Whenever I play piano duets with any of my students, they always want to play the Petersburger Schlittenfahrt by Richard Eilenberg!

I found the piece whilst looking through some piano duets in a shop in Bremen, Germany, and loved it straightaway.

’Eilenberg’s musical career began with the study of piano and composition. At 18 years old, he composed his first work - a concert overture. As a volunteer he participated in the Franco-Prussian War from 1870 to 1871. In 1873, Eilenberg became the music director and conductor in Stettin. In 1889, he decided to move to Berlin as a freelance composer, where his second marriage with his wife Dorothee started. They lived on 73 Bremer Street.’

I didn’t know the last bit when I bought the copy, of course - quite a coincidence as this would translate into English as ’Bremen Street’!

I have now decided to make a few instrumental arrangements, as it’s such a catchy tune - well, I think so, anyway!

I have changed some of the original piano figuration to suit the wind instruments better, added an extra repeat, and a couple of ’counter-melodies’. I couldn’t resist a solitary reference to The Lone Ar-ranger! in the horn part!

As I wanted to keep the original key (D major) for the Wind Quintet arrangement, I have used a Clarinet in A in the score - there is, of course, an alternative B flat version included!