1814 Overture
Get Russia out of your 4th of July!
The 1814 Overture has been created in an attempt to create an appropriate alternative to performances of the 1812 Overture on July 4th concerts. A number of people, the arranger included, have objected to the celebration of our Independence Day being accompanied by fragments of the French national anthem and the climax, with cannons and fireworks, to the strains of “God Save the Czar”. Since the United States was fighting a war with the British at the same time, it seemed logical to make the necessary adjustments to “Americanize”Tschaikovsky’s stirring composition.
Indeed, every attempt was made to change as little as possible so as to maintain the friendly familiarity and happy ritual of the tradition. The French anthem “La Marseillaise” is replaced with “Rule Brittania”. American replacements are “Simple Gifts”,”The Eighth of January” (aka “In 1814 we took a little trip…”), and “America The Beautiful.”
The arrangement starts in what is a very traditional place. Score and parts are available. Parts for choir and military band are available, although just notated with a double staff in the score. An audio mockup is also available.
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