Funeral March: Conductor Score

Name: Funeral March: Conductor Score
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 36-10105264
Price: 10.00 USD
Availability: InStock

By Edvard Grieg / arr. Jan Erickson, Fennell Frederick

Grade: 4

Item: 36-10105264

$10.00

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Written in 1866 the day he heard his good friend and Norwegian nationalist Rikard Nordraak died, the original monument to the memory of his dear friend was composed by Edvard Grieg for piano. One year later, Grieg arranged the work for military band, transposing it to g minor, and he so treasured this music that he carried it with him on all journeys, and the orchestra setting was played at his interment. This transcription for the contemporary wind ensemble was made, appropriately, by the Norwegian band enthusiast and authority Jan Ericksen and edited by famed band master Frederick Fennell.

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Series: Fennell Editions - LudwigMasters

Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.

ISBN10: 1-63-887051-9

ISBN13: 978-1-63-887051-7

UPC: 660355091940

SKU: 36-10105264

Instrumentation: Symphonic Band

More about this title

About the Composer: Edvard Grieg

Edvard Grieg (1843, 1907) remains Norway's most celebrated composer, and his music shaped what it means to write with national identity at the heart of the work. He drew from Norwegian folk melody and harmonies throughout his career, creating a sound that felt both deeply personal and unmistakably Scandinavian. His gift for orchestration and arrangement meant his works traveled well across ensembles; he was not content to compose for one setting and leave it alone.

Grieg's Funeral March stands apart even among his other memorial works because of its origin story. Composing it the day he learned of Rikard Nordraak's death was an act of immediate, raw grief that he later refined through arrangement. That he carried the military band version with him always and requested it be played at his own funeral speaks to how deeply this piece held his own heart. For conductors and students, this is music born from genuine emotion, not convention.

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Why we love this

Few Grade 4 pieces carry the weight and maturity that students actually respond to emotionally. This arrangement by Jan Ericksen captures the introspective power of Grieg's original while remaining playable for developing musicians. The fact that Fennell himself edited this version means you're working with an interpretation shaped by one of the 20th century's greatest band conductors, who understood how to honor a composer's voice while making the music accessible.

What to expect

A quiet, solemn procession. The piece moves with dignity through phrases that unfold gradually, never rushing to its destination. There's a restrained intensity to it, not bombastic, but genuinely felt.

Who it's for

Concert bands at the Grade 4 level looking for music that teaches musicianship alongside technical skill. This is equally at home in students' hands and in programs where emotional literacy matters as much as note accuracy.

How to get the most out of it

Resist the urge to rush through the opening phrases. The movement should feel processional and measured; tempo and space are your primary expressive tools here.
Balance the inner harmonic voices carefully. Grieg's arrangement reveals countermelody and supporting lines that deserve to be heard without overpowering the main tune.
Let the dynamics speak for themselves rather than exaggerating them. The piece is already emotionally direct; subtlety in shaping will deepen its impact.
Attend to the low brass and woodwind foundation. They carry much of the harmonic weight that defines the character, especially in passages where the melody lies in the upper voices.

How to use it

Program this as the centerpiece of a concert devoted to Grieg or Nordic composers, or pair it with lighter works to create emotional architecture across a concert. It also serves beautifully as a concert opener when you want to establish a reflective tone from the start. Some directors use it in spring concerts as a way to give advanced ensembles an accessible introduction to working with mature subject matter.