Duets are great for playing with friends or family!
This is one of the 21 pieces in my Violin and Cello Duet Book: the theme from the first movement of Vivaldi's "Autumn" - one of the violin concertos that make up his famous Four Seasons. These concertos are some of the most beloved classical pieces ever, with good reason! In this melody, Vivaldi captures the joy of Italian peasants celebrating a bountiful harvest.
Need a nice piece of ensemble music that your very youngest beginners can join in on?
This arrangement is super easy! The first part (sun part) is a cute little British children's song called "I'm A Little Teapot":
Students who have played their instrument for a year or so should be able to play this without problems. If your group consists of complete beginners only, why not sing the first part instead of playing it?
The second part (moon part) is meant for those who have only just started putting fingers on the string - notes on the D string only, and mostly the same rhythm as the melody.
Then there is the third part (star part), which follows the same rhythm as the second part, but on open strings only.
In other words: This piece is super easy to play, and super easy to learn by ear! It's from a book called "First Lesson Orchestra", available on Sheet Music Plus. This book contains eleven pieces for ensemble playing with absolute beginners. Some of them are even easier than this one! And some have first parts that are a bit more challenging. The download contains parts for both cello and violin, which may be mixed as needed. It's also provided with chords for accompaniment. Check it out here!
PS: If you haven't seen Benedict Cumberbatch perform I'm A Little Teapot -
This is the last of the three little pieces for junior strings that together form a "Junior Suite". The pieces have an optional viola part, and the double bass part may also be played by cellos (in this movement the double bass part is optional).
Edit: Blueberry Blues is now a part of a new and improved suite: A Very Berry Suite! Listen to it here:
I've been having fun with iMovie recently, and here's one of the results:
This is of course one of the movements from my Dino Dances for children's string orchestra (see this blog post from 2012), and one of my most popular pieces ever! Hope you liked my little animation 😄
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.
Who doesn't want to play the famous theme from the hit game Angry Birds!
This is a fun addition to the
repertoire of any string ensemble - the double bass part is
optional, and you can play Angry Birds Theme in a quartet, quintet or string orchestra. The
difficulty level is not too daunting, either. Young and old alike will enjoy this upbeat piece!
More music for viola and cello! 💕 This time it's one of the most famous songs from perhaps the most popular opera ever: Carmen, by Georges Bizet!
In the iconic Habanera, Carmen herself sings about Love; that wild bird which no one has ever succeded in taming...
This arrangement is not very difficult, but it's not suitable for beginners, so I have marked it "early intermediate". For those of you who are familiar with the Suzuki repertoire, this will be somewhere in the region of book two or three.
This duet, as well as versions for violin and viola, violin and cello, two violas, and two cellos, is available at Sheet Music Plus: Habanera from Carmen for string duets.
Finally, it's coming around again (at least, it is in my part of the world): Springtime! And what better way to celebrate than playing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's wonderful May Song - also known as Sehnsucht nach dem Frühlinge, or "Longing For Spring"?
This is a classic four-part arrangement for string quartet or orchestra, a slightly different version from the one I have previously published. May your spring be sunny and filled with joyful music making!
Time to start practicing for those end of the year concerts? Why not try this lovely old carol: «To Drive The Cold Winter Away», also known as «All Hail To The Days» or
«In Praise Of Christmas». This Elizabethan carol is a praise of all the
comfort there is to be had in the darkest time of the year:
«This time of the year is spent in good cheer, And neighbours together do meet, To sit by the fire, with friendly desire, Each other in love do greet; Old grudges forgot, are put in the pot, All sorrows aside they lay, The old and the young doth carol his song, To drive the cold winter away.»
This
pleasant theme of midwinter comforts makes this piece a good choice for
winter events such as school parties and New Year festivities as well as
for Christmas concerts.
In this arrangement for string orchestra
with piano, all the parts have significant and interesting roles to
play (although it's possible to do without the piano, if you skip the intro). The difficulty level is fairly easy, but the players must of
course be able to play in the D minor/F major key.
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!
There are not enough duets for viola and cello in the world!
At least, that's what I think. But then I am a cellist with a violist brother 😁
Anyway, I am currently working to rectify this. Among other things, that involves making a duet arrangement of Leonard Cohen's beautiful song Hallelujah, and putting it up for sale on Sheet Music Plus. Check it out here!
All right, I admit it - I made versions for viola duet, cello duet and violin/viola duet as well. After all, not everyone has a cellist sister. You'll find them all on my Publisher Page at SMP.
A fun little piece for the youngest string students! This lively
Swedish folk dance is a great addition to the repertoire of any
children's string orchestra. The rhythmic patterns are easy to learn and
fun to play for everyone. The second violin and double bass parts are written with beginners in mind, and the double bass part may be played on the cello, too.
Celebrate Midsummer the Swedish way this
year! :D
Parts available here - including viola part (second violin part in alto clef).
Jigs and reels and other lively folk dance tunes are always popular in my youth orchestra. This one is a jig from Scotland, and a lot of fun to play! I have tried to give all of the parts some interesting challenges. The piano part is optional.
You can download the parts on Sheet Music Plus - in which case you'll get an Irish jig into the bargain :)
Another of my arrangements is now available at Sheet Music Plus: Phil Collins' lovely 1989 pop ballad "Another Day In Paradise". The song deals with poverty and homelessness, and how we treat our fellow humans. It's a sweet melody that works beautifully as an instrumental piece.
This is a nostalgic little melody from my composition for children's string orchestra: A Very Berry Suite. It's a flexible piece in that both the viola and double bass parts are optional - the piece will work well with as small an ensemble as two violins and a cello. That being said, it will obviously sound better with violas and double basses!
Don't ask me why the strawberries are so sad... Maybe they just like melancholy tunes? It can't be because the song is too difficult, because this piece is pretty easy for anyone to play :)
All the music I have published on this blog are either my arrangements of music in the public domain, or my own compositions. The reason being, of course, copyright.
But I recently discovered a way to publish my arrangements of copyrighted music, too: through SMP Press, the digital publishing program at Sheet Music Plus. They deal with the copyright holders, so that arrangers may publish copyrighted songs completely legally!
The first song I have published in this way is Firework by Katy Perry. It's
not free, obviously (Katy and the other people who created the
original song need to be paid, of course) but the price is not too bad! Check it out here: Firework by Katy Perry
(Screenshot from Sheet Music Plus)
This arrangement is for string quartet, but it will work well for string orchestra, too. The difficulty level is fairly easy, and all the parts get to have their time in the spotlight. You'll be surprised at how well this pop hit sounds on string instruments! 😊
