In the Hall of the Mountain King: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Wasson's arrangement preserves every ounce of the original's drama and drive while respecting the technical realities of a Grade 2 band. The voicing distributes melodic material intelligently across the ensemble, so no section gets stranded with thankless parts. Students play music that feels substantial and satisfying, not diluted.

The famous troll march spirals upward with creeping menace, building tension until it bursts into urgency. Underneath, the harmonic undercurrent churns forward, relentless and hypnotic. The music captures that delicious moment before something dark and ancient breaks through the surface.

Young and developing concert bands at the elementary and early middle school level. The Grade 2 difficulty means solid fundamentals are in place, but technical demands won't derail musicality. This works equally well for community bands, school concerts, and festival programs.

• Shape the main melody with real dynamic intention. The tune's power comes from its architecture, not from playing it loud throughout. Let the ascending passages build naturally and the peak moments breathe.
• Lock the bass line and tuba part in the faster sections. This music lives or dies on rhythmic clarity, especially when the tempo tightens.
• Balance the inner voices against the melody. Clarinets and saxophones often carry counter-melodies that enrich the texture; make sure they're audible without eclipsing the primary line.
• Differentiate the character between sections. The opening has a sinister quality that should shift into something more driving and forceful as the piece progresses. Tempo flexibility, not exaggeration, achieves this.

Pair this with lighter selections to create dramatic arc in a concert. It sits naturally alongside other Romantic-era arrangements or works exploring darker themes in literature and music. Consider using it as a closer to a first half, where its intensity can reset the audience's attention before intermission.

• Sustaining dynamic shape over longer phrases
• Maintaining rhythmic precision in fast-moving sections
• Balancing melodic lines with supporting voices
• Understanding harmonic movement and tension-release
• Responding to conductor cues for tempo and character shifts
• Reading and executing varied articulations across the ensemble