Listen to Pterodactyl Polka from The Dino Dances!

Another one of my Dino dances for junior strings:

This is the last movement, the Pterodactyl Polka! 😃


Download the whole suite, complete with score and parts, at Sheet music Plus

The Merry Folk from "A Fantasy Suite" for string quartet

The Merry Folk is the fifth movement from A Fantasy Suite , written for young string quartets.

«A Fantasy Suite» takes you on a journey through imaginary realms both dangerous and beautiful: past enchanted rivers and forests where elves sing and dance among the trees.

Inspired by folklore and fairytales as well as fantasy books, games and movies, this piece provides a fun challenge for young string players and adult ensembles alike. All of the players are allowed to shine, although the first violin part requires more position playing than the others.

Level: Easy/early intermediate. While the movements vary a bit in difficulty, The Merry Folk is fairly easy.

Movements:

1. The Path Ahead
2. The Enchanted River
3. Lost In The Nether
4. Rain In The Forest Of The Elves
5. The Merry Folk

The whole suite, complete with all parts, is available at Sheet Music Plus.

 Hear the second movement here: The Enchanted River.

Wedding March from Lødingen for String Duet

Yay, more duet music for viola and cello! 😁

This wedding march is a lovely folk tune that has been played at weddings in Norway for generations. It originates in Lødingen in Nordland, but is well known all over the country. You can listen to a sound clip here!

Download this duet together with two other traditional Norwegian wedding tunes at Sheet Music Plus. Also available for violin and viola or violin and cello!

Wedding March from Seljord

This traditional fiddle tune is still very much in use as a wedding march in Norway. But it works great as a festive concert piece as well!

Separate parts are available at Sheet Music Plus.

"Reinlender" - traditional dance from Northern Norway

This traditional fiddle tune is from the area where I live, quite close to where the Arctic Circle crosses Norway. It's a popular dance as played by the local fiddler Mikal Rabliås, which I have arranged for a combined junior/youth orchestra with a very easy open string part. That way everyone can join in!

The Violin 1 and Cello 1 parts provide some challenges to the youth players, whereas the violin 3 (Viola) and Cello 2 parts avoid any streching, and so are suitable for less experienced players. The open string part is written in treble clef with violin in mind, but is equally playable on the viola or cello.

Hope you enjoy this festive tune! :)

 

Grieg: Kom, bukken til gutten (Early Summer Song)

Edvard Grieg wrote several songs to poems by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. "Kom, bukken til gutten" is one of the most popular ones, here in a version for youth string orchestra. The harmonies and chromatic lines give this unpretentious little tune an unmistakeably Griegian sophistication!

Note that the Viola and Cello 1 parts in this arrangement are interchangeable.

The Tenants' Polka (Husmannspolka)

The Tenants' Polka is yet another lively Scandinavian traditional dance tune!

The Violin 2 and Cello 2 parts in this arrangement should be fairly easy to play. The Cello 1 section, on the other hand, needs to be comfortable with playing in second/third/fourth position. A nice challenge for the oldest cellists in the Junior string orchestra!

Synes du om meg?/Ut å søke tjeneste – Two folksongs from Norway

A new piece for The Double Bass Project: Two Norwegian folk tunes. The song called "Synes du om meg?" (Do you love me?) starts at letter A, and "Ut å søke tjeneste" (Seeking a post) starts at letter B.

Like in most of my other Junior pieces, the Violin 2 and Cello 2 parts are intended for the least experienced musicians in the orchestra. Nevertheless I have tried to make them as musically meaningful as possible – to encourage practicing at home!

Back-stick dance

Another lively junior piece with very beginner-friendly violin 2 and cello 2 parts: Back-stick dance, a traditional scandinavian dance game ("Kjeppryggedans" in Norwegian).

Hopp, vennen min – Jump, little friend

Another traditional tune for the juniors, this time from Solør in southeastern Norway. 

Here the parts are marked with individual dynamics. The original tune moves through all the parts, but it's always marked f (starting in the cellos at bar 5, then the second violins take over at bar 9 etc.). The point is that everyone should be able to hear which part has the tune. After all, one of the most important lessons in beginners' ensemble playing is learning to listen to the others!

Note: If any of the cellists don't play in fourth position yet, they may skip the short intro and start playing at letter A.

Grieg: Three Lyric Pieces – 3. Halling

Part three of the Three Lyric Pieces by Edvard Grieg. The Halling is a traditional Norwegian dance in which a male dancer gets to show off his athletic skills:

The viola part may be substituted for the cello 1 part.

I appreciate your views on my arrangements! :)

Grieg: Three Lyric Pieces – 2. Vals

Part two of the Three Lyric Pieces by Edvard Grieg is a charming little waltz, with a more stormy presto part in the middle:

The viola part may be substituted for the Cello 1 part.

Lyric Pieces part three is coming soon...

Grieg: Three Lyric Pieces – 1. Springdans

This is my arrangement of three of Edvard Grieg's lyric pieces, for youth string orchestra.
Edvard Grieg was one of the national romantic composers of the late 19th century, and his work is very much inspired by Norwegian folk music. This arrangement is written for a youth orchestra with two cello groups, but I also provide a viola part which may be substituted for the cello 1 part. The piano part is written with a student in mind.

I hope you enjoy these pieces with their distinctive Norwegian style!

Part two is coming soon...