Originally for piano, I've arranged this delightful piece for concert band. Most listeners will be puzzled that the themes from "Tristan & Isolde" are not immediately apparent, but if you have the fortitude, listen to Wagner's entire opera, and all these melodies are in there.

Chabrier (1841-1894) wrote the original piano piece in the 1880s after attending a performance of Tristan & Isolde in Munich. Chabrier was moved to tears by the love story, but when he returned home, he wrote this burlesque, a pastiche of the various themes from the opera. It was a curious thing to do. Rather than writing a tribute to Wagner's masterpiece, it was as if he instead squirted Wagner in the face with a seltzer bottle. Wagner's favorite conductor, Hans von Bülow, became enraged when he heard Chabrier perform this parody, but Francis Poulenc described Souvenirs de Munich as "irresistibly funny", where Wagner's principal themes appear with "false beards and fake moustaches."

The five movements (joined by brief transitions of my own hand) are: I. PANTALON (trousers) II. ÉTÉ (summer) III. POULE (hen) IV. PASTOURELLE V. GALOP (a Galop was a popular 19th-century dance)

Those who are familiar with the original piano score by Chabrier will notice that I have simplified the music and removed many arpeggios and runs to make it playable for school and amateur bands, but without losing any of the spirit of the music.

If you have purchased from SibeliusMusic in the past and were disappointed in the appearance of the parts, rest assured that I have made a separate part for each instrument, all are exceptionally neat, and they print out beautifully. A slightly smaller staff size also means fewer pages to print out. You will not be disappointed.

With the purchase of the score you are entitled to parts for Euphonium in treble clef, Alto Clarinet, E-flat Alto Horns, Ophicleide (in C), or any other instrument you need.