Philip Le Bas Music

Choral, Instrumental and Chamber Music Compositions and Arrangements

Welcome to this portfolio of musical compositions and arrangements, and thank you for your interest!

In the right-hand column beneath here you should see an alphabetical list of works. You can also choose a list of works with a particular label. Alternatively, you can search for a keyword. (Transcriptions and unpublishable works are listed in a page linked at the bottom, if you are interested.) The files here are all freely available. They do carry copyright, but feel free to adapt and/or perform them as you wish, as long as you print/acknowledge the originator (me!) It is always nice to hear from you if you use any of these compositions and arrangements (my email: philiplebas@gmail.com), but this is not a requirement. My main hope, as for many composers, is simply that the works are performed and appreciated. Happy music-making!

Philip

Key to linked files:

pdf = printed score or parts
mp3 = sound file
midi = midi sound file
mxl = compressed MusicXML source file
sib = Sibelius source file, mostly in Sibelius 8 or Sibelius Ultimate format

sib 6 = Sibelius version 6 source file

For access to many of these works via a commercial publisher, go to SheetMusicPlus/published-by-Philip-Le Bas

or SheetMusicDirect.com/en-US/Search.aspx?query=Philip Le Bas

For a complete list of choral works of mine with links to YouTube video scores click here: Choral works spreadsheet.

For my YouTube Channel click here: @philiplebas.

The Dargason (Holst)

Scoring: Wind decet, plus optional double bass

Date: 2025

A wind decet arrangement of the fourth movement of Gustav Holst's "St Paul's Suite" for string orchestra, entitled "The Dargason". The Dargason is a popular dance melody dating back to the 16th century with a simple eight bar structure which simply rolls on and on as the dancers weave in and out! Holst's accompaniment, however, is full of interest and he cleverly weaves another ancient and well loved melody into the piece: Greensleeves. This gives the work an unexpected and delightful countermelody which occurs twice, the first time as a barely audible background and the second time as the work's climax. This arrangement for wind decet includes a piccolo and a cor anglais, with an optional part for double bass.

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Romanian Folk Dances (Bartok)

Scoring: Wind decet plus optional double bass

Date: 2025

These six or seven (the last two are often considered to be just one) folk dances from Romania were originally composed by Bela Bartok in 1915 for piano solo. They have been extremely popular ever since perhaps in part because, despite each being so short (about one minute), they do seem to create a wonderful linear progression, with the last few increasing gradually in tempo until the brilliant ending of the final dance. They are also extremely attractive melodies.

This arrangement which derives principally from Bartok's subsequent chamber orchestra version tries to maintain and enhance the different colour of each dance by using the different instruments of the wind decet in a variety of ways. The piccolo clearly has a starring roll in the third movement (as Bartok himself scored it), but also swapping the melody between first and second of a particular instrument (e.g. 1st and 2nd oboe) can create a new texture to a repeated musical line. I hope players and listeneners alike will enjoy its kaleidoscope of sounds.

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Le Tombeau de Couperin (Ravel)

Scoring: Wind decet plus optional double bass

Date: 2025

Two movements from Ravel's sparkling suite "Le Tombeau de Couperin" arranged for wind decet: "Menuet" and "Rigaudon".

Menuet:

The original tempo of this gorgeous minuet by Maurice Ravel, taken from his suite of pieces for piano (and subsequently arranged for orchestra), is marked Allegro moderato. However, no one performs it as an Allegro, neither pianists nor orchestras, as it is the most laid-back of melodies, reminiscent of lazy summer afternoons on a lake. I have therefore marked the arrangement Allegretto moderato, aiming to retain its lightness and motion without sounding rushed. In this wind decet version I have otherwise followed Ravel's markings and instrumentation wherever possible. The oboe takes the lead throughout most of the piece, except in the middle section, which is much more mysterious and where there are repeated waves of instrumental colours. After the recapitulation the piece concludes in a lovely downward sweep from the piccolo to the bassoons, followed by an almost jazzy double trill on the clarinets.

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Rigaudon:

A rustic French dance, the Rigaudon is lively, exuberant and fast (marked Assez vif.) The second flute has his or her work cut out in a couple of sections, as in Ravel's original orchestration, but otherwise it is all quite playable and mostly "sits under the fingers" for the decet players. The middle section suddenly slows down and the oboe takes the lead in a sensuous dance accompanied by a gentle rhythmical feature, until the first theme breaks through once again. The ending is subtely different from the first section, however, leading to the different key of F major, only to be replaced - satisifyingly - in the final two bars by the original key of C major.

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Blumen-Walzer

Scoring: 2 flutes + string quintet

Date: 2025

Ernesto Köhler's Blumen-Walzer/Valse des Fleurs/Flower Waltz, originally for 2 flutes and piano, with the piano part here arranged for string quintet - attractive and fun, just as you would expect for a Viennese waltz!

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Romeo and Juliet Mini-Suite

Scoring: Wind sextet (flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bass clarinet and bassoon)

Date: 2025

An arrangement of four movements from Prokofiev's colourful "Romeo and Juliet" ballet music, forming a "mini-suite" for wind sextet. The whole suite lasts just over 16 minutes:

1. Montagues and Capulets

2. Dance

3. Friar Laurence

4. Farewell

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

The movements are also available separately below:

Montagues and Capulets

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Dance

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Friar Laurence

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Farewell

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Tortoises and the Elephant (Saint-Saens)

Scoring: Contrabassoon and string quintet

Date: 2025

An unusual arrangement of "Tortoises" and "The Elephant" from Camille Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals"!

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Mother Goose Suite

Scoring: Wind decet plus double bass

Date: 2024

Ma mère l'Oye (Mother Goose Suite) by Maurice Ravelis a wonderful 15-minute orchestral composition full of magic and colour, which he originally wrote for piano duet. Here I have arranged it for wind ensemble, keeping as closely as possible to Ravel's orchestration, as this remains so well-known and well-loved.

Its five movements have the following exotic titles:

1. Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant (Pavane of Sleeping Beauty)

2. Petit Poucet (Little Tom Thumb)

3. Laideronnette, impératrice des pagodes (Little Ugly Girl, Empress of the Pagodas)

4. Les entretiens de la belle et de la bête (Conversation of Beauty and the Beast)

5. Le jardin féerique (The Fairy Garden)

Instrumentation:

2 flutes (1 doubling piccolo)

2 oboes (1 doubling cor anglais)

2 clarinets in Bb

2 horns in F

2 bassoons (1 doubling contrabassoon)

1 double bass

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6