Cuban Overture is a symphonic overture for orchestra composed by American composer George Gershwin. Originally entitled Rumba, it was a result of a two-week holiday which Gershwin took in Havana, Cuba in February 1932. Gershwin composed the piece in July and August 1932. For other uses, see Orchestra (disambiguation). ... Gershwin redirects here. ... In Cuba, Rumba is a generic term covering a variety of musical rhythms and associated dances. ... This article is about the capital of Cuba. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The overture is dominated by Caribbean rhythms and Cuban native percussion, with a wide spectrum of instrumental color and technique. It is a rich and exciting work with complexity and sophistication, illustrating the influence of Cuban music and dance. Its main theme is taken from a current hit by Ignacio Piñeiro, "Échale Salsita". This article about a musical group, band, singer, musician, album, or song does not make it clear whether the subject meets the WikiProject Music criteria for importance. ...

The overture is in ternary form. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Première

The work under the title Rumba received its première at New York's now-demolished Lewisohn Stadium in 16 August 1932, as part of an all-Gershwin programme held by New York Philharmonic. The concert was a huge success. As Gershwin wrote: This article is about the state. ... Lewisohn Stadium was an amphitheater and athletic facility built on the campus of the City College of New York, and opened in 1915. ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active symphony orchestra in the United States, organized during 1842. ...

It was, I really believe, the most exciting night I have ever had...17,845 people paid to get in and just about 5,000 were at the closed gates trying to fight their way in - unsuccessfully.

The work was greeted favorably by critics. It was renamed Cuban Overture three months later at a benefit concert conducted by Gershwin at the Metropolitan Opera to avoid giving audience the idea that it was simply a novelty item. The new title provided, as the composer stated, "a more just idea of the character and intent of the music." To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ...

Scoring

The overture is scored for three flutes (third doubling piccolo), two oboes, English horn, two clarinets in B-flat, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four French horns, three B-flat trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion and strings. This article pertains to the musical instrument. ... This article is about the instrument in the flute family. ... Modern Oboe The Oboe is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... Cor anglais The cor anglais or English horn is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... A bass clarinet, which sounds an octave lower than the more common Bb soprano clarinet. ... The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. ... Bassoon Playing range of a bassoon The bassoon is the tenor member of the woodwind family. ... The contrabassoon, also contrafagotto or double bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon sounding an octave lower. ... The horn is a brass instrument consisting of tubing wrapped into a coiled form. ... Trumpets in the Bible According to Eastons Bible Dictionary, trumpets in the Bible were of a great variety of forms and were made of various materials. ... Never look at the trombones. ... For other uses, see Tuba (disambiguation). ... A timpanist in the United States Air Forces in Europe Band. ... Percussion instruments are played by being struck, shaken, rubbed or scraped. ...

A composer's note in the score instructs specific placement of the Latin American percussion instruments including bongo, claves, gourd, and maracas "right in front of the conductor's stand", with pictures. Bongos Bongo drums or bongos are a percussion instrument made up of two small drums attached to each other. ... Claves(pronounces Clar-vays) is a percussion instrument (idiophone), consisting of a pair of short (about 20-30 cm), thick dowels. ... This article refers to the dried fruit shell. ... Maracas are simple percussion instruments (idiophones), usually played in pairs, consisting of a dried gourd shell (cuia - kOO-ya) filled with seeds or dried beans. ...

F. Campbell Watson, who was in charge of Gershwin's scores after his death, had the score tweaked and changed somewhat. This may account for rhythm piano appears in some audio recordings. The original manuscript does include a piano, and it does include a few measures often heard during the bridge. A short grand piano, with the lid up. ...

Published by New World Music, this work is available to rent from European American Music DLLC in NYC. Reductions for piano and for four-hand piano are available to buy.