Bartered Bride Overture, The

The Bartered Bride Overture by Bedrich Smetana
Arranged for Flute Choir by Shaul Ben-Meir
Includes score and Parts

Instrumentation:
6 C Flutes (Flute 2 doubles on Piccolo)
2 Alto Flutes
2 Bass Flutes
Contrabass Flute

     The Bartered Bride (The Sold Fiancée) is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedrich Smetana. The opera is considered to have been a major contribution towards the development of Czech music.
     Smetana's musical treatment made considerable use of traditional Bohemian dance forms such as the polka and furiant, although he generally avoided the direct quotation of folksong. He nevertheless created music which sounded folk-like, and is considered to be a true representation of the Czech spirit. The overture is often played as a concert piece independently from the opera. Interestingly, it was composed before almost any of the other music for the opera had been written.