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| Flight of the Bumblebee | |
|---|---|
| Interlude byNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov | |
| Native name | Полёт шмеля |
| Key | A minor, B minor, F-sharp minor[1] |
| Year | 1900 |
| Genre | Classical music |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 3 November 1900 (1900-11-03) |
| Location | Solodovnikov Theatre, Moscow |
"Flight of the Bumblebee" (Russian:Полёт шмеля) is an orchestralinterlude written byNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov for his operaThe Tale of Tsar Saltan, composed in 1899–1900.[1] Thisperpetuum mobile is intended to musically evoke the seemingly chaotic and rapidly changing flying pattern of abumblebee.[2] Despite the piece's being a rather incidental part of the opera, it is today one of the more familiar classical works because of its frequent use inpopular culture.[3]
The piece is recognizable for its frantic pace when played up totempo, with nearly uninterrupted runs ofchromaticsixteenth notes.[1] This rapidity, measured at 144 beats per minute, evokes the skittish and frenetic activity of a bumblebee.[1]
Because of music's speed and complexity, it requires a great deal of skill to perform and is often chosen by musicians wishing to showcase their ability.[3]
The piece closes act 3, tableau 1, during which the magic Swan-Bird changes Prince Gvidon Saltanovich into an insect so that he can fly away to visit his father, the tsar.
Following is the text of the scene where the Swan-Bird sings during this music:
Russian
(Гвидон спускается с берега в море.
Из моря вылетает шмель,
кружась около Лебедь-Птицы.)
Лебедь-Птица:
Ну, теперь, мой шмель, гуляй,
судно в море догоняй,
потихоньку опускайся,
в щель подальше забивайся.
Будь здоров, Гвидон, лети,
только долго не гости!
(Шмель улетает.)
(Gvidon goes down from the shore into the sea.
Out from the sea flies a bumblebee,
whirling around the Swan-Bird.)
Swan-Bird:
Well, now, my bumblebee, go on a spree,
catch up with the ship on the sea,
go down secretly,
get deep into a crack.
Good luck, Gvidon, fly,
only do not stay long![3]
(The bumblebee flies away.)
In 2021, researchers examined the enduring popularity of the piece by investigating its statistics within the musical serviceSpotify.[1] They found that the piece was represented by more than 1000 different recordings.[1] Among those recordings, the two most popular were performed byColumbia Symphony Orchestra in 1963, andLondon Symphony Orchestra in 2008.[1] Between them, these two recordings had an audience of 8,000,000 listeners.[1]
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