Edition: Jazz Studio Orchestra Arrangement with Vocal

Description: Ballad - Difficult

Publisher: Jazz Lines Publications

Even by his lofty standards, Nelson Riddle's arrangement for Ella Fitzgerald of the Gershwin Brothers' 'The Man I Love' is nothing short of a masterpiece. The rich orchestral textures and surprisingly complex harmonies call to mind modern classical composers while serving as a perfect bed of accompaniment for Fitzgerald's peerless vocals. Before performing, make sure your ensemble is aware of the overall rubato nature of the arrangement; there are a number of dramatic tempo shifts and free-form colla voce sections scattered throughout the arrangement.

Things begin with a disarming but complex two measure piano solo that gets passed around (with variations) between the strings and woodwinds. The vocals enter at measure 9, with the strings providing some simple textured accompaniments for the first A section. The backgrounds gradually gain complexity throughout the rest of the melody. These more complex figures include some pizzicato cello figures and a lyrical horn solo at measure 17 and a gentle violin line at measure 33.

A brief woodwind flourish sets up an instrumental interlude at measure 41. The trombones and horn carry the melody at first before some sweepingly romantic strings lead into a key change and vocal re-entrance at measure 49. Until this point, the arrangement has been fairly subdued in volume, but at this point the brass should be at full majestic roar around the vocalist. The arrangement's finale begins on a gentle note, but ultimately concludes on a gradually building and surprisingly sour brass chord wrapped up in a dramatic descending string and piano flourish.

This arrangement is for studio orchestra with female vocalist. It is not a transcription - it has been prepared from Nelson Riddle's original score.

 

Full Score
Vocal
Woodwind 1: Flute
Woodwind 2: Clarinet
Woodwind 3: Clarinet
Woodwind 4: Oboe
Woodwind 5: Clarinet/Bass Clarinet
4 Trumpets
Horn in F
3 Trombones
Bass Trombone
3 Violins
Viola
Cello (3 parts)
Harp
Guitar
Piano
Acoustic Bass
Timpani
Drum Set

Vocal Key: Ab modulating to A
Trumpet 1: C#6
Trombone 1: F4