Flight of the Bumblebee (arr Davis)

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

General Info

Year: 1900 / 1978
Duration: c. 1:25
Difficulty: V (solo)/ III (band) (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: Ludwig-Masters
Cost: Score and Parts - $55.00 | Score Only - $10.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
Solo Flute
Solo Clarinet
Solo Alto Saxophone
Solo Cornet/Trumpet/Euphonium
Solo Mallet
Flute/Oboe
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone/Baritone T.C./Bass Clarinet
E-flat Baritone Saxophone/Alto Clarinet
B-flat Cornet I-II-III
Horn in F
Trombone
Euphonium (Bass Clef)/Bassoon
Tuba/String Bass
Timpani
Percussion, including:

Tambourine
Triangle
Wood Block

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Flight of the Bumblebee is an orchestral interlude written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov for his opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan, composed in 1899–1900. The piece closes Act III, Tableau 1, during which the magic Swan-Bird changes Prince Gvidon Saltanovich (the Tsar's son) into an insect so that he can fly away to visit his father (who does not know that he is alive). Although in the opera the Swan-Bird sings during the first part of the "Flight", her vocal line is melodically uninvolved and easily omitted; this feature, combined with the fact that the number decisively closes the scene, made easy extraction as an orchestral concerto piece possible.

- Program Note from Wikipedia

Flight of the Bumblebee closes Act Ill, Tableau 1 of Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tale of Tsar Saltan. Written in 1899-1900 based on a poem by Aleksandr Pushkin, the opera was first performed in Moscow on November 3, 1900.

In the opera, the Swan-Bird changes the Tsar’s son into a bumblebee so he can fly over the sea to visit his father, who had presumed his son dead. Although it was originally written for the Swan-Bird to sing at the beginning, this vocal part is generally omitted when the Flight is performed as a separate concert piece.

- Program Note from Cockrill Middle School Honors Band concert program, 14 December 2016

Media

(Needed - please join the WRP if you can help.)

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Truman State University (Kirksville, Mo.) Wind Symphony II (Vivian Scott, conductor; Autumn Heath, clarinet) - 16 November 2022
L. V. Berkner High School (Richardson, Tx.) Symphonic Band I (Jason Schayot, conductor; Julian Bliss, clarinet) - 18 December 2019 (2019 Midwest Clinic)
Saitama (Japan) Sakae High School Wind Orchestra (Akira Oku, conductor) - 14 February 2019 (2019 TMEA Conference, San Antonio)
Cockrill Middle School (McKinney, Texas) Honors Band (Gary Williams, conductor; Ken Moses, trombone) - 14 December 2016 (2016 Midwest Clinic)
Atascadero (Calif.) Community Band (Randy Schwalbe, conductor) – 1 November 2015
Oak Harbor High School (Washington) Wind Ensemble (Bruce D. Lantz, conductor; Mary Tries, alto saxophone) – 24 May 2012

Works for Winds by This Composer

Bolero for Band
Capriccio Espagnol (tr. Courtain) (1887/1959)
Capriccio Espagnol (tr. Hindsley) (1887)
Capriccio Espagnol (arr. Williams) (1887/1993)
Capriccio Espagnol (arr. Winterbottom) (1887/1923)
Capriccio Espagnole (arr. Nefs) (1887/2015)
Concerto for B-flat Clarinet and Wind Orchestra (ed. Seely) (1878/2000)
Concerto for Trombone and American Band (arr. Nallin) (1877/1952-1953)
Concerto for Trombone and Military Band (ed. Makarov) (1877/1950)
Concerto for Trombone and Military Band (ed. McAlister) (1877/1981)
Concertstück in Eb for Clarinet and Military Band (adapt. Piket) (1878/1981)
Cortege from "Mlada" (1890)
Dance of the Buffoons (tr. Sartorius) (1882/1935)
Dance of the Tumblers (arr. Balent) (1882/2000)
Dance of the Tumblers (arr. Curnow) (1882/2012)
Dance of the Tumbers (arr. Vosbein) (1882/1991)
Dubinuska (tr. Schreurs) (1906/2018)
Fanfare, Canto and Fandango (arr. Custer) (1887/1996)
Festival at Baghdad (arr. Winterbottom) (1888/1912)
Festival at Baghdad. See also: Scheherazade
Flight of the Bumblebee (arr. Davis) (1900/1978)
Flight of the Bumblebee (arr. Murtha) (1900/)
The Golden Cockerel (arr. Lake) (1922)
Mlada Suite (arr. Glocke) (1890)
Notturno (ed. King) (1888/1957/2001)
Polonaise (arr. McLain) (1895/2017)
Polonaise (arr. Duthoit) (1895/1937)
Polonaise from "Pan Voyevoda" (arr. Bourgeois) (1903/2013)
Procession of the Nobles (arr. Bocook)
Procession of the Nobles (arr. Leidzen)
Quintet in B-flat major (1876)
Quintet in B-flat major (ed. Kirkor) (1876/1951)
Russian Easter Overture (tr. Johnson) (1888/2013)
Russian Easter Overture (arr. Bocook) (1888/2000)
Russian Easter Overture (arr. Erickson) (1888/1994)
Russian Easter Overture (arr. Harnsberger) (1888/2005)
Russian Easter Overture (arr. Kasama) (1888/)
Scheherazade (tr. Bocook) (1888/2006)
Scheherazade (tr. Hindsley) (1888/197-?)
- Scheherazade I The Sea and Sinbad's Ship (tr. Hindsley) (1888/197-?)
- Scheherazade II The Story of the Kalandar Prince (tr. Hindsley) (1888/1986)
- Scheherazade III The Young Prince and Princess (tr. Hindsley) (1888/197-?)
- Scheherazade IV Festival at Baghdad (tr. Hindsley) (1888/197-?)
Scheherazade (arr. Mortimer) (1888/2000)
Scheherazade (tr. Patterson) (1888/)
Scheherazade Selections (arr. Harnsberger) (1888/2009)
A Song of India (arr. Lake) (1896/1920)
Song of India (arr. van der Beek) (1896/2008)
Song of India (arr. Hautvast) (1896/2017)
Suite from "Le Coq D'or" (arr. Hanna)
Symphony No. 2 (tr. Southard) (1868/2015)
The Tsar's Bride Overture (tr. Harding) (1899/1954)
The Tsar's Farewell (arr. Reed) (2001)
Variations on a Theme of Glinka (ed. McAlister) (1878/1987)
Wedding March from The Golden Cockerel (tr. Harding) (1957)

Resources

Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov." Accessed 9 September 2015
Flight of the bumblebee, Wikipedia.
Rimsky-Korsakov, N.; Davis, A. (1978). Flight of the Bumblebee: For Solo and Band [score]. Ludwig Music: Cleveland, Ohio.