G Major Music Theory Blog

Look for the tarantella for many Italian-Americans, an easy version in Primer Level and a harder one in Level Four. This melody is so closely associated with the dance, at least in the United States, that you may be surprised to learn that the tarantella may be danced to many melodies.  Many composers have in fact composed their own, and certain melodies are native to certain Italian towns. The tarantella is named after the the tarantula spider (in Italian, “tarantola”) and the melody in these new pieces is also named after its place of origin, Naples.  Tarantellas are in a fast 6/8 meter, though the primer version here has been changed to 3/4 for ease of reading. Legend has it that dancing this strenuous dance would be an antidote to the tarantula’s bite.

In this video “Sakura” is played on a guzheng:

“Sakura”, is a traditional Japanese folk song depicting spring, the season of the cherry blossom. The song was first composed during the Edo period for children learning to play the koto. The koto is derived from the Chinese guzheng. Originally, the lyrics “Blooming cherry blossoms” were attached to the melody of “Sakura.” The song has been popular since the Meiji period, and the lyrics in their present form were attached then. It is often sung in international settings as a song representative of Japan.
–from Wikipedia

New this month for Level One players is an arrangement of “The Slavonic March” (also known as “Marche Slave”), an orchestral composition by Tchaikovsky. In June 1876, following incidents in which Turkish soldiers killed a large number of Christian Slavs who were rebelling against the Ottoman Empire, Serbia declared war on Turkey. Many Russians sympathized with those they considered to be their fellow Slavs and sent volunteer soldiers and aid to assist the Kingdom of Serbia.
A close friend of Tchaikovsky asked him to compose a piece for a concert benefiting the wounded Russian volunteers. In a burst of patriotism, Tchaikovsky composed and orchestrated what was first known as the “Serbo-Russian March” (later to be known as “Marche Slave”) in only five days. The piece was premiered in Moscow on November 17, 1876 to a warm reception.

–from Wikipedia

Listen to Tchaikovsky’s original orchestral version.

See Level Four for my own interpretation.

I found eight renditions of this piece on YouTube. See them on my playlist or click the “student” button after this piece in Level Four. Here’s my favorite. I love the black cat!