Sheet Music: 1812 Overture

Title1812 Overture
Alternate titlesThe Year 1812, Festival Overture
Ouverture Solennelle, L'Année 1812
Opus numberOp. 49
ComposerPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
InstrumentationFlute solo
KeyE-flat major
RangeC4–A♮6
Time signature4/4
Tempo80 BPM
Performance time4:35
Difficulty levelintermediate
Download printable scorePDF Sheet Music (82 kB) (preview)
Download audio tracksMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (2.2 MB)
Date added2010-12-27
Last updated2010-12-27
Download popularity index☆☆☆☆☆ 14.2 (extremely popular)
Categories
Romantic

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Monday 27 December 2010

Tune of the Day: 1812 Overture

by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, arranged for solo flute

Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E-flat major, in 1880 to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of Borodino in 1812. The overture is best known for its climactic volley of cannon fire and ringing chimes.

The work begins in 3/4 time, with cellos playing Russian hymn “Oh Lord, Save Thy People”. The famous main theme can be found at measure 78; in the original, this is a horn fanfare, representing the Russian military.

We chose not to transcribe the full score, since the piece gets quite complex after that. In what follows, Tchaikovsky depicts the battle between the French and the Russian forces, represented by La Marseillaise and by the old Russian anthem “God Save The Tsar!”, respectively.