Flight of the bumblebee flute sheet music

Tuesday 14 July 2009

Table of Contents Show

Tune of the Day: Flight of the Bumblebee
Sheet music for flute
What grade is Flight of the Bumblebee Flute?
What BPM is Flight of the Bumblebee?

Tune of the Day: Flight of the Bumblebee

from “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

This famous orchestral interlude was written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov for his opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan, composed in 1899–1900. The piece closes Act III, Tableau 1, during which the magic Swan-Bird changes Prince Gvidon Saltanovich (the Tsar's son) into an insect so that he can fly away to visit his father, who does not know that he is alive. Although in the opera the Swan-Bird sings during the first part of the “Flight”, her vocal line is melodically uninvolved and easily omitted; this feature, combined with the fact that the number decisively closes the scene, made easy extraction as an orchestral concert piece possible.

“Flight of the Bumblebee” is recognizable for its frantic pace when played up to tempo, with nearly uninterrupted runs of chromatic sixteenth notes. It is not so much the pitch or range of the notes that are played that challenges the musician, but simply the musician's ability to move to them quickly enough.

Although the original orchestral version mercifully assigns portions of the sixteenth-note runs to various instruments in tandem, in the century since its composition the piece has become a standard showcase for solo instrumental virtuosity, whether on the original violin or on practically any other melodic instrument.

Unlimited access to over 1 million arrangements for every instrument, genre & skill levelStart Your Free Month Get your unlimited access PASS!1 Month Free

Artists
Apps
Sheet Music Direct App for iPad and iPhone
The ultimate sheet music experience
Take your music practice and performance to the next level with our powerful new interactive sheet music app—now including PASS!
Take your music practice and performance to the next level with our powerful new interactive sheet music app—now including PASS!
Explore the App

PlayAlong App for iPad
Time to sound amazing!
Explore thousands of interactive sheet music titles with pro-quality backing tracks, plus powerful tools for learning, playing, recording, sharing and performing. Download free for iPad today.
Explore thousands of interactive sheet music titles with pro-quality backing tracks, plus powerful tools for learning, playing, recording, sharing and performing. Download free for iPad today.
Explore PlayAlong
Blog
Free

This content is only visible for Premium members

If you are already a member click here to login.

Sheet music for flute

Info:	"Flight of the Bumblebee" is an orchestral interlude written for the opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan. The piece closes Act III, Tableau 1, during which the magic Swan-Bird changes Prince Gvidon Saltanovich (the Tsar's son) into an insect so that he can fly away to visit his father (who does not know that he is alive). Although in the opera the Swan-Bird sings during the first part of the "Flight", her vocal line is melodically uninvolved and easily omitted; this feature, combined with the fact that the number decisively closes the scene, made easy extraction as an orchestral concerto piece possible.
Date:	1900
Artist:	Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov
Born:	18 March 1844, Tikhvin
Died:	21 June 1908, Luga (Pskov Oblast)
The artist:	Russian composer and teacher of classical music particularly noted for his fine orchestration and frequent use of fairy tale and folk subjects.
Instrument:	Flute
Key:	F major
Range:	C#4 - Eb6
Time signature:	2/4
Tempo:	144 BPM
Duration:	2:07
Pages:	3
Difficulty:	Advanced
Style:	Classical