Galloping Through the Story of Rossini's William Tell Overture
The Listen Guide
William Tell Overture
I'm Gioachino Rossini, and this is the listen guide to my William Tell Overture. You'll learn to tell the four scenes apart by the instrument that leads each one, from the five solo cellos at dawn to the trumpets that start the galop. Since my fellow composers and I also teach you on this site to recognize our pieces when you hear them, why not have a go at the Trainer ?
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Four Scenes, No Intermission
The easiest way to listen to my William Tell Overture is to treat it as four short scenes that follow each other without a break. In each scene, notice which instrument steps forward, because that tells you where you are. First come the cellos, then the full orchestra, then the cor anglais and the flute, and finally the trumpets, who ask everybody to get moving. Berlioz, who usually didn't care for my music, called the piece "a symphony in four parts", and I've always taken that as a very high compliment.What's in a Name
I called it William Tell Overture because it opens my opera William Tell, which was first staged in Paris in 1829. The name points to the hero of the story, and the overture sets the scene for him before a single singer appears. It is only the doorway to the opera, not the whole house, which surprises people who think this music is all there is. There are no horses in the opera either, so the galloping you may picture came along much later.Choosing a Shape
Choosing the form was an adventure in itself, because I wanted neither a sonata nor a rondo, and I ended up with something closer to a little symphony. It has four parts that pass from one to the next without a pause, each with its own tempo and its own mood. Along the way the music moves between E minor, G major and E major, and you can feel the light change with every switch. I'll just name the sections here, and then we'll walk through them one by one.Section 1: Dawn, Waking Up Politely
Dawn is slow and quiet, and it begins in E minor before the light turns the music into E major. Five solo cellos carry the tune, with double basses underneath and soft timpani rolls that sound like thunder still making up its mind. Listen to how the cellos answer one another, as if they were talking in low voices in a sleeping valley. Nothing here is in a hurry, and that calm is what makes the next part so striking.Section 2: Storm, Umbrellas Not Included
Then the storm arrives in E minor, played by the full orchestra, and the mood turns dark in a moment. The music rushes and rumbles and builds until it seems the sky can't hold any more. When the worst has passed, a solo flute is left alone to close the scene, a small clear voice after all that noise. That flute is your sign that the weather is clearing and the scene is about to change.Section 3: The Cows Clock In
Next comes the "Ranz des vaches", or "Call to the Cows", in the bright and open key of G major. The cor anglais plays the melody first, with a warm, slightly woody sound, and then the flute takes over while a triangle adds a few small, shiny taps. The tempo relaxes, and you can almost smell the mountain grass. I liked this tune enough to bring it back as a leitmotif in the opera, so it returns whenever the story needs a breath of home.Section 4: The Galop Puts Its Boots On
Trumpets open the finale, the "March of the Swiss Soldiers", and the music leaps into a fast galop in E major. It depicts the Swiss victory over Austrian repression, so the excitement you hear is that of triumph and not of a horse race. Still, many people hear galloping because this tune later became the theme of The Lone Ranger, though that is only this last part and not the whole overture. Listen to how the energy keeps building until the final chord.Your Turn to Press Play
Now it's your turn to meet my William Tell Overture for yourself. Press play, sit back, and let the music carry you through all four scenes. Keep in mind what we've talked about, the cellos, the storm, the cows and the galop, and see if you can spot each one as it arrives. I hope the ride feels as thrilling to you as it did to me when I wrote it.---
So, did you enjoy learning about the William Tell Overture and how to listen to it? I hope the four scenes now feel like old friends, from the quiet cellos at dawn to the trumpets that start the final dash. This overture opened my last opera, but it wasn't my farewell to music, because I lived almost forty more years and kept composing. It still pleases me that twelve minutes of music written for a Paris stage in 1829 are being heard so far from there today. The galloping horses came along much later, and I find it rather lovely that a piece can pick up new lives long after its composer has left the room. There is still a lot more to explore in the William Tell Overture. You could follow the people who borrowed its finale, or hear how Liszt turned the whole thing into a piece for solo piano in 1838. Please click on the links below to keep exploring the William Tell Overture. Then come back and listen once more, because I think you'll notice something new each time.