Galop (tr. Hunsberger)

From Wind Repertory Project
Dmitri Shostakovich

Dmitri Shostakovich (trans. Donald Hunsberger)


Subtitle: From the musical comedy Moscow, Cheremushky


General Info

Year: 1959 / 1971
Duration: c. 2:10
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Hal Leonard
Cost: Score and Parts - $75.00   |   Score Only - $8.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-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
Timpani
Harp (optional)
Percussion (5 players), including:

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


Errata

In Parts:

  • B-flat Trumpet II, m.89, b.2&: C should be C-sharp


Program Notes

Admirers of Shostakovich’s symphonies and concertos are likely unaware that the composer also wrote a substantial quantity of lighter music. In his early days he composed incidental music and songs for many plays and even created full-fledged operas and film scores. Among them is the operetta Moscow, Cheryomushki which opened on January 24, 1959, to substantial success.

Moscow, Cheryomushki (often shortened to Cheryomushki) is an operetta (light opera) in three acts, libretto by the team of Vladimir Mass and Mikhail Chervinsky, the leading Soviet humorists at that time. The satirical plot deals with a theme common to the people of Soviet Russia and the Cheryomushki District: affordable housing. This district became the location for a massive subsidized housing project in the 1950s. The operetta tells a story of a group of friends who have been granted new apartments in the Cheryomushki. With each character, we see common issues associated with living in these areas: shared living spaces, corrupt politicians, and sneaky bureaucrats.

Galop is representative of the light, humorous style of the operetta. With its fast moving and comical lines, Shostakovich captures the humor (and melancholy) of the libretto, expertly.

- Program Note by the San Francisco Wind Ensemble concert program, 5 October 2013


This rousing gallop was part of a musical comedy and film Moscow, Cheremushky. The story takes place in late 1950s Moscow, where a smart new block of apartments has been built and everyone is desperate to live there. Newlyweds Sasha (a crane operator) and Masha (an explosives expert) along with their friends Boris (a chauffeur) and Sergei (a cook) all dream of having a place of their own. While keys are withheld from their rightful owners, Sasha lifts Boris and Sergei up to their new home in her crane. During a later scene as Sasha and Masha host a house-warming party, a local government official (who illegally plans to knock two apartments into one for his ambitious new wife) comes bursting through the neighboring wall. It is during this scene that Galop is scored. The score accompanies a reckless chase full of physical comedy. At the end of this unusual story, the residents find a way of exposing all the corruption, and the wrong-doers are defeated, leaving everyone else to live happily ever after.

- Program Note by Steven Smyth for the Iowa State University Symphonic Band concert program, 22 February 2017


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • The Ohio State University (Columbus) Collegiate Winds (Phil Day, conductor) - 5 December 2023
  • Kennesaw State University (Ga.) University Band (Daniel Lee, conductor) - 29 November 2023
  • Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.) Concert Band (Daniel J. Farris, conductor) - 12 November 2023
  • Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.) Symphonic Band (Shawn Vondran, conductor) - 10 February 2023
  • Cuesta Wind Ensemble (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) (Jennifer Martin, conductor) - 26 October 2022
  • Chicago Wind Symphony (Chicago, Ill.) (Michael McCain, conductor) - 20 August 2022
  • Toronto (Ont., Can.) Youth Symphonic Winds (Dan Horner, conductor) - 30 April 2022
  • OMEA District 4 & 7 Hoosier Band (Rodney Dorsey, conductor) – 13 November 2021 (OMEA All-State Conference 2021, Cleveland State University)
  • Bemidji (Minn.) State University Wind Ensemble (Scott Guidry, conductor) - 18 April 2021
  • Northshore Concert Band (Evanston, Ill.) (Mallory Thompson, conductor) - 14 February 2021
  • Lincoln Middle School (Santa Monica, Calif.) Wind Symphony (Salvador Muñoz, conductor) - 22 February 2020 (2020 CASMEC Conference, Fresno)
  • West Chester University (Penn.) Concert Band (M. Gregory Martin, conductor) – 4 December 2019
  • Central Michigan University (Mount Pleasant) Wind Symphony (James Batcheller, conductor) – 26 November 2019
  • University of Manitoba (Winnipeg) Concert Band (Ryan Wehrle, conductor) – 18 October 2019
  • University of Texas at Tyler Wind Ensemble (Jeffrey Emge, conductor) - 10 October 2019
  • Kennesaw (Ga.) State University University Band (Joseph Scheivert, conductor) – 7 October 2019
  • Middlesex Concert Band (Wakefield, Mass.) (Joseph Nuccio, conductor) – 8 June 2019
  • University of California, Los Angeles, Symphonic Band (Janet Kim, conductor) – 29 May 2019
  • Cuesta Wind Ensemble (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) (Jennifer Martin, conductor) – May 19, 2019


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

  • Waltz No. 2 (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Brown) (post 1956/2021)


All Wind Works


Resources

  • Moscow, Cheryomushki. Wikipedia. Accessed 7 August 2023
  • Shostakovich, D.; Hunsburger, D. [1971]. Galop: from the musical comedy Moscow, Cheremushky [score]. Boston Music: [Boston].