Berceuse and Finale: Full Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

Merle J. Isaac's orchestration preserves every essential gesture and harmonic detail of Stravinsky's original ballet score while making it accessible to accomplished high school orchestras. The Berceuse brings lyrical beauty and sophisticated harmonic writing, while the Finale delivers the propulsive energy and complex rhythmic layers that define Stravinsky's genius. This arrangement strikes the rare balance between artistic integrity and performability, giving your students genuine Stravinsky rather than a simplified approximation.

The Berceuse wraps you in shifting harmonies and delicate orchestral color; a lullaby that feels suspended in time, mysterious and dreamlike. The Finale ignites with rhythmic drive and percussive punch, all angular lines and unexpected harmonic turns that demand your attention and energy.

High school orchestras with solid reading skills and comfort with 20th-century harmonic language will find this arrangement engaging and achievable. Students at the Grade 5 level can handle the rhythmic complexity and orchestral balance while experiencing genuine Stravinsky without overwhelming difficulty. This works best for ensembles with strong principal players who can carry exposed lines.

• Establish a clear pulse in the Berceuse's shifting harmonic context; Stravinsky's chromaticism can blur tempo if the conductor wavers. A steady, confident beat anchors the strings and supports the woodwind soloists.
• Demand precision in rhythmic articulation throughout the Finale, particularly where the brass and percussion layer independent patterns. Clean releases and synchronized attacks make the orchestration transparent rather than muddy.
• Balance the woodwind soloists in the Berceuse so they sing above the string accompaniment without forcing tone. These moments showcase individual voices and need space to breathe.
• Prepare your lower strings to anchor the complex harmonic progressions; they carry much of Stravinsky's dissonance. A secure low register allows upper voices and soloists to float freely.

This works beautifully as a centerpiece for a festival program, demonstrating your orchestra's ability to handle modernist writing and sophisticated orchestration. Pair it with Romantic-era works or contemporary pieces to show range, or program it alongside other ballet excerpts to explore different compositional voices. The complete arc from Berceuse to Finale gives audiences a satisfying narrative arc in a single performance.

• Reading 20th-century harmonic language and chromatic voice leading
• Executing precise rhythmic attacks and releases in complex polyrhythmic passages
• Balancing exposed solos within full orchestral texture
• Responding to conductor's beat through harmonic and rhythmic shifts
• Sustaining focus and intonation in dissonant harmonic contexts
• Collaborating across orchestral sections with independent rhythmic layers