William Tell Overture (arr Leidzen)

From Wind Repertory Project
Gioacchino Rossini

Gioacchino Rossini (arr. Erik Leidzén ; ed. Tommy Fry)


General Info

Year: 1829 / 1938 / 2007
Duration:c. 11:54
Difficulty: VI (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: Carl Fischer
Cost: Score and Parts - $200.00   |   Score Only - $30.00

For further availability information, see Discussion tab, above.


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
D-flat Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Bass 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
Drums, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Snare Drum
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Triangle
  • Xylophone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

The William Tell Overture is the overture to the opera William Tell (original French title Guillaume Tell), whose music was composed by Gioachino Rossini. William Tell premiered in 1829 and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas, after which he went into semi-retirement, although he continued to compose cantatas, sacred music and secular vocal music.

There has been repeated use (and sometimes parody) of parts of this overture in both classical music and popular media, most famously as the theme music for The Lone Ranger in radio, television and film. It was also used as the theme music for the British television series The Adventures of William Tell.

The overture, which lasts for approximately 12 minutes, paints a musical picture of life in the Swiss Alps, the setting of the opera. It was described by Berlioz (who usually loathed Rossini's works) as "a symphony in four parts", but unlike a symphony with its discrete movements, the overture's parts transition from one to the next without any break.

Prelude, Dawn: The Prelude is a slow passage in E major, scored for five solo cellos accompanied by double basses. It begins in E minor with a solo cello which is in turn answered by the remaining cellos and the double basses. An impending storm is hinted at by two very quiet timpani rolls resembling distant thunder. The section ends with a very high sustained note played by the first cello.

Storm: This dynamic section in E minor is played by the full orchestra. It begins with the violins and violas. Their phrases are punctuated by short wind instrument interventions of three notes each, first by the piccolo, flute and oboes, then by the clarinets and bassoons. The storm breaks out in full with the entrance of the French horns, trumpets, trombones, and bass drum. The volume and number of instruments gradually decreases as the storm subsides. The section ends with the flute playing alone.

Ranz des Vaches: This pastorale section in G major signifying the calm after the storm begins with a Ranz des Vaches or "Call to the Cows", featuring the cor anglais (English horn). The horn then plays in alternating phrases with the flute, culminating in a duet with the triangle accompanying them in the background. The melody appears several times in the opera, including the final act, and takes on the character of a leitmotif. This segment is often used in animated cartoons to signify daybreak, most notably in Walt Disney's The Old Mill.

Finale, March Of The Swiss Soldiers: The Finale, often called the "March of the Swiss Soldiers" in English, is in E major like the Prelude, but is an ultra-dynamic galop heralded by trumpets and played by the full orchestra. It alludes to the final act, which recounts the Swiss soldiers' victorious battle to liberate their homeland from Austrian repression. Although there are no horses or cavalry charges in the opera, this segment is often used in popular media to denote galloping horses, a race, or a hero riding to the rescue. Its most famous use in that respect is as the theme music for The Lone Ranger, so famous that the term "intellectual" has been defined as "a man who can listen to the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger." The Finale is also quoted by Dmitri Shostakovich in the first movement of his Symphony No. 15.

- Program Note from Wikipedia


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Yale University (New Haven, Conn.) Concert Band (Thomas Duffy, conductor) - 6 October 2023
  • Naperville (Ill.) Municipal Band (Ronald J. Keller, conductor) - 10 August 2023
  • Oneonta (N.Y.) Community Concert Band (Andrew Pease, conductor) – 9 September 2019
  • Atascadero (Calif.) Community Band (Randy Schwalbe, conductor) – 4 March 2018
  • Kings Park Concert Band (Springfield, Va.) (Rich Bergman, conductor)– 1 April 2017
  • Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) and Community Wind Ensemble (James Osborn, conductor) – 26 February 2016
  • United States Army Band (Joel A. DuBois, conductor) - 4 June 2015
  • University of Texas, Brownsville, Rio Bravo Wind Ensemble (Allen Clark, conductor) - 10 November 2013
  • The Goldman Band (Chris Wiljhelm, conductor) – 25 February 2005 (CBDNA 2005 National Conference, New York, N.Y.)


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources

  • Girsberger, Russ. Percussion Assignments for Band & Wind Ensemble. Volume I: L-Z. Galesburg, MD: Meredith Music Publications, 2004, 259. Print.
  • Rossini, G; Leidzen, E. (1938). William Tell: Overture [score]. Carl Fischer: New York.
  • William Tell Overture. Wikipedia. August 6 2023