Symphonic Dances from WEST SIDE STORY

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Nathan Cameron
6 years ago
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1 Symhonic Dances rom WEST SIDE STORY Notes on the Symhonic Dances. West Side Story oened on Broadway in Setember, 97 to glorious critical and ublic acclaim. It became a major artistic landmark and roo o a new kind o oeratic synthesis that used comlex vocal and instrumental ensembles, ballet, classical and jazz styles, with owerul and ancient tragic themes (love versus hate) layed out by streetgangs in urban New York. The Symhonic Dances are a concert suite o nine connected movements that recall the dramatic events and their insired music. The order o the material is based more on "eel" than on the lot sequence o the show, and the whole thing manages to be both "serious" and "oular." As arranger Sid Ramin wrote (99), "This suite brings the music o Broadway into the concert hall, orchestrating with symhonic character the music every theater-goer loves." This is a standalone musical work in its own right.. Prolog (Allegro moderato): The growing rivalry between two teenage gangs, the Jets and the Sharks.. Somewhere (Adagio): In a dream ballet, the two gangs are united in riendshi.. Scherzo (Vivace e leggiero): In the same dream, the gangs break away rom the city walls, suddenly inding themselves in a layul world o sace, air and sun. 4. Mambo (Meno resto): In the real world again, the cometitive dance at the gym between the two gangs.. Cha-cha (Andantino con grazia): The star-crossed lovers, Tony and Maria, see each other or the irst time. They dance together. 6. Meeting Scene (Meno mosso): Music accomanies their irst words soken to one another. 7. Cool Fugue (Allegretto): An elaborate dance sequence; Ri leads the Jets in harnessing their imulsive hostility, iguratively "cooling their jets." 8. Rumble (Molto allegro): Climactic gang battle; the two gang leaders, Ri and Bernardo, are killed. 9. Finale (Adagio): Maria s I have a Love develos into a rocession that recalls the vision o Somewhere. Notes on the iano transcrition. The songs rom West Side Story are among the most re-interreted art music o the twentieth century, and a quick internet search turns u dozens o recordings in rint (Josh Bell (violin); Richie Cole (sax); Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, AndrØ Previn (jazz iano); the Falla guitar trio; Buddy Rich and Stan Kenton (big bands); and many more out o rint). A ew classical ianists have made West Side Story albums (John Bayless arrangements; the Labeque duo). John Musto made a two-iano arrangement o the Symhonic Dances or the Murray Drano two-iano cometition (Florida, 998; Boosey & Hawkes, M , 00). The only solo transcrition aears to be by the eclectic Swiss ianist, Dag Achatz, at the ersonal behest o Leonard Bernstein. It is not ublished in score, but is available on CD (BIS #, 994). Unlike Liszt s oera transcritions (which tend to be virtuosic vehicles) or the "ree" antasy-transormations o Godowsky or Rachmanino or Earl Wild, both the Musto and Achatz ollow the symhonic score, and are more like sarse en-and-ink architectural drawings than srawling imressionist canvases. Ater all, the Symhonic Dances are already a ree metamorhosis o the Broadway show, and are careully wrought. I recommend that students and lovers o this music consult those scores and recordings. This arrangement ollows them retty closely, as well as the orchestral score and articularly Bernstein s own recording o it. Mary Farbood heled immensely in drating big sections. It was made or the 00 Van Cliburn cometition or outstanding amateur ianists in Fort Worth, Texas. The u-to-date version may be ound at: htt:// I have indicated ingerings and edallings ("u.c."= una corda, "m.."=middle edal) in a ew key laces, and have labelled some o the instrumental voicings to kee their character in mind. Most temo and exression marks come rom the orchestral score. I have laid out the score in a comact ormat, to contain hrases and sections within line and age breaks. Pianistically, this arrangement is not a "inger breaker," but the minimalist lines lend themselves to very graceul exression and hel to render a handsome and emotionally rich concert suite. Knowing the lyrics by heart, and knowing what it takes to to get a symhony orchestra to dance, will hel bring this music to lie. It is my sincere hoe that lovers o iano literature will ind here an enjoyable, resh ersective on Bernstein s wonderul West Side Story. Michael Hawley mike@media.mit.edu Cambridge, Massachusetts June, 00

2 Symhonic Dances rom WEST SIDE STORY Prolog. (the growing rivalry between the Sharks and the Jets) Allegro Moderato (q. = 8) Leonard Bernstein arranged by: Michael Hawley [izz. and muted brass] m 6 [solo sax] + with a jazz eel inger snas m 9 smoothly LH joyously 40 roughly [solo trombones] sz [bassoon + trumet] switch to LH smoothly let ade loco ( ) LH 6 [tutti] [oboe] 76 [sax] [cello + horns] ten. [iano+xylo+lute] 88 ten. G.P. subito

3 [strings+winds] 97 [iano+har] [iano+xylo] 06 sz q. = q 6 [tutti] G.P. G.P. molto sz Scherzando e misterioso [no+xylo+icc] (l istesso temo) 9 LH [har+cello+lute] [winds] 4 [lute] 7 [iano] 4 [winds] 64 m 74 4 [trombones] [+horns] [+winds+strings] (two bars) etc.

4 8 [iano+xylo] 96 [cello+bass] 06 dim. molto G.P. [bass+low winds] 6 [tutti] Furioso 6 loco [tutti] 4 [olice whistle!] [iano+strings] m marcato [har+vibr] Adagio (e=7) (harmonic) (release)

5 Somewhere. (in a dream ballet, the two gangs are united in riendshi) Adagio (e=7) [horn+oboe] 64 [violin+har] ten. ( ) ( ) [solo strings] [tutti] [iano] 77 4 m m a temo 86 LH LH LH [clar+strings] LH esr. -- [iano+har] [tutti] rall. 9 a temo 0 [lute] [eng.horn] 09 (m.. ) [iano+har+izz] etc. m [NO una corda] Andante con moto (twice as ast: e = q ) subito m (-) 4

6 Scherzo. (in the same dream, the gangs break away rom the city walls suddenly inding themselves in a layul world o sace, air and sun) oco accel. oco iu mosso (q = 96) Agitato (q = 0) accel. di iu 9 esr. m m m m [celeste+strings] u.c. [oboe+trumets] accel al... accel. (q = ) Vivace e leggiero (q = 7) 9 4 [lute+oboe] m m grazioso [izz] 8 m m 4 48 inger snas sub. sub. 60 m 7 [izz] 77 sz G.P. m molto 4 inger snas

7 Mambo. (in the real world again, the cometitive dance at the gym between the two gangs) 4 Meno resto (q = ) [tutti] 8 etc. sz Mam-bo! [SHOUT] [+iano] 48 m m Mam-bo! [SHOUT] sz 6

8 [iano+winds+strings] 4 [izz.] [brass+xylo] [izz.] [izz.] sz 46 RH 4 [iano] 46 sz [iano+ winds+strings] 4 sz sz 479 [trombones] sz sz tutta orza! molto rall. 7

9 Cha-Cha. (The star-crossed lovers, Tony and Maria, see each other or the irst time. They dance.) Andantino con grazia (q = 00) [izz+lute+iano] 6 [+vibr] [izz.] light and dry. [bass Clar.] LH [izz.] [+Vibr] LH [winds+high strings] dolce [oboe solo] subito m [low strings] esr. m 4 [vibr+har+celeste] dim. molto. Meeting Scene. (Music accomanies their irst words soken to one another.) 6 Meno mosso (q = 7) semre rubato oco rall. a temo rit. a temo [celeste+vln solo] [vibr+vln solo] dolce mz 4 m [our violins] 4 Cool Fugue. (An elaborate dance sequence in which Ri leads the Jets in harnessing their imulsive hostility, iguratively "cooling their jets.") 7 Allegretto (q = 60) (Swing) Stringendo un oco 6 accel. molto sz m m [iano+bass clar.] [izz] 68 sz sz [har+lute] m [izz] m 7 m m [note: an extra strain rom the song is inserted; you may reer to cut to m.96] 8 m

10 8 m m 9... m m m 60 [+bongo] FUGUE sz sz [trumet] 6 sz m cresc. cresc. 6 m m sz 60 sz sz 67 sz 64 sz sz 6 sz 9

11 67 [tutti] 66 [izz.] 67 z [har+lute] m molto m [tutti] 699 m m [lute+vibr] 707 [iano] 7 [vibr. + iano] inger snas 0

12 Rumble. (Climactic gang battle; the two gang leaders, Ri and Bernardo, are killed.) 8 Molto Allegro e = e (q. = 44) 7 [tutti] 4 [xylo] [iano + strings] marcato [xylo] 7 [horns] [iano + strings] m (m..) 74 [muted trm] m [brass] [winds] [trombones] m [brass] m 7 m m [iano] otional cut to m [solo+izz] z z z z z z z semre stacc. 77 [reeds] cresc. cresc. oco a oco m cresc. 784 [winds] [iano+winds] sz sz molto [tutti] lunga cresc. molto. [iano solo]... rom m.769

13 807 [lute] Cadenza (same temo) meno rall. Lento m m m m u.c. u.c. Finale. (Maria's "I Have A Love" develos into a rocession, which recalls the vision o "Somewhere.") 8 Adagio (e = 80) 89 [lute] 4 etc. 4 4 (hold) / m ten. dolcissimo gently rolled delicate, clear edal & hal edal [viola] m 8 [winds] m [/ bass izz.] m m ten. [edal as beore] esressivo 84 Meno (e = 7) [oboe solo] [muted brass] [iano+tim+strings] 80 [oboe] oco rit. [lute] hold Ancora meno mosso (e = 60) [izz] lunga

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