The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Purcell): Variation F: Meno mosso (Violas) Songtext
von Leonard Bernstein

In order to show you how a big symphony orchestra is put together,
Benjamin Britten has written a big piece of music
which is made up of smaller pieces
that show you all the separate parts of the orchestra.
These smaller pieces are called variations,
which means different ways of playing the same tune.
First of all he lets us hear the tune, or theme,
which is a beautiful melody by the much older British composer, Henry Purcell.
Here is Purcell′s theme played by the whole orchestra together.

(Orchestra playing)
Now, Mr. Britten lets you hear the four different families of the orchestra
playing the same Purcell theme in different ways.
First, we heae the woodwind family.


The flutes, the oboes, the clarinets and the bassoons.


(Flutes playing)
Here comes the brass family.
The trumpets, the horns, the trombones and the tubas.
(Brass playing)
Now, Mr. Britten arranges the Purcell theme for the string family.
The violins, the violas, the cellos and the double basses.
And of course, the harp.
(String instruments playing)
And finally the percussion family,
all those drums and gongs and things you hit.
After this, you will hear the theme by Purcell
played once more in its original form by all four families together.
That is, the whole orchestra.
(Original theme playing)