Introduction, repeated verse & chorus, ending.
Energetic rock tempo
Clefs
Treble, bass
Meters
4/4
Key signatures
4#
Range
Horn 1: b - b2
Horn 2: e - e2
Horn 3: b - g#2
Horn 4: e - b1
Horn 5: g# - f#2
Horn 6: G# - e1
Creator's Comments
Performance Notes
If there were only one song any individual or group could forever be associated with, that would have to be Dancing Queen for Swedish pop group ABBA. The acronym made up from the first names of the members Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad proved something worth remembering not just for its symmetry and hence appealing look on album covers, but rather for a string of catchy tunes and (initially) simple lyrics.
ABBA’s popularity from the mid 1970s to the 1980s was started off by two massive hits, Fernando in early 1976, and Dancing Queen, recorded in two months in 1975, but topping the charts towards the end of 1976. Hitting the charts at No.1 in fourteen countries (Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Ireland, West Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, U.K., U.S., Zimbabwe), it is now as popular as ever, with an enormous number of covers recorded and performed. Once the keyboard opens with that glissando, you know what you are in for.
Lucky then that horns can do such beautiful glissandi! Right from before bar 1 (to be specific, the quarter note up-beat into bar 1), it’s the 70s all over again. Horns 1 and 3 lead the tune, horn 6 establishes the beat, horns 4 and 5 groove, and horn 2… looks incredulously at the sudden transformation of teachers, colleagues, and… oneself…
Adam Walters got it right, in every sense. Originally written for a colleague’s wedding, it is following ABBA’s suit by being one of Corniworld’s best-selling items with frequent orders from the publisher and Paxman. With Walter’s experience comes a deep understand of what works and what doesn’t on the horn, and this is reflected in the arrangement. Left in the original key of A major, the piece stays within the standard range (pedal G to top B), and even the four sharps don’t present too great a challenge. The division of parts it quite clear, with horn 1 being the leader, alternately supported by either horn 2 or 3 (who on occasion take over the melody), horns 4 and 5 the main rhythmic force (again alternating with horns 2 and 3), and horn 6 a consistent bass-line provider. There are also parts for two percussionists, a tambourine and maracas (or guiro), but the arrangement works even without. In terms of special techniques used, there are a few instances of hand-stopping (mostly doubled but played open by another player), and sophisticated interlocking rhythms that, when put together, create the characteristic groove so many people are familiar with.
In addition, mutes are required in some of the parts, as well as glissandi from stopped to open notes. The grooves are written out, and made more explicit through the consistent use of staccato and tenuto markings. This version of Dancing Queen finishes similar to how it started but turned upside down, with the opening glissando inverted.
What more is there to say? A top hit well arranged, limited to six players (plus percussion parts that can be performed by a variety of instruments and players, from the professional to the ABBA enthusiast), sure to please performers and audiences alike, and bound to find a place in the hearts and cases of many horn players. For the price it is sold at, that’s one hell of a deal.
Credits
Provision of review score: John Lynsdale-Nock (Corniworld)