Polonaise (arr Duthoit)

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (arr. William James Duthoit)

Subtitle: From Christmas Eve suite

This work bears the designation QMB Journal 84.

General Info

Year: 1895 / 1937
Duration: c. 4:30
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $80.00 | Score Only (print) - $15.00

For further availability information, see Discussion tab, above.

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II-III
Oboe
Bassoon I-II
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet Solo-I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Cornet Solo-I-II
B-flat Trumpet
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion, including:

Bass Drum
Crash Cymbals
Snare Drum
Triangle

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Polonaise from Christmas Eve suite was originally an opera in four acts and was based on a short story by Nikolay Gogol (earlier, Tchaikovsky had written an opera based on the same story). Rimsky-Korsakov compiled a suite of pieces from the opera a few years later.

The opera itself features supernatural elements that seem better suited to Halloween than Christmas: one Christmas eve, in the little Ukrainian town of Dikanka, a broomstick-riding widow agrees to help the Devil steal the moon. The widow’s son Vakula, however, has annoyed the Devil, who decides to interfere with Vakula’s courtship of Oksana, the girl he loves. Over the course of a single night not only is the moon stolen away, but Vakula captures the Devil and magically travels to St. Petersburg to the court of the tsaritsa. The Polonaise is a version of the music the petitioners at the court sing to praise and honor her. Just as Oksana thinks Vakula is lost and perhaps dead, he reappears to ask her to marry him -- and all ends happily.

- Program Note adapted from Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra

The Polonaise is performed by the chorus in the last scene of the opera.

- Program Note from Wikipedia

Media

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State Ratings

South Carolina: V
Tennessee: V

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Metropolitan Wind Symphony (Lexington, Mass.) (Rick Wyman, conductor) - 3 December 2022
University of Arizona (Tucson) Wind Symphony (Chad Shoopman, conductor) – 10 December 2019
Heart of Texas (San Antonio) Concert Band (Mark Rogers, conductor) - 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

Christmas Eve (opera), Wikipedia Accessed 10 December 2019
Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov." Accessed 25 August 2022
Rimsky-Korsakov, N.; Duthoit, W. (1937). Polonaise, from the Opera Christmas Night, etc. (Arranged for Military Band by W.J. Duthoit.) [Parts.] [score]. Boosey & Hawkes: London.