Home | News | Bio | Compositions | Performances | Links | Contact


Interstellar Tarantella
for concert band OR string orchestra


Full Orchestra
String Orchestra
Wind Ensemble
Vocal
Chamber
Solo Instrumental

A tarantella is a fast and furious traditional dance that supposedly will help drain the venom after someone is bitten by a tarantula. While this emergency therapy is not very effective, the dance is a whirlwind of energy. While earthly tarantellas are usually in duple or quadruple time, this interstellar dance is in compound triple time (9/8), so each measure has three beats and each beat is divided into three.

This dance consists of two themes. The first is full of rhythmic vitality and is based on the characteristic rhythm of the tarantella – a bouncy and repetitive long short long short idea. After this aggressive theme is passed around the ensemble, a second, more lyrical theme is stated at measure 29. Finally, the dance culminates when these two ideas are combined in measure 49, bringing the tarantella to a raucous close.

Interstellar Tarantella was commissioned by Samuel Fritz and the Center Grove Middle School Central Instrumental Music Program, and Ashley Carney and the Zionsville Middle School Orchestras. It is part of a set of pieces by the members of the Blue Dot Collective in 2019. All six of these short pieces for young band or orchestra utilize compound meter. To purchase this and the rest of the Blue Dot Collection, please visit Murphy Music Press.


Duration: 1'30"
Grade: 1

    Concert Band Instrumentation:
  • Flute; Oboe or Flute 2 (optional); Bassoon (optional)
  • Clarinet 1, 2; Bass clarinet (optional)
  • Alto Saxophones 1, 2; Tenor Saxophone (optional); Baritone Saxophone (optional)
  • Trumpet in Bb 1, 2; Horn in F (optional); Trombone; Euphonium/Baritone; Tuba
  • Timpani (optional), Percussion (4 players minimum)
  • Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Snare Drum, Tenor Drum, Bass Drum, Crash Cymbals
  • Available from Murphy Music Press

  • Fully Flexible Instrumentation:
  • Four Part complete flexibility - any four instruments will be able to perform this work, including strings
  • Group 1: Treble clef instruments - flute, oboe, violins
  • Group 2: Bb instruments - clarinet, bass clarinet, trumpet, tenor saxophone, (treble clef euphonium)
  • Group 3: Eb instruments - alto and baritone saxophone
  • Group 4: Horn in F
  • Group 5: Bass clef instruments - bassoon, trombone, euphonium, tuba, cello, bass
  • Alto clef viola parts are included
  • Percussion: Timpani, 3 Percussion - Mallets (Glockenspiel, Xylophone), Snare Drum/Tenor Drum, Cymbals/Bass Drum
  • Piano (optional)
  • Available from Murphy Music Press

  • String Orchestra:
  • Violin 1
  • Violin 2
  • Viola/Violin 3 (Viola treble clef)
  • Cello
  • Bass
  • Percussion (optional): Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Cymbals
  • Piano (optional)
  • Available from Murphy Music Press




Listen to a recording of the concert band version of Interstellar Tarantella by Dr. Vu Nguyen and the University of Connecticut Symphonic Band, while following the score to the fully flexible instrumentation:



Listen to a recording of the string orchestra version of Interstellar Tarantella by the IUP Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Dr. Alexandra Dee:





It appears you don't have a PDF plugin for this browser. No biggie... you can click here to download the PDF file.



It appears you don't have a PDF plugin for this browser. No biggie... you can click here to download the PDF file.



Interstellar Fanfare is currently published by Roger Zare Music, distributed by Murphy Music Press. For the band version, please visit Murphy Music Press to purchase this work and the other 5 in the collection. The orchestra version is also available from Murphy Music Press.



Copyright © by Roger Zare Music, ASCAP. All Rights Reserved.