The Cowboys Overture

Deluxe Score

By John Williams

I chose this piece because it is moving and sounds like the west. I like to listen to John Williams scores and conduct to them, and this is definitely going into my collection. I play french horn in the NC symphony and we played this and i loved it. We...

played it with the composer himself, John Williams. He told us a few things that he intended when writing the score that were not written on the score. I highly recommend this product to anyone who is as passionate about music as i am.

my middle school second band played this as fast as professionals and cleanly, i played 1st clarinet, it is an extremely fun song

To Start, The Cowboys Overt., which is from the John Wayne film 'The Cowboys' is a song that consists of 3 main sections, in other words, this song is in A-B-A form. Now the 1st & 3rd of these 3 sections is full of music that sounds like true...

cowboy movie music that's played at a medium speed tempo. The 2nd section/"B" section of this song is a drumless section that's very beautiful with two or so minutes of some amazing and innovative harp playing in which this "B" section has some of J. Williams most beautiful 'happy' chords, executed by the musical instruments in the orchestra, and this song is a happy song from its start to its end. Now this Overture by J. Williams is good for teaching student composers how to write an overture that's not a long song and it's good for learning how to compose for the harp.

A great concert piece! It "wows" the audience everytime. A wonderful piece to conduct. All musicians are on their "toes" for this one! Personally, one of my favorites to conduct!

This piece is really enjoyable for all players - but especially horns and woodwinds (which play 'string' lines by John Williams's original orchestral version). Its really crucial that you have strong horns (or at least 2 with alto sax assist) and all woodwind players who love a challenge. Middle section...

, Oboe solo is so languid, which is repeated with horns in unison in upper-high range of horn. Trumpets are part of the fabric, percussion is interesting with meter changes and textural embellishments. This tone-poem brings to mind rugged landscapes, unknown frontiers, sunsets, horses, indians, and of course cowboys *thus the title*. Really one of my all time favorites. 8-10 mins length?