Begin the Beguine

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book is one of the landmark recordings of the singer's illustrious career for a variety of reasons. Buddy Bregman's arrangement of Begin the Beguine, just like the rest of his arrangements for the session, makes the wise decision to keep things simple in order to stay out of the way of Fitzgerald's peerless vocals while still maintaining the appropriate sense of support behind her. This chart begins in a relatively quiet setting with woodwinds on clarinets and brass in tight cup mutes. Throughout the entire arrangement the strings play a minor role, providing simple background pads, most of the time in unision. The halfway point sees the woodwinds go to saxophones and the brass remove their mutes. It is at this point the overall volume of the ensemble needs to ramp up. This is where the ensemble gets a chance to shine. But, they need to still be aware of the volume of the vocalist so as to not bury her/him. The end of the arrangement is simply a re-stating of the first four bars before the strings close out the arrangement. Included are alternate woodwind parts that avoid the need for clarinet doubles. Vocal key: G This publication was prepared from Buddy Bregman's original pencil score - this is not a transcription. Instrumentation: Full Score Vocal Woodwind 1: Clarinet/Alto Saxophone (See Alt. Parts) Woodwind 2: Clarinet/Alto Saxophone (See Alt. Parts) Woodwind 3: Clarinet/Tenor Saxophone (See Alt. Parts) Woodwind 4: Clarinet/Tenor Saxophone (See Alt. Parts) Woodwind 5: Bass Clarinet/Baritone Saxophone (See Alt. Parts) 4 Trumpets 4 Trombones 2 Violins (8 Players Recommended) Viola Cello Harp Guitar Piano Bass Drum Set Alternate Woodwind 1: Alto Saxophone Alternate Woodwind 2: Alto Saxophone Alternate Woodwind 3: Tenor Saxophone Alternate Woodwind 4: Tenor Saxophone Alternate Woodwind 5: Baritone Saxophone