Allegretto

Description

This transcription of the second movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony is dedicated to Mark Calima and the Cedar Ridge Low Brass Ensemble for their performance at the 2013 Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. The transcription is set antiphonally as a trombone quartet set opposite of a tuba/euphonium quartet with a timpanist separating the two groups in its original key of A minor. This allows for a large spectrum of timbres and colors in the low brass choir to be explored throughout the composition.

Beethoven’s 7th Symphony was premiered in 1813 in Vienna. The second movement, marked Allegretto, is set in the Symphony’s parallel minor key of A minor and is made distinet by the use of the long-short-short rhythmic motive that pervades the entire symphony. The movement is cast in ABA form (altered from the ABABA form of the original) and features a fugue before ending with the same chord that opened the work. The Allegretto was so well received at its premier that it had to be immediately encored. A Viennese newspaper noted that the Allegretto was “the crown of modern instrumental music.” It is my hope that you enjoy rehearsing and performing this transcription of the Allegretto from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A Major

Instrumentation: 4 Trombones, 2 Euphoniums, 2 Tubas & Timpani

Published by: RBC Publications