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0044 (0)117 904 8902
johnmusicpitts@gmail.com
These arrangements for reduced orchestration were written for use by the Bristol Savoy Operatic Society, and are designed for production companies with limited space or resources.
Paying fewer players obviously costs less, and an arrangement specifically written for a smaller number of players avoids problems associated with just leaving parts out of larger arrangements!
Click here to download the flute part for Pirates free as a viewable sample, or to order a sample printed copy (£6.64 plus postage) 46 pages, 8.26" x 11.69", coil binding, white interior paper (55# weight), black and white interior ink, white exterior paper (90# weight), full-colour exterior ink.
See various clips of Cornell College, Iowa's production of Pirates on Youtube - starting here.
See Boise State University's promotional Pirates video on Youtube
See Bristol Savoy Operatic Society's production of Iolanthe (dress rehearsal) on Youtube: Act 1 https://youtu.be/llaCSYDIzHA
Act 2 https://youtu.be/dY3D-dLK0sA
See the University of Southampton Light Operatic Society's production of Gondoliers on Youtube here.
Prices shown are for hire of parts for one week of non-professional performances in a single venue.
This price includes eight weeks of rehearsal prior to the week of the show.
For three or more weeks of performances, please contact me to discuss rates.
Extra weeks of rehearsal time by arrangement. Professional rates by agreement.
Click "Buy Now" to order your parts - within a day or so you will then receive a Hire Agreement to fill in with performances details, postal address etc.
 * for details of instrumentation, please see below.
** the quoted price is for standard international Airmail/Fedex World Economy options (they say usually within 5 working days of posting). Please contact if you need quicker delivery.
UK payment (in advance) can be by cheque or Paypal. Worldwide payment (in advance) by Paypal.
Please contact me to discuss other means of payment.
The deposit will be refunded on the safe receipt of the parts back to me in the UK.
A sample part (flute) can be ordered at £6.64 plus P&P (or downloaded free) from here.
Other samples can be requested by contacting me directly.
Parts are supplied on hire and remain the property of John Pitts - they are supplied to the hirer solely for the performances listed on the Hire Agreement.
Parts are to be returned in good condition within two weeks of the last performance date.
The use of the arrangement must be credited in the show programme with the words "The arrangement for small band used in this production was by John Pitts - www.johnpitts.co.uk - first used by Bristol Savoy Operatic Society. Available arrangements: Pirates of Penzance, Iolanthe and Gondoliers", and a copy of the programme should be included with the return of the parts.
Any non-commercial video or audio recording of the show is permitted at no extra cost, under the following conditions: the credit above is printed on the sleeve, and a copy of the CD/DVD/video is included with the return of the parts. "Non-commercial" means not more than 50 copies sold outside friends and family of those involved in the production.
GONDOLIERS - 7 players
email to hire (7 parts)
New arrangement of Gondoliers for flute/piccolo, oboe, trumpet, violin, bassoon, keyboard and drums. (Full overture and an abridged overture).
This arrangement for reduced orchestration was written for use by the Bristol Savoy Operatic Society, and is designed to create a full and varied texture using few players, for production companies with limited space or resources. All parts contain clear cues and the new orchestration makes good use of the smaller number of players.
Bristol Savoy Operatic Society, UK (2005)
Alton Operatic and Dramatic Society, UK (March 2007)
"Our production went very well, in no small way due to your excellent arrangement."
Mr M Newton, MD of AODS
North Michigan University Music Department, USA (May 2008)
Sunningdale Savoy Chorus (July 2009)
Kirkcaldy G & S Society (March 2011)
"This was a very refreshing production with many new (and younger) faces and much enthusiasm. The smaller orchestration, which was very effective, only required part of the pit to be removed, leaving quite a lot of forestage which was used to good effect and allowed the company to appear closer to the audience." Read the full NODA review here.
G&S Society of Tasmania, Australia (September 2011)
"The show was very successful and the arrangement suited us perfectly. Many audience members commented on how well the sound was balanced and how rich the orchestral sound was even with just 7 players."
Mr Aaron Powell, MD of G&S Soc of Tasmania.
Bathgate Theatre Company (November/December 2011)
Spotlight Musical Theatre Company, Beccles, Suffolk (June 2013)
PIRATES OF PENZANCE - 6 players
email to hire (5 parts)
See various clips on Youtube - starting here
New arrangement of Pirates of Penzance for flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, drums [and keyboard played from the vocal score]. Written for use by the Bristol Savoy Operatic Society. NB: This is a pared down arrangement which essentially puts many of the melodic lines onto the four melody instruments (plus drum part), leaving the piano to fulfil the role of bass and harmony. There is no conductor's score, and the pianist will need to play from his own vocal score, and should find during band rehearsals that he often doesn't need to play the melodic lines. There are a few sections (Act I nos 6, 7 & 9, Act II nos 7, 11 & 13) where the melodic instruments play only very briefly or are tacit - you should be able to get the flavour of it from the flute part below. If you'd like to see any of the score, please ask. The notated drum part is for bass drum, snare drum, ride and crash cymbals, but it is intended for the drummer to flesh it out a bit in the way that drummers do!
You can download the entire Flute part (free) from www.lulu.com
Bristol Savoy Operatic Society UK (2003)
Ocean Theatre Company UK (July-September 2006)
 "5 Stars" UK Theatre Network
"A stroke of genius" British Theatre Guide
"comically exhilarating" Time Out
"There is little, if anything to fault in this fine production" & "a rare treat not to be missed"
London SE1
"Best Musical" London Lite, The Evening Standards' new afternoon paper
Inner City Players, UK (March 2008) - rearranged for cl, cl, hn, vln, kb, drums.
The Grand Theatre, London, Ontario, Canada (September-October 2008)
"The music really did sound fantastic!"
Cindi Ryde, Executive Assistant, Grand Theatre
Granger Senior High School, Utah, USA (October 2008)
Opera Santa Barbara (November 2009)
Bathgate Theatre Company (November 2009)
Warminster School (February 2010)
Bradford University Operettas and Musicals Society (March 2010)
Billericay Operatic Society (October 2010)
"John Pitts's clever reduction was impressively served by Derrick Thompson's musicians in the wings."
"MD Derrick Thompson is to be congratulated for bringing the choral work together and to the band for excellent support."
Kings Bruton School (December 2010)
Cornell College, Iowa (February 2011) - See various clips on Youtube - starting here
Allegan Community Players, Miami (August 2011)
"It was definitely the right orchestration for us to use - just the right size, and a very great sound."
Devyn Morris, ACP President
Martin Luther School (May 2012)
Spotlight Musical Theatre Company, Beccles, Suffolk (June 2012)
Twickenham Operatic Society (July 2013)
"Your arrangement was a very good fit for the scale and venue of our production,
and we had many positive comments about the sound of the band."
John Whelan, Twickenham Op Soc MD.
King's School, Macclesfield (April 2014)
“your arrangement was fabulous and really enhanced the production.
Our performances have been deemed a great success”.
Jane Barratt, MD
Boise State University Departments of Theatre Arts & Music (February-March 2016)
See their promotional video on Youtube
Heckmondwike Players (March 2016)
Hinchley Manor Operatic Society, Thames Ditton, Surrey (April 2016)
Community Players of Concord, New Hampshire, USA (May 2016)
Governor's Program for Gifted Children, McNeese State University, USA (July 2016)
Bath Gilbert & Sullivan Society, The Mission Theatre, Bath (December 2018)
Overall the music in the production was very good. The music was well performed by the orchestra and their selection worked well, never over-powering the voices of the performers. NODA report Winner of the 2019 Rose Bowl Award for Best Opera/Light Operatic Production
Grantham Singers, Grantham, UK (March 2019)
IOLANTHE - 8 players (plus optional ninth - trumpet)
email to hire (8 or 9 parts)
See Bristol Savoy Operatic Society's production of Iolanthe (dress rehearsal) on Youtube: Act 1 https://youtu.be/llaCSYDIzHA
Act 2 https://youtu.be/dY3D-dLK0sA
New arrangement of Iolanthe for flute/piccolo, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, optional trumpet, violin, bassoon, keyboard and drums.
The optional trumpet can be played on stage in the Peers chorus and in the orchestral pit for the rest of the show.
This arrangement for reduced orchestration was written for use by the Bristol Savoy Operatic Society, and is designed to create a full and varied texture using few players, for production companies with limited space or resources. All parts contain clear cues and the new orchestration makes good use of the smaller number of players. This arrangement currently does not include the Overture, although I am aiming to do this in the future.
Bristol Savoy Operatic Society UK (July 2006)
"The orchestra were excellent, obviously well rehearsed and always sympathetic to the vocals."
"The trumpet solo heralding the peers was excellent" NODA review
University of Southampton Light Operatic Society UK (March 2009)
"The orchestra sounded amazing!... Thank you for letting us use your wonderful arrangement..."
Liisa Kilpi, Lopsoc Secretary
Sidmouth Arts Club Operatic Society, UK (October 2011)
"Thank you so much for your arrangement. It worked splendidly and all comments from audience were favourable in that it accompanied the singers but never overpowered. The musicians appreciated some of the delightful arrangements for wind group. I personally liked the addition of the violin - it added warmth and authenticity."
Dorothy Worthington, SACOS.
Imperial Productions, Budleigh Salterton, Devon (December 2014)
Scunthorpe Gilbert & Sullivan Amateur Operatic Society (November 2015)
Oxted Operatic Society, The Barn Theatre, Oxted (April 2019)
Alton Operatic & Dramatic Society (May 2019)
"An excellent 8-piece orchestra was finely directed by Steven Moore, producing a sweetly mellow sound, sympathetically accompanying the singing." NODA review
Bath Gilbert & Sullivan Society, The Mission Theatre, Bath (December 2019)
Click here to download the flute part for Pirates free as a viewable sample, or to order a sample printed copy (£6.64 plus postage).
Reduced orchestra, small orchestra, small band, arrangement, instrumental parts Gilbert and Sullivan
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