The William Tell Overture – The Lone Ranger Theme Song
In a previous post I mentioned the composer Gioachino Rossini and “The William Tell Overture” (premiered in 1829). If you remember the legend – William Tell, a hunter and tracker, was forced to shot an arrow off the top of his son’s head. From that post I included the second section of the overture – The Storm. Now I would like to focus upon the fourth section of the overture entitled “Finale: March of the Swiss Soldiers.” This section is written in E major and features trumpets backed by a full orchestra.
The popularity and energy generated by this section is often used to represent horses galloping in a race or having a hero come to the rescue. In fact in North America starting in 1933 the “Finale” was used as the theme song for “The Lone Ranger” in radio and television shows as well as films.
Because of the use of the “Finale” as a theme song it has now become a familiar part of our popular culture. It has been used seriously and with humour in many different forms of animation, television shows and films. It has been performed both by orchestral and choral ensembles. Here are just a few of the different examples that exist and are worth viewing:
I would love to try this choral version at Nelson in the near future. It looks like a lot of fun to perform as well as watch as an audience.
This final version of “The William Tell Overture” is an instrumental version. Although it is not an orchestra the choosing of the bottles for their pitch as well as filling some with water indicates that careful tuning occurred.
Make no mistake – humorous performances require just as much practising and coordination as serious performances. Music is a journey breathing enjoyment of life into our very existence.