Three Brazilian Folksongs
Heitor Villa-Lobos (arr. Fenske)
General Info
Year: 1913 / 2014
Duration: c. 4:30
Difficulty: II (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Daehn Publications
Cost: Score and Parts - $76.00 | Score Only - $6.00
Movements
1. The Crab - 1:29
2. The Little Dove Flew Away - 1:50
3. Spider Monkeys - 1:12
Instrumentation
Full Score
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II
Horn in F
Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion I-VI, including:
- Bass Drum
- Bells
- Cabasa
- Guiro
- High Drum
- Maracas
- Suspended Cymbal
- Tambourine
- Triangle
- Vibra-slap
- Whip
- Xylophone
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
From the bouncy little march of The Crab, to the beautiful melody of The Little Dove Flew Away, to the raucous dancing and clapping of Spider Monkeys, this piece is pure fun! A delightful illustration of the genius of Villa-Lobos in his lifelong mission of giving voice to the music of his homeland.
-Program Note from publisher
Between 1905 and 1912, Villa-Lobos made many trips to the northeast of Brazil where the culture was, and still is, a rich blend of influences from Native South Americans, Africans, and Portuguese. It was from these trips that he gathered music for his Guia Prático, six volumes of traditional folk songs used for music education in Brazilian schools. The Crab, The Little Dove Flew Away, and Spider Monkeys (originally entitled The Hunchback) are three of the songs included by Villa-Lobos in this wonderful collection celebrating the very heart of Brazilian folk music.
- Program Note by the Midlothian High School Wind Ensemble concert program, 17 December 2014
This suite uses three contrasting folk songs taken from Guia Prático, a six-volume work of traditional folk songs collected by the significant Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959), and used for music education in Brazilian schools. The light and bouncy The Crab is marked “Allegro molto,” while the slower The Little Dove Flew Away is marked “Andante, sempre legato.” The raucous Spider Monkeys, marked “Allegro con vivo,” concludes the suite and highlights an inventive call-and-response episode between the percussion section and hand clappers.
-Program Note from The Instrumentalist, November 2014, p. 40
Media
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Stephen F. Austin State University (Nacogdoches, Tx.) University Band (Christina Colley, conductor) - 18 April 2023
- Midlothian (Tx.) High School Wind Ensemble (O. Richard Bundy, conductor) – 17 December 2014 (2014 Midwest Clinic) *Premiere Performance*
- Midlothian (Tex.) High School Wind Ensemble (Larry Doran, conductor) - November 2014
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Aria from "Bachianas Brasilieras No 5" (1938/1945)
- Bachianas Brasileiras No 4 (arr. Patterson) (1965)
- Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4 Suite (arr. Reed) (1965)
- Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 (arr. Krance) (1938-45/1971)
- Bachianas Brasileiras No. 7 (trans. Talley) (1942/2019)
- Brazil (1905)
- Choros No. 2
- Concerto Grosso for Woodwind Quartet and Wind Orchestra (1959/1993)
- El Trompo (1950)
- Fantasia Brasiliera (1926)
- Fantasy in Three Movements in a Form of a Chôros (1958)
- Little Train of the Brazilian Countryman (arr. Cailliet) (1930/1952)
- Nonetto
- Three Brazilian Folksongs (arr. Fenske) (2014)
- Uirapurú (arr. Hanna) (1948/2010)
Resources
- Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Heitor Villa-Lobos." Accessed 2 December 2014.
- Karriker, Galen S. "Three Brazilian Folksongs." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 12, Compiled and edited by Andrew Trachsel, 302-314. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2021.