Italian Postcards Suite

Italian Postcards Suite is three-movement gem that captures the composer's different impressions of Italy beautifully, evident in the programmatic titles of each movement – "Last night we danced the Tarantella," "The Sistine Chapel is staggeringly beautiful" and "The view from the top of Vesuvius is amazing." Take your students on a field trip to Italy without leaving the band room!

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard
Level: 2.5 | Duration: 7:00

Instrumentation
1st Flute
2nd Flute
Oboe*
1st Bb Clarinet
2nd Bb Clarinet
3rd Bb Clarinet
Bb Bass Clarinet*
Bassoon*
1st Eb Alto Saxophone*
2nd Eb Alto Saxophone*
Bb Tenor Saxophone*
Eb Baritone Saxophone*

1st Bb Trumpet
2nd Bb Trumpet
3rd Bb Trumpet
1st F Horn
2nd F Horn
1st Trombone
2nd Trombone*
Euphonium
(TC Baritone)
Tuba

Timpani*
Percussion 1 (snare drum, suspended cymbal, 2 toms)
Percussion 2 (suspended cymbal, tabourine, large tom)
Percussion 3 (bass drum)
Mallets (glockenspiel, xylophone

Parts marked with an asterisk (*) are NOT ESSENTIAL, although their presence will obviously enable a fuller realization of the composer's intention to be had.

Program Notes
Scottish composer Bruce Fraser spends much time in Italy and has become well-known in that country as composer, conductor, and adjudicator.

It was inevitable that some of his Italian impressions would find their way into his music - and this three movement gem captures the different moods beautifully.

1) Last Night we danced the Tarantella
2) The Sistine Chapel is staggeringly beautiful
3) The view from the top of Vesuvius is amazing