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Chinese Dance – Woodwind Quintet
The Suite of movements extracted by Tchaikovsky from his ballet music for The Nutcracker was an immediate success. As prevalent as the complete ballet The Nutcracker is today, it is hard to imagine that it took years, and perhaps the staging of George Balanchine, for it to become popular.
Some of the most memorable pieces from the suite are the Characteristic Dances. In Act II of the ballet, these movements are employed to introduce different residents of the “Land of Sweets.” Tchaikovsky’s orchestration makes adept use of wind instrument color. This translates very effectively in arrangements for the woodwind quintet.
The Chinese Dance (Danse chinoise), used to introduce Tea, employs low horn and bassoon in a constant rhythm. This contrasts the famous recurring upper register flute theme.
Composer: Mark Questad
Instrumentation: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, F Horn & Bassoon
Duration/# of Pages: ca. 1:05 / 10 pages, 8.5″ x 11″
Key: Bb -
Coventry Carol – Bassoon Quartet
Coventry Carol is an English carol written in the 16th century. In those times there were local pageants, called “mystery plays,” in which the common folk performed dramatized stories from the Bible. This carol was part of the pageant held in Coventry.
This poignant carol is known for the use of the Picardy third, the use of the major chord at the cadence in a piece that is minor or modal.
Composer: Bill Reichenbach
Instrumentation: Bassoon Quartet
Duration/# of Pages: ca. 3:00 / 10 pages, 8.5″ x 11″
Key: N/A -
Coventry Carol – Woodwind Quintet
This carol was part of the mystery pageant plays in Coventry England appearing as early as the 16th century. This arrangement employs the Baroque form of continuous variations over a repeating bass line (or ground).
Composer: Mark Questad
Instrumentation: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, F Horn & Bassoon
Duration/# of Pages: ca. 4:10 / 21 pages, 8.5″ x 11″
Key: Dm -
Dance of the Mirlitons – Woodwind Quintet
The Suite of movements extracted by Tchaikovsky from his ballet music for The Nutcracker was an immediate success. As prevalent as the complete ballet The Nutcracker is today, it is hard to imagine that it took years, and perhaps the staging of George Balanchine, for it to become popular.
Some of the most memorable pieces from the suite are the Characteristic Dances. In Act II of the ballet, these movements are employed to introduce different residents of the “Land of Sweets.” Tchaikovsky’s orchestration makes adept use of wind instrument color. This translates very effectively in arrangements for the woodwind quintet.
In this arrangement of Dance of the Toy Flutes (Danse des Mirlitons), flute, oboe and clarinet offer the famous “reed pipe” choir while horn and bassoon supply other elements of the orchestral texture.
Composer: Mark Questad
Instrumentation: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, F Horn & Bassoon
Duration/# of Pages: ca. 2:35 / 17 pages, 8.5″ x 11″
Key: D