Chorale: String Bass
Arr. Loreta Fin
Grade: 2
Item: 76-PC-0000012_SB
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Description
From a Bach Chorale, this work requires careful listening for accurate intonation and sensitive observation of dynamics. All parts are of equal importance in the opening chorale theme, with an obligato 1st violin added in the 2nd section.
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Additional Details
Series:
Wilfin String Orchestra: Young String Ensemble Series
Publisher:
Wilfin Music
Page Count:
66
SKU:
76-PC-0000012_SB
More about this title
About the Arranger: Loreta Fin
Loreta Fin AM is an Australian string educator and composer whose work has shaped ensemble playing across multiple continents. A violinist trained at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and former first violinist with the Sydney Youth Orchestra, she has performed with world-class artists while maintaining an active presence in chamber and orchestral contexts. As Principal Viola player with the Queensland Pops Orchestra for over 25 years, Fin brought her interpretive gifts to professional performance while building a parallel career in education.
Fin has directed the string program at Somerville House School in Brisbane since 1993 and served the Australian Strings Association in leadership roles, including stints as State and National President. Her compositional output exceeds 100 works for string orchestra, published internationally by Alfred Music. She has adjudicated major Australian competitions, presented at national music conferences in both Australia and the United States, and conducted honours ensembles across the region since 2015. In 2017, she released a comprehensive beginner string series, and in 2018 and 2019 she conducted the Miri Music Project in Malaysia. Her contributions to string teaching earned her the National Award for Services to Music and String Teaching in Australia, as well as nomination for the ARIA Best Teacher award.
Why we love this
Fin's arrangement respects the integrity of Bach's voice-leading while opening the texture to young ensemble players. The orchestration makes the chorale accessible at Grade 2 without sacrificing the harmonic content that makes Bach's work so enduring. Her addition of a first violin obligato in the second section provides both a welcome textural lift and a chance to feature capable players without leaving younger musicians behind.
What to expect
This chorale breathes with the contemplative quality of Bach's original harmonies while feeling fresh and idiomatic for young strings. The opening unison sets a meditative tone, and the addition of the obligato creates a subtle emotional arc that rewards careful listening and attentive playing.
Who it's for
String orchestras with intermediate ensemble skills and a mix of player abilities. This arrangement works equally well for young players building their sight-reading and intonation awareness, as well as for ensembles preparing a short, substantive piece for concert performance.
How to get the most out of it
- Build precision in the sustained chords before worrying about expression. Balance the ensemble by asking all parts to listen across the score rather than within their own section; a Bach chorale only works when every voice is equally present.
- Shape the dynamics as a unified gesture rather than isolated crescendos in individual parts. Mark a single breath point for the entire orchestra at the end of phrases to anchor the ensemble's cohesion.
- Use the obligato violin line in section two as a listening focal point for the orchestra. Keeping all eyes on that line helps younger players stay rhythmically grounded while the first violin explores the more active part.
How to use it
Place this early in a concert when you want to establish a serious, focused tone before moving into lighter fare. It pairs beautifully with other masterwork arrangements or standalone baroque-inspired pieces in a thematically coherent program. The short duration makes it ideal as a concert opener or a brief respite between larger ensemble works.
Skills your students will build
- Intonation tuning in sustained harmonic progressions
- Balance between equal-importance voice parts
- Dynamic shaping of harmonic phrases
- Part independence while maintaining collective ensemble sound
- Reading and responding to Bach's four-part harmonic language