Arrangements

The Romanian Christmas Carols are comprised of original Romanian folk tunes, collected by Bartók over the course of many years, beginning in 1909. While much of his folk-inspired music used peasant dance music as sources, the carols use only vocal music, and as such are very different in character from the dance-tune derived music. The most striking difference is in the flexible rhythms of the carol melodies, as opposed to the fixed rhythms of the peasant dances. There are twenty Romanian Christmas Carols in this work, divided into two sets, each to be played without pause between songs (each song blends into the next). This is the first set of 10 carols.

Instrumentation: Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

The Romanian Christmas Carols are comprised of original Romanian folk tunes, collected by Bartók over the course of many years, beginning in 1909. While much of his folk-inspired music used peasant dance music as sources, the carols use only vocal music, and as such are very different in character from the dance-tune derived music. The most striking difference is in the flexible rhythms of the carol melodies, as opposed to the fixed rhythms of the peasant dances. There are twenty Romanian Christmas Carols in this work, divided into two sets, each to be played without pause between songs (each song blends into the next). The second set of 10 carols, arranged for symphonic band.

Instrumentation: Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

Béla Bartók composed the ‘Romanian Folk Dances’ in 1915. It’s a suite of six (seven) short piano pieces which he later has orchestrated for a small ensemble. It is based on seven Romanian tunes from Transylvania, originally played on fiddle or shepherd’s flute. The original name for the piece was titled ‘Romanian Folk Dances from Hungary’ but was later changed by Bartók when Romania annexed Transylvania in 1918-1920.

Instrumentation: Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase
Recording: Vakantieorkest AdHoc 2021

‘Hungarian Pictures’, sometimes also referred to as ‘Hungarian Sketches’, is a suite for orchestra by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. The suite consists of orchestrations of earlier short pieces for piano composed between 1908 and 1911. All five have folk-like flavours, even though most have original themes. The original piano pieces were created during Bartók’s journey around Romania and Hungary, when he started collecting and arranging folk music that further transformed his somewhat Lisztian early style into the style he came to develop.
The suite consists of five movements: ‘An Evening in the Village’, ‘Bear Dance’, ‘Melody’, ‘Slightly Tipsy’ and ‘Swineherd’s Dance’.

Instrumentation: Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

After the ‘Battle of Vitoria’, Beethoven’s friend Johann Nepomuk Maelzel talked him into writing a composition for his panharmonicon (a kind of ‘mechanical orchestra’) to commemorating this battle. The piece, ‘Wellingtons Sieg’ (‘Wellington’s Victory’) was dedicated to the Prince Regent, later King George IV and first performed in Vienna on 8 December 1813 at a concert to benefit Austrian and Bavarian soldiers wounded at the ‘Battle of Hanau’, with Beethoven conducting. It was an immediate crowd-pleaser and met with much enthusiasm from early concertgoers and the piece proved to be a substantial money-maker for Beethoven.
‘Wellingtons Sieg’ is something of a musical novelty. Besides the orchestra, on stage there are two ‘sides’, British and French, both playing the same instruments: Trumpets, Snare Drums, ‘Canon’ and Ratchet. The work has two parts: the ‘Battle’ (‘Schlacht’) and the ‘Victory Symphony’ (Sieges Sinfonie). The first part is programme music describing two approaching opposing armies and contains extended passages depicting scenes of battle. It uses ‘Rule Britannia’ for the British side and ‘Marlbrough s’en va-t-en guerre’ for the French side. The ‘Victory Symphony’ exhibits some typical Beethoven composing techniques. It can be considered as a sonata form that, stripped of the development section, comes equipped with an extended coda.

Orchestration: Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

Il Pirata’ (The Pirate) was Bellini’s third opera. ‘Il Pirata’ is an opera in two acts to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani from a French translation of the tragic play ‘Bertram’, or ‘The Castle of St Aldobrando’ by Charles Maturin. It premiered at La Scala on October 27, 1827. 19th-Century commentary has noted the musical influence of ‘Il Pirata’ on the early Richard Wagner opera ‘Das Liebesverbot’ and Gaetano Donizetti’s ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’.

Instrumentation: Tenor, Choir & Symphonic Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

‘Carmen’ is probably the most famous opera in the whole opera-repertoire, although its premiere in 1875 was a great disappointment. The chorus ‘Vivat! Vivat le Toréro!’ is sung in the second act of the opera: the famous bullfighter Escamillo is celebrated because of his victory’s in the bullfights of Granada.

Instrumentation: Choir & Symphonic Wind Band 
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

With Les Pêcheurs des Perles Bizet first made his mark in 1863. Set in ancient Ceylon, this tale of friendship, love and betrayal has been performed more and more often in opera houses around the world.

Instrumentation: Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

There are two versions of this arrangement: for Symphonic Wind Band, and for Fanfare Orchestra. 

Instrumentation: Symphonic Wind Band or Fanfare
Publisher: Mansarda Hilversum | Purchase Wind Band edition; Purchase Fanfare edition

Franz Doppler (1821 –1883), was a flute virtuoso and a composer born in Lemberg (the modern Lvov, in Ukraine). His father, a composer and oboist at the Warsaw Opera, gave him a strong musical foundation. Franz made his début in Vienna at the age of thirteen, before appearing in a duo with his brother. In 1838 he was principal flute in the German theatre in Pest and three years later took a similar position at the Hungarian National Theatre.
It was at this period that he made his début as a composer, writing several operas and contributing to the birth of national Hungarian music. With his brother Karl he took part in 1853 in the establishment of the first Hungarian symphony orchestra. Franz settled in Vienna in 1858 as principal flute at the Court Opera. He became a conductor and, from 1865, taught at the Vienna Conservatory. He also orchestrated some of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies.
In his compositions Doppler made great use of Hungarian themes, whether in ‘Variations sur un air Hongrois’ or ‘Fantaisie sur des motifs Hongrois’, or in the famous ‘Fantaisie Pastorale Hongroise’, a fine piece akin in spirit to Liszt’s ‘Hungarian Rhapsodies’.

Orchestration: Flute & Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

November 22 should be a holiday for every true music lover. Then it is St. Cecilia’s Day, the day of the patron saint of music and musicians. This day was highly regarded in the Anglo-Saxon countries. That is why Handel also wrote his cantate Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day in his English years. The cantata has all the joy that goes with a holiday. The premiere was on 22 November 1739 at the Theatre in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London.
Thi arrangement is the overture of the Cantata for Symphonic Band.

Orchestration: Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

Choral Varié’ was written in 1904 by French composer Vincent d’Indy (1851-1931) and is one of the most beautiful pieces written for saxophone in this century. It was commissioned by and is dedicated to American saxophonist and pioneer of saxophone repertory Elise Boyer Hall (1851-1924). The work was premiered on January 5, 1904 in Boston and was later performed on May 5, 1904 in Paris at a concert of the Société Nationale attended by leading musicians of the turn of the century French school. Choral Varié was a piece that helped make composers aware of the expressive and noble qualities inherent to the saxophone.

“I hope that this version will give this austere, magnificent and underestimated work the audience it deserves. Thank you!” – Jean-Marie Londeix

​Instrumentation: Alto Saxophone & Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase
Recording: Purchase

Charles Martin Loeffler (1861-1935) was a significant American composer of the generation who came into prominence before the First World War. His compositions were influenced by César Franck, Ernest Chausson and Claude Debussy, and also by ‘symbolist and decadent’ literature. In his later years he also, unexpectedly, became deeply interested in jazz, and wrote some works for jazz band. In 1900 Loeffler took a shine to the saxophone and gave it an exposed place in the spotlight in the nine-minute Hispanic Divertissement Espagnol. Its smoothly serenading ways are indulged and it consists of three movements: Moderato, Andante and Allegro Moderato.

Orchestration: Alto Saxophone & Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

Darius Milhaud (1892 – 1974) was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six – also known as ‘The Group of Six’ – and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality. Darius Milhaud is to be counted among the modernist composers. One of his most well known pieces is ‘Scaramouche’, for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra.

Orchestration: Alto Saxophone & Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase
Recording: Gildenbondsharmonie, Bas Lodewijks, saxophone, Sander Teepen, conductor, 17-4-2014

Stanislaw Moniuszko (1819-1872) was a Polish composer, conductor and teacher. He wrote many popular art songs and operas, and his music is filled with patriotic folk themes.
‘Halka’ is an opera to a libretto by Wlodzimierz Wolski, a young Warsaw poet with radical social views. It is part of the canon of Polish national operas. The staged premiere took place in Vilnius on 28 February 1854. ‘Halka’ is considered one of Moniuszko’s greatest operas. The music in is highly melodic, deeply lyrical and Polish in character. It includes moving poetic arias as well as spectacular dance sequences. The story is that of the tragic love of the title character, the highlander girl Halka.
The ‘Mazurka’ from the 1st act became popular on its own.

Orchestration: Soprano & Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

‘Don Giovanni’ is a real aria-opera, in contrast with ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’ that is called an ensemble-opera. In this opera Mozart expresses in a subtle way the frustration of the unsuccessful love affairs of Don Giovanni. The aria ‘Verdrai, carino’ is sung in the first scene of the second act by Zerlina, one of the woman that is seduced by Don Giovanni.

Orchestration: Soprano & Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

At the end of his life Offenbach composed his opera ‘Les contes d´Hoffman’, but unfortunately he was not able to finish it. The plot tells the story of the poet Hoffmann telling three of his amorous adventures, every time ending with a refusal of his proposing. The aria ‘Il ètait une fois à la cour d’Eisenach’ is sung in the prologue of the Opera. The scene is Luther’s tavern in Nurnberg where students are waiting for Hoffmann. He finally arrives and entertains them with the legend of Kleinzach, a dwarf whose incredible ugliness he begins describing. Midway through, though, he goes off on the beauty of a woman he used to know.

Orchestration: Tenor, Choir & Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

The ‘Stabat Mater’ is the best known work of Giovanni Pergolesi’s. It was commissioned by the ‘Confraternità dei Cavalieri di San Luigi di Palazzo’ who presented an annual Good Friday meditation in honor of the Virgin Mary. Pergolesi’s work replaced one composed by Alessandro Scarlatti only nine years before, but which was already perceived as ‘old-fashioned’, so rapidly had public tastes changed. After his death new arrangements of ‘Stabat Mater’ were made in which the orchestra was extended with wind instruments and sometimes a choir was used. This arrangement concerns the second movement ‘Cuius animam gementem’ in a version for Soprano and Wind Ensemble.

Orchestration: Soprano & Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

The ‘Stabat Mater’ is the best known work of Giovanni Pergolesi’s. It was commissioned by the ‘Confraternità dei Cavalieri di San Luigi di Palazzo’ who presented an annual Good Friday meditation in honor of the Virgin Mary. Pergolesi’s work replaced one composed by Alessandro Scarlatti only nine years before, but which was already perceived as ‘old-fashioned’, so rapidly had public tastes changed. After his death new arrangements of ‘Stabat Mater’ were made in which the orchestra was extended with wind instruments and sometimes a choir was used. This arrangement concerns the 11th movement ‘Inflammatus et accensus’ in a version for Soprano, Alto and Wind Ensemble.

Orchestration: Mezzo Soprano & Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

The ‘Stabat Mater’ is the best known work of Giovanni Pergolesi’s. It was commissioned by the ‘Confraternità dei Cavalieri di San Luigi di Palazzo’ who presented an annual Good Friday meditation in honor of the Virgin Mary. Pergolesi’s work replaced one composed by Alessandro Scarlatti only nine years before, but which was already perceived as ‘old-fashioned’, so rapidly had public tastes changed. After his death new arrangements of ‘Stabat Mater’ were made in which the orchestra was extended with wind instruments and sometimes a choir was used. This arrangement concerns the second movement ‘Quae maerebat et dolebat’ in a version for Alto and Wind Ensemble.

Orchestration: Alto and Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

The ‘Stabat Mater’ is the best known work of Giovanni Pergolesi’s. It was commissioned by the ‘Confraternità dei Cavalieri di San Luigi di Palazzo’ who presented an annual Good Friday meditation in honor of the Virgin Mary. Pergolesi’s work replaced one composed by Alessandro Scarlatti only nine years before, but which was already perceived as ‘old-fashioned’, so rapidly had public tastes changed. After his death new arrangements of ‘Stabat Mater’ were made in which the orchestra was extended with wind instruments and sometimes a choir was used. This arrangement concerns the famous opening movement of Stabat Mater.

Version 1
Orchestration: Soprano, Mezzo Soprano & Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

Version 2
Orchestration: Symphonic Wind band
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

Orchestration: Mixed Choir & Symphonic Wind Band
Publisher: unpublished | Please contact for more information.
Recording: Kon. Erkend Harmoniekorps “L’Echo des Montages”, Gemengd Koor Loven Besterd, Mannenkoor La Renaissance, Tilburg. Concertzaal Tilburg, Pieter Zwaans, conductor, 1998.

Written as an ode to the international Sudetengerman community, of which I am a proud member.The text to this traditional song of friendship and connection can be sung starting from the first tutti.

Version 1
Orchestration: Symphonic wind orchestra
Publisher: unpublished. Contact for more information. 
Recording: Harmonie St. Caecilia Blerick, Andreas van Zoelen, conductor, 2010

Version 2
Orchestration: Fanfare
Publisher: AM Music | Purchase

November 22 should be a holiday for every true music lover. Then it is St. Cecilia’s Day, the day of the patron saint of music and musicians. This day was highly regarded in the Anglo-Saxon countries.
Henry Purcell is one of the several composers who have written music in honour of Cecilia. In 1692 he composed ‘Hail! Bright Cecilia’ which became well known as ‘Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day’.  This is the first movement of this ode – Symphony or Overture.

Orchestration: Symphonic wind orchestra
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

Le carnaval des animaux (The Carnival of the Animals) is a humorous musical suite of fourteen movements by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns. Le Cygne is the 13th movement of the suite, originally scored for two pianos and cello: the lushly romantic cello solo (which evokes the swan elegantly gliding over the water) is played over rippling sixteenths in one piano and rolled chords in the other (said to represent the swan’s feet, hidden from view beneath the water, propelling it along). It has become a staple of the cello repertoire and one of the most well-known movements of the suite. Many other arrangements of this movement have also been published, with solo instruments ranging from flute to alto saxophone. Arranged here for solo cello with accompaniment of a small Wind Ensemble.

Orchestration: Cello & Symphonic Wind Orchestra
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

Oberto, Verdi ‘s very first opera was premiered at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan on 17 november 1839. The Coro di Cavalieri is one of the beautiful examples of Verdi ‘s great choir writing.

Orchestration: Choir & Symphonic Wind Orchestra
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase

Verdi composed ‘Un Ballo in Maschera’ for the San Carlo Theatre in Naples where it was to have been staged during the 1858 carnival season. The libretto told the true story of the liberal King Gustavus III, who was shot in 1792 at a masked ball in Stockholm. For political reasons the action of the opera was relocated to the city of Boston. This historical solecism satisfied the authorities but due to the ridiculousness of the action in its American setting the opera failed to establish a place next to the more successful opera’s of Verdi. Nowadays in many opera-houses the action has been restored to Sweden. 

Orchestration: Symphonic wind orchestra
Publisher: Baton Music | Purchase