Processional Arrangement for String Quartet of Trio from Pomp and Circumstance No. 1 (Edward Elgar)
Processional Arrangement for String Quartet of Trio from Pomp and Circumstance No. 1 (Edward Elgar)
An arrangement of the Trio section of Sir Edward Elgar’s “Pomp And Circumstance No. 1 in D Major,” written specifically for processionals at graduations or other events (many possible end points!).
Since music doesn’t always have logical end points when the procession ends, I have provided 19 ending points via marked jumps to one of 2 codas. From personal experience, the easiest person to direct these jumps is the violist (skipping a note or two won’t be too noticeable). I suggest the violist should control the jumps to either coda by signaling a “1” or “2” with their left hand as they approach one of the marks as shown in the images.
Every year, graduation musicians across the United States face a problem: How do we tastefully wrap up the processional when everyone is in place??
This arrangement solves that problem, plus provides a more interesting repeat of the Trio should the quartet need to play for more time. An intermediate-to-advanced string quartet can simply cut to one of 2 endings at any one of over a dozen points provided, wrapping up in under thirty seconds. Whether the processional is 3 students or 3,000, you will have enough music to cover it, and can still end quickly and musically when the time comes!