Description
L'adieu des bergers
(The Shepherds' Farewell)
From 'L'enfance du Christ'
Composed by Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Arranged Paul Burnell 2012
For recorder orchestra S, S, A, A, T, T, B, B, GB, Cb
Performance tempos of the original composition are often slower than the published metronome mark of 50 beats per minute, typically resulting in a duration of around three to four minutes.
The orginal key is E major, but in this arrangement it has been transposed up a semitone to F Major.
If there is a single Contrabass recorder in the bars marked divisi the lower note should be played.
Programme note:
L'enfance du Christ is an oratorio by the French composer Hector Berlioz first performed in 1854. 'L'adieu des bergers' (The shepherds' farewell) was written as an organ piece in 1850. In the oratorio it appears in Part Two and is probably the most well-known movement, often performed separately.