Fantaisie brilliante
Jean-Baptiste Arban (arr. Donald Hunsberger)
Subtitle: For Wynton Marsalis
General Info
Year: 1861 / 1987?/ 2011
Duration: c. 8:20
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Cornet and piano
Publisher: Alfred Music
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $150.00 | Score Only (print) - $30.00
Instrumentation
Full Score
Solo B-flat Cornet
C Piccolo/Flute III
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III-IV
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Harp
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV, including:
- Bass Drum
- Bells
- Castanets
- Crash Cymbals
- Snare Drum
- Suspended Cymbal
- Tambourine
- Xylophone
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Inspired by the virtuosity of Niccolo Paganinni, Jean-Baptiste Arban set out to establish the cornet as a virtuoso solo instrument. To accomplish this, he wrote a Grande Methode in 1864 to develop the technique required to perform virtuoso compositions. Many of his solo works are in use today, and many are based on popular tunes of the day.
Fantasie Brilliante is a classic example of Arban’s solo works, and was first arranged for soloist with band accompaniment by John Philip Sousa in 1885. The solo is based on melodies from Pietro il Grande, an opera by Lauro Rossi. Arban dedicated this solo to His Majesty King Georges of the Hellenes.
- Program Note from Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music
Scored for trumpet soloist Wynton Marsalis, Donald Hunsberger's band accompaniment arrangement of Fantasie Brillante No. 3 in Jean-Baptiste Arban's collection of Fantasias and Variations possesses a breadth of musical styles that demand strict formal analysis in addition to interpretative and technical requirements. The opening section features a flowing melodic passage followed by a technical passage with a return to the style of the opening melody. The theme is then stated which leads into three variations that employ variants in triplet groupings, quadruple 16th-note groupings, and finally, the ever-present triple tonguing, once again a primary technical resource utilized in this and others of the Fantasias.
Fantasie Brillante is one of eleven solos in the Marsalis/Hunsberger Carnaval project.
- Program Note from publisher
Media
- Audio: Reference recording. U.S. Navy Band (Ken Collins, conductor; Christopher Sala, cornet)
- Audio CD: Eastman Wind Ensemble (Donald Hunsberger, conductor; Wynton Marsalis, cornet) - 1987
- Audio CD: The Musashino Academia Musicae Wind Ensemble (Kenneth Bloomquist, conductor; Christopher Martin, trumpet) - 2006
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Hanover Wind Symphony (Morristown, N.J.) (Matthew J. Paterno, conductor; Kenneth DeCarlo, trumpet) - 3 April 2022
- Slippery Rock (Penn.) University Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Jonathan Helmick, conductor; Micah Holt, trumpet) – 16 October 2018
- The Musashino Academia Musicae (Tokyo, Japan) Wind Ensemble (Kenneth Bloomquist, conductor; Christopher Martin, trumpet) – 20 December 2006 (2006 Midwest Clinic)
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Caprice et variations (arr. Hunsberger) (2011)
- Carnival of Venice (as arranger) (c. 1865/2015)
- Carnival of Venice (arr. Staigers) (1928/1936)
- Etude No. 11 (arr. Lillya) (1950)
- Fantaisie brilliante (arr. Hunsberger) (1861/1987?/2011)
- Variations on a Tyrolean Theme (arr. Green)
- Variations on the Carnival of Venice (arr. Hunsberger) (2015)