William Tell Overture Mp3 High Quality Download
Irmela Caccavale
The William Tell Overture is the overture to the opera William Tell (original French title Guillaume Tell), whose music was composed by Gioachino Rossini. William Tell premiered in 1829 and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas, after which he went into semi-retirement (he continued to compose cantatas, sacred music and secular vocal music). The overture is in four parts, each following without pause.
There has been repeated use (and sometimes parody) of parts of this overture in both classical music and popular media. It was the theme music for The Lone Ranger in radio, television and film,[1] and has become widely associated with horseback riding since then. Two different parts were also used as theme music for the British television series The Adventures of William Tell, the fourth part (popularly identified in the US with The Lone Ranger) in the UK, and the third part, rearranged as a stirring march, in the US.
Franz Liszt prepared a piano transcription of the overture in 1838 (S.552) which became a staple of his concert repertoire.[2] There are also transcriptions by other composers, including versions by Louis Gottschalk for two and four pianos and a duet for piano and violin.[3]
The overture is scored for: a piccolo, a flute, two oboes (first or second oboe doubles a cor anglais), two clarinets in A, two bassoons, four natural horns in G and E, two trumpets in E, three trombones, timpani, triangle, bass drum and cymbals, and strings.
The overture, which lasts for approximately 12 minutes, paints a musical picture of life in the Swiss Alps, the setting of the opera.[4] It was described by Hector Berlioz, who usually loathed Rossini's works, as "a symphony in four parts".[5] But unlike an actual symphony with its distinct movements, the overture's parts transition from one to the next without a break.
Although there are no horses or cavalry charges in the opera, this segment is often used in popular media to denote galloping horses, a race, or a hero riding to the rescue. Its most famous use in that respect is as the theme music for The Lone Ranger; that usage has become so famous that the term "intellectual" has been defined as "a man who can listen to the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger".[10] The Finale is quoted by Johann Strauss Sr. in his William Tell Galop (Op. 29b), published and premiered a matter of months after the Paris premiere of the original,[11] and by Dmitri Shostakovich in the first movement of his Symphony No. 15.[12]
Described by David Wondrich as a "frequent target of plunder by brass bands in the years during which they dominated the American musical landscape", the overture features prominently in Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon The Band Concert.[13] It has also been used in cartoons parodying classical music (e.g. Bugs Bunny's Overtures to Disaster in which the overture's finale is performed by Daffy Duck and Porky Pig) or Westerns (e.g. Bugs Bunny Rides Again).[14] The finale has also been sung with specially written lyrics by Daffy Duck in Yankee Doodle Daffy. [15]
One of the most frequently used pieces of classical music in American advertising, the overture (especially its finale) appears in numerous ads,[16] with psychologist Joan Meyers-Levy suggesting that it is particularly suitable for those targeting male consumers.[17] It was used in a hip-hop version by DJ Shadow to accompany the 2001 "Defy Convention" advertisement campaign for Reebok athletic shoes and in an electronic version for a 2008 Honda Civic campaign.[18][19]
Amongst the films which feature the overture prominently is Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, where an electronic rearrangement by Wendy Carlos of the finale is played during a fast motion orgy scene. The less frequently heard introductory portion of the overture is used as somber mood music later in the film.[20]
The overture, especially its finale, also features in several sporting events. It has been used by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for many years.[21] During the third television time-out of every second half at Indiana University basketball games, the Indiana pep band and cheerleading squad perform the overture with cheerleaders racing around the court carrying eighteen flags. Indiana public address announcer Chuck Crabb said the tradition began in about 1979 or 1980.[22] Sportscaster Billy Packer called it "the greatest college timeout in the country".[22]
In the recording here, performed by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and recorded by RNZ Concert in 2017, you can hear the entire overture, which is 11 minutes in duration. It was conducted by Giordano Bellincampi.
The second movement is a dynamic piece telling the story of a storm. While it starts softly with violins and violas then wind instruments join in as the pace picks up. The storm is at its most ferocious when the percussion joins. Eventually the storm subsides.
What can you do then in those cases? Here is my advice, explained with an example taken from the William Tell overture flute excerpt (you can listen to my performance of the excerpt in this special edition):
While the Finale is undoubtedly the most recognisable, the Overture is actually structured in four contrasting sections. It tells a story within itself, making it structurally distinct from anything Rossini had composed before.
Just as there's more to William Telll than its overture, there's more to the overture than just the theme to the Lone Ranger. Here's the overture in its entirety, with Eugene Ormandy leading the Philadelphia Orchestra.
And that brings us to William Tell. The opera, as a whole, isn't heard all that often. But its overture alone features two melodies that broke free of their operatic origins. In the overture's quiet middle section, there's a simple theme that has backed up enough pastoral scenes to have become a sort of musical cliché. Right on the heels of that tune comes one of the most famous musical passages of all time: the melody that galloped into radio and TV history as the theme to The Lone Ranger. Just think "Hi, ho Silver, away!" and the tune will likely pop into your mind at the same time.
But there's no need to stop with the overture. On this edition of World of Opera, from the Maggio Musicale in Florence, host Lisa Simeone presents a complete performance of William Tell, a musically spectacular opera that more than lives up to its inspiring curtain-raiser. Antonio Pappano conducts, with the Orchestra and Chorus of the Santa Cecilia Academy.
Without a doubt, this is the most famous association that the opera has with any piece of popular entertainment, the fourth section (also known as the March of the Swiss Soldiers) of the overture featuring prominently as the theme song for the famed character.
The William Tell Overture is the overture to the opera William Tell (original French title Guillaume Tell), whose music was composed by Gioachino Rossini. William Tell premiered in 1829 and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas, after which he went into semi-retirement, although he continued to compose cantatas, sacred music and secular vocal music.
There has been repeated use (and sometimes parody) of parts of this overture in both classical music and popular media, most famously as the theme music for The Lone Ranger in radio, television and film. It was also used as the theme music for the British television series The Adventures of William Tell.
The overture, which lasts for approximately 12 minutes, paints a musical picture of life in the Swiss Alps, the setting of the opera. It was described by Berlioz (who usually loathed Rossini's works) as "a symphony in four parts", but unlike a symphony with its discrete movements, the overture's parts transition from one to the next without any break.
Finale, March Of The Swiss Soldiers: The Finale, often called the "March of the Swiss Soldiers" in English, is in E major like the Prelude, but is an ultra-dynamic galop heralded by trumpets and played by the full orchestra. It alludes to the final act, which recounts the Swiss soldiers' victorious battle to liberate their homeland from Austrian repression. Although there are no horses or cavalry charges in the opera, this segment is often used in popular media to denote galloping horses, a race, or a hero riding to the rescue. Its most famous use in that respect is as the theme music for The Lone Ranger, so famous that the term "intellectual" has been defined as "a man who can listen to the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger." The Finale is also quoted by Dmitri Shostakovich in the first movement of his Symphony No. 15.
William Tell Overture, Call to the CowsPictureComposition InformationYear1829 (originally)
2000 (in Baby Einstein)ComposerRossiniKeyG majorComposition ListPreviousPictures at an Exhibition, Promenade I (Art Time Classics)
Double Trumpet Concerto in C Major, RV 537, 1st Movement (Wild Animal Safari)NextWilliam Tell Overture, March of the Swiss Soldiers (Art Time Classics)
The Bartered Bride, Furiant (Wild Animal Safari)The William Tell Overture is the overture to the opera William Tell (original French title Guillaume Tell), whose music was composed by Gioachino Rossini. William Tell premiered in 1829 and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas, after which he went into semi-retirement (he continued to compose cantatas, sacred music and secular vocal music). The overture is in four parts, each following without pause.
Season 1 : Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46, Morning Mood - Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46, Anitra's Dance - Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, 2nd Movement - Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor, WoO 1 - Horn Concerto No. 4 In E-Flat Major, K. 495, 3rd Movement - Horn Concerto No. 3 In E-flat Major, K. 447, 2nd Movement - Serenade No. 13 In G Major, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik", K. 525, 1st Movement - Serenade No. 13 in G Major, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik", K. 525, 2nd Movement - Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46, In the Hall of the Mountain King - Bagatelle No. 25 in A Minor, WoO 59, "Für Elise" - The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Op. 57, Act III. Flight of the Bumblebee - The Four Seasons, Concerto No. 1 in E Major, "Spring", RV. 269, 1st Movement - The Four Seasons, Concerto No. 3 in F Major, "Autumn", RV. 293, 1st Movement - The Four Seasons, Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, "Summer", RV. 315, 1st Movement - Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B Minor, BWV 1067, Badinerie - The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Op. 57, Act I. The Tsar's Farewell and Departure - Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Sharp Minor, "Moonlight", Op. 27, 1st Movement
Season 2 : Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, "Fate", Op. 67, 4th Movement - On the Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz, Op. 314 - Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467, 2nd Movement - William Tell Overture, March of the Swiss Soldiers - William Tell Overture, Call to the Cows - The Moldau, Scene - The Moldau, Hunting - Symphony No. 8 In B Minor, "Unfinished", D. 759, 1st Movement - Rondeau from "Sinfonie de Fanfares" - The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, Tea (Chinese Dance) - The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, Waltz of the Flowers - The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, Trepak (Russian Dance) - The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy - Water Music Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348, Air - The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, Dance of the Reed Pipes - Water Music Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348, Allegro - Water Music Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348, Bourrée - 1812 Overture, Finale
Website and Video Games : Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331, 3rd Movement - Notebook for Anna Magdalena, BWV Anh. 114, Minuet in G Major -