Tarantelle Opus 6 by Saint-Saëns arranged for Wind Quintet

Tarantelle Opus 6 by Camille Saint-Saëns - Sheet Music
Arranged for Wind Quintet by Hugh Levey 

The Tarantelle (the French spelling of Tarantella) Opus 6 for flute, clarinet, and piano was written in 1857 and was first performed at a soirée hosted by 65-year-old superstar composer, Rossini. Saint-Saëns tells us that the older man presented it as his own work, to much acclaim, “Ah! Maestro! What a masterpiece!”. Only then did he reveal that it was actually composed by the 22-year-old pianist, Saint-Saëns. In 1879 Saint-Saëns orchestrated the piano part.

This arrangement for Wind Quintet takes the Tarantelle back to its chamber music roots; adding an entertaining, and virtuosic work to the wind quintet repertoire. Although flute and clarinet retain much of their original solo material, some has been shared with the others to create a true ensemble piece; all players getting their share of the fast and furious action. It is widely said that the Tarantella dance originated as a wild and furious dance to cure the poisonous bite of the Tarantula spider. However, its real origin is a fast folkdance from the region of Taranto in southern Italy.

Note that the original clarinet part by Saint-Saëns was written for Clarinet in A. This arrangement is also written for Clarinet in A but an alternative Clarinet in Bb part is also provided.

Duration: 7' to 8' depending on tempo