The William Tell Overture is the overture to the opera William Tell,
whose music was composed by Gioachino Rossini. William Tell premiered in 1829
and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas, after which he went into
semi-retirement, although he continued to compose cantatas, sacred music and
secular vocal music. The overture is in four parts, each following without
pause. There has been repeated use of parts of
this overture in both classical music and popular media, most famously as the
theme music for The Lone Ranger in radio, television and film. It was also
used as the theme music for the British television series The Adventures of
William Tell. Franz Liszt prepared a piano
transcription of the overture in 1838 which became a staple of his concert
repertoire. There are also transcriptions by other composers,
including versions by Louis Gottschalk for two and four pianos and a duet for
piano and violin. Instrumentation
The overture is scored for: a piccolo, a flute, two oboes, two clarinets in A,
two bassoons, four French horns in G and E, two trumpets in E, three trombones,
timpani, triangle, bass drum and cymbals, and strings.
Structure The overture, which lasts for
approximately 12 minutes, paints a musical picture of life in the Swiss
Alps, the setting of the opera. It was described by Berlioz as "a symphony in
four parts", but unlike a symphony with its discrete movements, the overture's
parts transition from one to the next without any break.
Prelude, Dawn The Prelude is a slow passage in E
major, scored for five solo cellos accompanied by double basses. It begins
in E minor with a solo cello which is in turn 'answered' by the remaining cellos
and the double basses. An impending storm is hinted at by two very quiet
timpani rolls resembling distant thunder. The section ends with a very
high sustained note played by the first cello.
Storm This dynamic section in E minor is
played by the full orchestra. It begins with the violins and violas. Their
phrases are punctuated by short wind instrument interventions of three notes
each, first by the piccolo, flute and oboes, then by the clarinets and
bassoons. The storm breaks out in full with the entrance of the French horns,
trumpets, trombones, and bass drum. The volume and number of instruments
gradually decreases as the storm subsides. The section ends with the
flute playing alone. Ranz des Vaches
This pastorale section in G major signifying the calm after the storm
begins with a Ranz des Vaches or "Call to the Cows", featuring the cor anglais.
The horn then plays in alternating phrases with the flute, culminating in a
duet with the triangle accompanying them in the background. The melody appears
several times in the opera, including the final act, and takes on the
character of a leitmotif. This segment is often used in animated cartoons to
signify daybreak, most notably in Walt Disney's The Old Mill.
Finale, March Of The Swiss Soldiers The Finale, often called the "March of
the Swiss Soldiers" in English, is in E major like the Prelude, but is an
ultra-dynamic galop heralded by trumpets and played by the full orchestra. It
alludes to the final act, which recounts the Swiss soldiers' victorious battle to
liberate their homeland from Austrian repression. Although there are no horses
or cavalry charges in the opera, this segment is often used in popular media
to denote galloping horses, a race, or a hero riding to the rescue. Its most
famous use in that respect is as the theme music for The Lone Ranger, so
famous that the term "intellectual" has been defined as "a man who can listen to
the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger." The Finale
is also quoted by Dmitri Shostakovich in the first movement of his Symphony No.
15. Cultural references
Described by David Wondrich as a "frequent target of plunder by brass
bands in the years during which they dominated the American musical
landscape", the overture features prominently in Walt Disney's Mickey
Mouse cartoon The Band Concert. It has also been used in cartoons parodying
classical music or Westerns. The finale has also been sung with especially
written lyrics by Daffy Duck in Yankee Doodle Daffy and by a quartet of singing
policemen in the Flintstones episode "The Hot Piano".
One of the most frequently used pieces of classical music in American
advertising, the overture appears in numerous ads, with psychologist Joan
Meyers-Levy suggesting that it is particularly suitable for those
targeting male consumers. It was used in a hip-hop version by DJ Shadow to
accompany the 2001 "Defy Convention" advertisement campaign for Reebok
athletic shoes and in an electronic version for a 2008 Honda Civic campaign.
Amongst the films which feature the overture prominently is Stanley
Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, where the finale is played during the fast motion
orgy scene. The less frequently heard introductory portion of the overture is
used as somber mood music later in the film. The overture is one of several
pieces of classical music in the film's sound track which also includes the
overture from Rossini's La gazza ladra, Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance, and
Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. The overture, especially its finale,
also features in several sporting events. It has been used by the Hong
Kong Jockey Club for many years. During the third time-out of every second half
at Indiana University basketball games, the Indiana pep band and cheerleading
squad perform the overture with cheerleaders racing around the court
carrying eighteen flags. Indiana public address announcer Chuck Crabb said the
tradition began in about 1979 or 1980. Sportscaster Billy Packer called it "the
greatest college timeout in the country."
See also William Tell Overture
William Tell Overture References
Further reading Kirby, Percival R.. "Rossini's Overture
to 'William Tell'", Music & Letters, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 132–140
External links William Tell. Free scores at the
International Music Score Library Project, including Rossini's original
score and variations and transcriptions by Louis Niedermeyer, Louis Gottschalk,
and Franz Liszt.