GRADE 4
THESE ARE WORKS THAT MAY BE APPROPRIATE FOR STUDENTS IN THEIR FOURTH OR FIFTH YEAR OF STUDY. VIOLINS AND VIOLAS MAY SHIFT TO FOURTH POSITION, WHILE CELLISTS AND BASSES MAY SHIFT TO FOURTH. RHYTHM MAY BE SYNCOPATED AND OCCASIONALLY COMPLEX. KEYS ARE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THREE SHARPS OR FLATS. SOME EXTENDED TECHNIQUES (TREMOLO, HARMONICS) MAY BE EMPLOYED. THESE PIECES REQUIRE SOME MUSICAL MATURITY.
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Fugitives
Your cello section will love you for programming this piece! From the dramatic opening to the rousing climax, the cellos are in charge of this tour de force orchestral adventure. Don't worry - the violas and violins get their share of the melody, including a pensive and melancholy violin solo. Take your orchestra on the lam with Fugitives!
Level: HS Grade: MA Time: 5:15
$60.00
Glimmer
Glimmer begins with darkness and ends with light. While not technically challenging, the Arvo Pärt-inspired work explores unusual harmony and dissonance as it winds its way toward a beautiful section in E Major, featuring a brief violin solo. Along the way, students are challenged by Fb’s and B#’s and some tricky counterpoint as each line asserts its rhythmic independence.
Level: HS Grade: MA Time: 6:30
$55.00
The Long Road Home
The Long Road Home was written for a local teacher who found herself suddenly conducting the high school orchestra after 30+ years of elementary school teaching. It combines the open sound of a pentatonic melody with close harmony and mild dissonance. The frequent meter changes give the piece an organic, almost improvised, feel.
Level: HS Grade: MA Time: 5:30
$55.00
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Tarantula!
Tarantula! is a tarantella. That’s funny, right? But this spirited dance goes further by featuring a B section that quotes the children’s tune “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” and a (premature) funeral march marking the spider’s demise. But as we all know, the resilient spider “climbs up the spout again,” a sentiment reflected by the jaunty counterpoint of the reprise.
Level: HS/MS Grade: M Time: 3:12
$55.00
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Triptych in D Minor
Triptych in D Minor weaves together melodies from three of the four movements of Antonin Dvořák’s Serenade for Wind Instruments, Op. 44. With minimal shifting (limited to violin 1 and string bass), string-friendly keys, and a limited amount of rhythmic independence, this is a very accessible, mature work for your developing string orchestra.
Level: HS Grade: M Time: 4:30
$60.00