Warsaw Waltz (Teegan Dowdell) for String Orchestra

Warsaw Waltz was initially intended to be nothing like it is (even being in a major key!), however, it developed into a minor key with an Eastern-European influence. The piece begins with faint violins and violas in slow, piano bows, representing the sparseness of Warsaw in World War II after 85% of its buildings had been destroyed by the Nazi regime. The cello line enters with the melody, humming the Eastern European tune of reminiscence of a time gone by before the war. Layers of violins and violas enter in the coming phrases, interweaving the melody line with each other to build to a dramatic major key passage at letter C, representing the uprising of the Polish people to reclaim and re-build their city. Section D comes back to the sparse violins suddenly; this time with an E harmonic in the Violin I part, representing that the city, although rebuilt, still carries scars of World War II, verified with the initial cello melody returning, and a ritardando closing of the piece. Grade 3. Performance time: 3:00.