It's All About Love!: Full Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

Jack Bullock's arrangement captures the warmth of three Gershwin standards without requiring a pit band or vocalist. The orchestration sits comfortably at Grade 3, which means your students actually play music instead of counting rests; winds layer in optionally, letting you build the piece around what you have. Programming three beloved songs in one rehearsal creates momentum and gives audiences instant recognition.

Elegant and unhurried. These are songs that trust their melodies, moving through lush Gershwin harmonies with the ease of something that sounds simpler than it is. There's warmth here, not sentimentality; the orchestration never oversells what the themes already deliver.

Programs looking to program standards that matter without requiring a vocalist or pianist soloist. Orchestras with flexible instrumentation will appreciate the optional wind parts that scale the piece up or down. String programs can perform this as-is while building toward a fuller orchestral sound.

• Balance the string melody against any added winds so the vocal lines remain singing, not buried. Gershwin's harmonies deserve air.
• Let the rubato breathe in the lyrical passages; these songs were written for singers, so your section leaders should shape the phrases with slight flexibility rather than metronomic precision.
• If you're using fewer than full orchestra, rehearse the optional instruments separately first to confirm that your core arrangement (strings plus piano) stands on its own.

Consider this a program anchor that plays well with either pops selections or lighter classical fare. The medley format makes it strong as a closing piece before intermission, giving audiences three hits in succession. For string ensembles building confidence, it's an ideal step up from simplified arrangements into genuine orchestral repertoire.

• Sustaining singing tone across longer phrases in a lyrical context
• Balancing melody against harmonic accompaniment
• Managing transitions between three connected themes
• Adjusting intonation in jazz-influenced harmony (particularly the chromatic passing chords Gershwin favors)
• Responding to subtle rubato and phrase shaping from the conductor