Andante Cantabile (from String Quartet, Op. 11): String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts
By Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky / Arranged by Harvey Whistler / Arranged by Herman Hummel
Grade: 2-3
Item: 35-PK00096234
$35.00
Pickup currently not available
Buy Extra Parts (Digital PDF Download)
Parts Added to Cart!
Description
Taken from one of Tchaikovsky's string quartets, this edition features primarily tutti scoring and provides an opportunity to teach basic meter changes (2/4 to 3/4). Dur: 3:50
Andante Cantabile (from String Quartet, Op. 11): String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts isn't in MakeMusic Cloud just yet...but it could be. Let us know you'd like to see it, and you'll help shape what comes next. In the meantime, start a free trial and dive into thousands of interactive titles your students can play along with today.
Request This Title
Tell us you want it.
Start Your Free Trial
Explore everything that's ready to play right now.
Sample Audio
No sample audio found.
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Publisher:
Hal Leonard
SKU:
35-PK00096234
More about this title
About the Composer: Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky's four string quartets stand among the finest examples of the form written in the nineteenth century. His gift for lyrical melody and harmonic sophistication transformed the string quartet from a chamber work into something capable of profound emotional expression, and these pieces remain central to the repertoire today.
His ability to write idiomatically for strings made him a natural choice for transcription and arrangement. The Andante Cantabile movement demonstrates why his string writing continues to inspire performers and audiences alike: the music breathes with singability even as it navigates structural complexity.
Why we love this
The Whistler and Hummel arrangement strips away chamber ensemble logistics while preserving the lyrical heart of Tchaikovsky's writing. For a Grade 2-3 group, this gives your students access to genuinely sophisticated harmonic language and songlike phrasing without the technical barrier of a full-voiced score.
What to expect
Quiet introspection tinged with romantic warmth. The movement unfolds with gentle inevitability, never rushing, always singing. There's a quality of intimate conversation here, as if the orchestra is thinking aloud rather than performing.
Who it's for
Intermediate string orchestras ready to explore metric flexibility and sustained cantabile playing. This works for groups that have solid intonation and can maintain a unified bow across an entire phrase.
How to get the most out of it
- Shape the opening melody as a single continuous line; resist breaking it into phrase segments. The Andante character depends on unbroken legato even across bow changes.
- Balance tutti texture carefully so that inner voices don't disappear. This arrangement relies on the full section sound, so ensure violas and cellos project equally with violins.
- Approach the meter shifts (2/4 to 3/4) by feeling them as natural harmonic progressions rather than technical hurdles. Let the chord changes guide your beat rather than counting mechanically.
- Allow the swell and release of dynamics to follow the melody's contour. Tchaikovsky's phrasing is intuitive, so give yourself permission to breathe with the music rather than adhering rigidly to printed markings.
How to use it
Program this as a palate cleanser between more extroverted works, or pair it with other Tchaikovsky excerpts to show his range as a melodist. Its modest length (3:50) makes it ideal for a shorter concert slot or as a standalone classical interlude in a mixed program.
Skills your students will build
- Reading and executing meter changes (2/4 to 3/4)
- Sustaining cantabile line across full phrases with unified bowing
- Balancing tutti texture with independent voice leading
- Responding to harmonic progression as a guide for phrasing
- Maintaining ensemble cohesion in sustained, slower tempos