Vltava
Bedřich Smetana (arr. Daisuke Ehara)
General Info
Year: 1874 / 2014
Duration: c. 6:40
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: Brain Music
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $70.00
Instrumentation (Flexible)
Full Score
Part 1
- Piccolo/Flute
- E-flat Clarinet
- B-flat Clarinet
Part 2
- Oboe
- B-flat Clarinet – B-flat Soprano Saxophone
- B-flat Trumpet
- E-flat Alto Saxophone
Part 3
- B-flat Clarinet – B-flat Trumpet
- E-flat Alto Saxophone
- B-flat Tenor Saxophone
Part 4
- E-flat Alto Saxophone
- B-flat Tenor Saxophone
- Horn in F
- C Trombone - C Euphonium
Part 5
- E-flat Alto Clarinet
- B-flat Tenor Saxophone
- C Trombone - C Euphonium – Bassoon
Part 6
- B-flat Bass Clarinet
- E-flat Baritone Saxophone
- C Tuba
- String Bass
Part 7
- 1st Percussion: Timpani
Part 8
- 2nd Percussion: Triangle - Bass Drum - Suspended Cymbal
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
By age 50, Smetana had begun to go deaf. Although he could no longer perform music, he could still write it. He immediately plunged into composing the first two movements of Má Vlast (My Country). As he noted in his diary, the second movement, Vltava (“The Moldau”), occupied him from November 20 through December 8, a span of nineteen days. The composition describes the course of the Vltava, starting from the two small springs, the Cold and Warm Vltava, to the unification of both streams into a single current, the course of the Vltava through woods and meadows, through landscapes where a farmer’s wedding is celebrated, the round dance of the mermaids in the night’s moonshine, and, on the nearby rocks, proud castles, palaces, and ruins loom aloft. The Vltava swirls into the St. John’s Rapids. Then it widens and flows toward Prague, past the Vyšehrad, and then majestically vanishes into the distance, ending at the Labe (or Elbe, in German).
- Program Note from Baylor University Symphonic Band concert program, 19 November 2018
Vltava (also known as Die Moldau) by Smetana is the second symphonic poem from his symphonic cycle Má Vlast (My Country). It is perhaps his most famous work. The grand melody portrays the swirling Moldau river emerging from its verdant source, traversing Czech’s rich history.
While the original score has strings depicting a beautiful and pastoral atmosphere, this flexible arrangement is for eight-part wind and percussion ensemble, accessible for up to 31 players, which can be adjusted to suit given instrumentation. It is my sincere desire that this gorgeous piece of music will be used for a variety of settings and occasions.
- Program Note by Daisuke Ehara
Media
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- Baylor University (Waco, Texas) Symphonic Band (Steve Dailey, conductor) – 19 November 2018
Works for Winds by This Composer
Adaptable Music
- Vltava (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Ehara) (1874/2014)
All Wind Works
- Fanfares (arr. Nelhybel) (1872/1976)
- High Castle, The
- The Moldau (arr. Cacavas, rev. Rogers) (1874/1999)
- Overture to "Libusse"
- Overture to "The Bartered Bride" (arr. Bělohoubek) (1866)
- Overture to "The Bartered Bride" (tr. Patterson) (1866)
- Polka (arr. Parks) (1866/2008)
- Three Revolutionary Marches (arr. Nelhybel) (1848/1969)
- Vltava (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Ehara) (1874/2014)
- Wallenstein's Camp
Resources
- Má vlast, Wikipedia Accessed 20 November 2018