Dreidel Dance by Robert Thurston Concert Band - Sheet Music

Concert band concert band (Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Bb Euphonium, Clarinet in Bb 1, Clarinet in Bb 2, Clarinet in Bb 3, Euphonium, Flute 1, Flute 2, Horn 1, Horn 2, Horn 3, Horn 4, Oboe, Percussion 1, Percussion 2, Piccolo, Timpani, Trombone 1, Trombone 2, Trombone 3 and more.) - Grade 5

SKU: CF.SPS76

Composed by Robert Thurston. Folio. Carl Fischer Symphonic Performance Series. Score and parts. With Standard notation. 247 pages. Duration 0:04:40. Carl Fischer Music #SPS76. Published by Carl Fischer Music (CF.SPS76).

ISBN 9781491147719. UPC: 680160905218. 9 x 12 inches.

Dreidel Dance is a lighthearted theme-and-variations mashup of The Dreidel Song and Hava Nagila, running both tunes through a stylistic funhouse and winding up in a flurry of high-speed energy. This arrangement is not for the faint of heart, but this whirlwind presentation by master arranger Robert Thurston is well worth the effort.
Dreidel Dance is a lighthearted theme-and-variations mashup of “The Dreidel Song” and Hava Nagila, running both tunes through a stylistic funhouse and winding up in a flurry of high-speed energy .The piece is written without key signatures, but only because of the frequency of key changes and certain sections in heavily sharped or flatted keys . Take extra care with accidentals and be sure they apply throughout a given measure . If a courtesy “reset” accidental doesn’t appear in the following measure, assume the note is natural .The statement of the melody at mm . 16-31 is intentionally scored to sound a little treble-heavy and “toy-like .” At mm . 32-41, the mood turns a bit cartoonish—the solo trumpeter should feel free to experiment with mute/plunger combinations to heighten the comic effect .At m . 59, even though the horn section doubles the solo clarinet line, the clarinet should be the prominent voice, and the clarinetist can give the line a bit of klezmer attitude! Likewise, the solo alto sax at m . 110 and the solo clarinet at m . 111 should have free expressive rein in the klezmer style . In a similar vein, the trumpet section soli at m . 98 almost begs for a bit of mariachi flavor—not exactly what a listener might expect in a Hanukkah piece, but that’s part of the fun and surprise .Tempo is crucial throughout the piece, increasing a few clicks at a time through the various mood changes before slowing into that noisy chord at m . 163 . At the “Molto pesante” (m . 165), once you begin the accelerando in m . 167, it should keep accelerating all the way to m . 173 . Then, make the most of the allargando before launching into the coda at m . 175 to finish at the fastest tempo the ensemble can handle—as my college band director, the late Dr . Jim Croft, used to like to say, “As fast as possible, but no faster!”.