Baby Elephant Walk

Description

‘Those little elephants were definitely walking boogie-woogie, eight to the bar’  – Henry Mancini

Henry Mancini’s Baby Elephant Walk was originally heard in the soundtrack to the 1962 American film Hatari! 

Written to accompany a playful scene in which three baby elephants bathe in a waterhole, the catchy and memorable tune gained lasting popularity. It has been used many times in TV advertisements, children’s programmes and even in an episode of The Simpsons. Henry Mancini’s original Grammy award-winning score featured a calliope (steam-whistle organ) – a sound which is also evocative of high recorders. The present arrangement plays with the idea of the tiny sopranino and descant recorders enjoying a cheeky musical work-out, accompanied by the big boogie-woogie basses.

• A minimum of 6 players is required (Sno+S S A T B Gb)
• The Contrabass part is desirable but not essential. A Sub Great bass can also be added to good effect, playing the Great Bass part sounding an octave lower.
• All Bass parts are supplied in both bass and treble clef; the Bass and Contrabass parts are also offered in transposed versions to read in C.
• The Easy Treble part is optional and designed for novice players. It can also be played on Descant or Tenor. It is also supplied in a transposed version for Treble players wishing to read in C.

Difficulty:

• The Sopranino and Descant parts require good dexterity and confidence (Grade 6 +).
• The Easy S/A/T part uses very straightforward rhythms and a limited range of notes; it is suitable for very novice players.
• All other parts are medium difficulty (Grade 4/5+).