• Michigan: Senior High AA
• North Carolina: VI
• Texas: V. Complete
• Virginia: V

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

• Triangle Wind Ensemble (Cary, N.C.) (Evan Feldman, conductor) – 15 December 2019
• Ithaca (N.Y.) College Wind Ensemble (Christopher Hughes, conductor) – 12 December 2019
• Duke University (Durham, N.C.) Wind Symphony (Verena Mösenbichler-Bryant, conductor) – 14 November 2019
• Yolo Community Band (Woodland, Calif.) (Bobby Rogers, conductor) - 1 June 2019
• Andrews University (Berrien Springs, Mich.) Wind Symphony (Edgar Luna, conductor) – 13 April 2019
• United States Coast Guard Band (New London, Conn.) (Adam Williamson, conductor) – 14 April 2019
• University of Texas (Austin) Wind Symphony (Scott Hanna, conductor) – 5 April 2019
• University of Oklahoma (Norman) Wind Symphony (Shanti Simon, conductor) – 25 February 2019
• CBDNA Small Band Programs Intercollegiate Band (Tempe, Ariz.) (Rodney Dorsey, conductor) – 23 February 2019 (CBDNA 2019 National Conference, Tempe, Ariz.)
• Pacific Lutheran University (Parkland, Wash.) Wind Ensemble (Edwin Powell, conductor) – 8 February 2019
• University of Minnesota (Minneapolis) Symphonic Band (Jerry Luckhardt, conductor) – 11 October 2018
• University of Wisconsin-Madison Wind Ensemble (Scott Teeple, conductor) – 5 October 2018
• The Ohio State University (Columbus) Collegiate Winds (David Hedgecoth, conductor) – 4 October 2018
• Syracuse University (NY) Wind Ensemble (Bradley P. Ethington, conductor) - 19 April 2018
• Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah) Wind Symphony (Don L. Peterson, conductor) – 13 April 2018
• University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) Concert Band (Courtney Snyder, conductor) – 16 March 2018
• New Orleans (La.) Concert Band (Charles Taylor, conductor) – 11 March 2018
• Truman University (Kirksville, Mo.) Wind Symphony I (Timothy Clasby, conductor) – 8 March 2018

Works for Winds by this Composer

• 1812 Overture (arr. Lake) (1880)
• 1812 Overture (arr. Kimura) (1880)
• 1812 Overture (arr. Mol) (1880)
• 1812 Overture (arr. Laurendeau, ed. Schissel) (1880/1904/2010)
• 1812 Overture (arr. Whitcomb) (1880)
• 1812 Overture (arr. Williams) (1880/1997)
• 1812 Overture (tr. Patterson) (1880)
• Andante Cantabile (arr. Safranek) (/1913)
• Capriccio Italien (tr. Hindsley) (1880/1984)
• Characteristic Dances from "The Nutcracker Suite" (arr. Rogan/McAllster/Reed)
• Cossak Dance (tr. Bourgeois) (2008)
• Dance of the Jesters (arr. Cramer) (1873/1997)
• Dance of the Reed Flutes (arr. Cook) (1892/1990)
• Dance of the Reed Flutes (arr. Schwalbe) (1892/2015?)
• Dances from The Oprichnik (tr. Bourgeois) (1872/2008)
• Dances des mirlitons (arr. Buitenhuis) (1892/)
• Entry March from "Swan Lake" (tr. Billis) (1877/1996)
• Faeries (arr. Davis; adapt. Longfield) (1891/)
• Festive Overture on the Danish National Anthem (arr. Godfrey) (1908)
• Finale from Symphony in F minor No 4 (arr. Safranek) (ed. Ragsdale) (1878/1912/2004)
• Finale from Symphony in F minor No 4 (tr Hindsley) (tr. Hindsley) (1878/197-?)
• Finale from Symphony in F minor No 4 (arr Sato) (arr. Sato) (1878/2014)
• Gems of Tchaikovsky (arr. Clark) (1917)
• Jurisprudence (1885)
• Le Lac des Cygnes: Act I, Scene 1 (arr. Nefs) (1876/)
• Mad Russian's Christmas, A (arr. Phillips and Megaw) (1891/1996/2015)
• Marche Militaire (arr. Schaeffer)
• March from "The Sleeping Beauty" (arr. Bourgeois) (1890/2018)
• March Slav (tr. Daehn) (1876/1994)
• March Slav (orch. Simpson) (1876/2000)
• Marche Slav (arr. Laurendeau) (1876/1906)
• Marche Slave (arr. Godfrey) (1876/1917)
• Miniature Overture from "Suite from 'The Nutcracker'" (tr. Rogan; ed. McAlister and Reed) (1892/2001)
• Nutcracker Fantasy, The (ad. Yo Goto)
• Nutcracker Suite (arr. Lake) (1891/1924)
• Nutcracker Suite (arr. Curnow) (1891/1987)
• Nutcracker Suite (arr. Lavender) (1891/1999)
• Nutcracker Sweets (arr. Corwell) (1891/2010)
• Polonaise from "Third Suite" (arr. Godfrey) (1884/1916)
• Romeo and Juliet (trans. Hindsley) (1880/?)
• Scenes from "The Nutcracker" (arr. Story) (1884/2010)
• Selections from "The Nutcracker Suite" (arr. Longfield) (1884/1992)
• Sleeping Beauty, The (arr. Bennett) (1960)
• Sleeping Beauty: Waltz (arr. Eilhardt) (1889)
• Suite from "Swan Lake" (tr. Yodo) (1876/)
• Suite from the Ballet "The Swan Lake" (arr. Godfrey) (1876/1911)
• Symphony No. 6 (arr. Hindsley)
  • Symphony No. 6 -- First Movement (arr. Hindsley) (1893/197-?)
  • Symphony No. 6 -- Third Movement (arr. Hindsley) (1893/197-?)
• Tchaikovskyana (arr. Daehn) (1979/2015)
• Tchaikovsky's Greatest Hits (arr. Moss) (2003)
• Theme and Variations from "Suite in G Major" (arr. Winterbottom) (1884/1937)
• Themes from "The Nutcracker Suite" (arr. Johnson) (1891/1952)
• Waltz from "Sleeping Beauty" (tr. Lake) (1889/1937)
• Waltz of the Flowers (tr. Lake) (1892/1919)

References

• Tchaikovsky, P.; Cramer, R. (1997). Dance of the Jesters [score]. Curnow Music Press: Wilmore, KY.