Product Description
The Privateers is a swashbuckling
depiction of an oceangoing pirate adventure, presented in the form of a
march. The piece starts with a brief
fanfare, followed immediately by a rousing melody in the style of an old
sea-shanty. Images of sailing upon an
endless sea of stars come to mind as a tranquil nocturne is presented, but the
peace is shattered as cutlasses and sabers clash in a dogfight sure to end in
Davy Jones locker! The music swells to
a dramatic conclusion as our mighty galleon surges across a stormy sea.
Instrumentation
The Privateers comes with full
sets of both concert/stage and marching/field parts, allowing for great
flexibility in your performance venues. Contemporary marching bands and drum
& bugle corps utilize specialized field percussion which is typically not
used in a concert setting. With this
piece, the use of "outdoor" percussion (quad toms and a tonal bass drum line) onstage
is encouraged, although not required. A
single bass drum line is included which may be used instead of (or in addition
to) the tonal bass drum line, and the Quad Toms part may be omitted.
A piano part is included, primarily for optional use indoors
as a color instrument for the ensemble.
However, smaller bands in particular may find it useful for filling out
the accompaniment line if instrumentation is limited. Optionally, a very small ensemble of melodic
instruments could be used, with the piano acting as a full-fledged accompaniment.
Several optional parts are included, such as Eb and Bb Horn,
for ensembles with limited instrumentation.
Also, the two "Low Winds" parts should be distributed equally across
trombone, baritone/euphonium, and tenor sax players.
Double reed parts are not included. Double these instruments on appropriate parts
to suit the needs of your ensemble.
Teaching Points
Meter The alternation of 6/8 and 4/4 with a constant pulse
(rather than a constant 8th note) provides an excellent opportunity
to teach your students to shift the subdivision of the beat from triple to
duple and back again.
Chromaticism & Accidentals There is a recurring
passage which features the prominent use of secondary dominants, or "circle of
fifths" chord motion. Students can learn
a few less-than-common accidentals and enharmonics, while also getting a larger
lesson in music theory.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.