Flight of the Bumblebee - wikipedia Flight of the Bumblebee This article is about a musical piece. For the actual flight of a bumblebee, see Bumblebee § Flight. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( July 2014 ) Flight of the Bumblebee Flight of the Bumblebee performed by the US Army Band Problems playing this file ? See media help. `` Flight of the Bumblebee '' is an orchestral interlude written by Nikolai Rimsky - Korsakov for his opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan, composed in 1899 -- 1900. Its composition is intended to musically evoke the seemingly chaotic and rapidly changing flying pattern of a bumblebee. 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 in popular culture. The piece closes Act III, Tableau 1, during which the magic Swan - Bird changes Prince Gvidon Saltanovich ( the Tsar 's son ) into an insect so that he can fly away to visit his father ( who does not know that he is alive ). Although in the opera the Swan - Bird sings during the first part of the `` Flight '', her vocal line is melodically uninvolved and easily omitted ; this feature, combined with the fact that the number decisively closes the scene, made easy extraction as an orchestral concerto piece possible. Contents 1 Overview 2 In popular culture 3 References 4 External links Overview Here is the text of the scene where the Swan - Bird sings during this music : Russian English translation ( Гвидон спускается с берега в море. Из моря вылетает шмель, кружась около Лебедь - Птицы. ) ЛЕБЕДЬ - ПТИЦА : Ну, теперь, мой шмель, гуляй, ( Nu, teper ', moy shmel ', gulyay, ) судно в море догоняй, ( sudno v more dogonyay, ) потихоньку опускайся, ( potikhon'ku opuskaysya, ) в щель подальше забивайся. ( v shchel ' podal'she zabivaysya. ) Будь здоров, Гвидон, лети, ( Bud ' zdorov, Gvidon, leti, ) только долго не гости ! ( tol'ko dolgo ne gosti ! ) ( 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 ! ( The bumblebee flies away. ) Although the `` Flight '' does not have a title in the score of the opera, its common English title translates like the Russian one ( Полёт шмеля = Polyot shmelya ). Incidentally, this piece does not constitute one of the movements of the orchestral suite that Rimsky - Korsakov derived from the opera for concerts. Those familiar with the opera Tsar Saltan may recognize two leitmotifs used in the Flight, both of which are associated with Prince Gvidon from earlier in the opera. These are illustrated here in musical notation : Play basic theme ( help info ) and Play buzzing motif ( help info ) The music of this number recurs in modified form during the ensuing tableau ( Act III, Tableau 2 ), at the points when the Bumblebee appears during the scene : it stings the two evil sisters on the brow, blinds Babarikha ( the instigator of the plot to trick Saltan at the beginning into sending his wife away ), and in general causes havoc at the end of the tableau. The readers of Alexander Pushkin 's original poem, upon which this opera is based, will note that Gvidon is supposed to go on three separate trips to Saltan 's kingdom, each of which requires a transformation into a different insect. `` Flight of the Bumblebee '' is recognizable for its frantic pace when played up to tempo, with nearly uninterrupted runs of chromatic sixteenth notes. It is not so much the pitch or range of the notes that are played that challenges the musician, but simply the musician 's ability to move to them quickly enough. Because of this and its complexity, it requires a great deal of skill to perform. In the `` Tsar Saltan '' suite, the short version is commonly played, taking less than two minutes. In the Opera version, the three - minute fifty - five - second version is performed. Although the original orchestral version assigns portions of the sixteenth - note runs to various instruments in tandem, in the century since its composition the piece has become a standard showcase for solo instrumental virtuosity, whether on the original violin or on practically any other melodic instrument. Sergei Rachmaninov 's transcription for piano features in the film Shine and is interpreted by David Helfgott. In popular culture This article appears to contain trivial, minor, or unrelated references to popular culture. Please reorganize this content to explain the subject 's impact on popular culture rather than simply listing appearances ; add references to reliable sources if possible. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2017 ) Big band trumpeter Harry James did a cover of the piece in 1941. `` Flight of the Bumblebee '' was featured, along with other compositions by Rimsky - Korsakov, in the fictional 1947 biopic Song of Scheherazade. A piano - based version by B. Bumble and the Stingers reached # 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. Japanese band Takeshi Terauchi & Bunnys recorded an instrumental rock cover of this song on their 1967 album, Let 's Go Unmei. The song was featured in the first episode of The Muppet Show, in which Gonzo attempts to eat a tire on stage with the song playing in the background. The radio program The Green Hornet used `` Flight of the Bumblebee '' as its theme music, blended with a hornet buzz created on a theremin. The music became so strongly identified with the show and the character that it was retained as the theme for the later TV series. This version was orchestrated by Billy May and conducted by Lionel Newman, with trumpet solo by Al Hirt, in a jazz style nicknamed `` Green Bee ''. This particular version was later featured in the 2003 film Kill Bill. Extreme 's instrumental piece `` Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee, '' featuring guitarist Nuno Bettencourt 's advanced virtuoso skills, is heavily inspired by Rimsky - Korsakov 's original and bears a similar name, but is in fact a distinct work and not merely a re-arrangement. Manowar bassist Joey DeMaio recorded a version titled `` Sting of the Bumblebee, '' played entirely on bass guitar. Trans - Siberian Orchestra has included the piece into the song A Last Illusion on its Beethoven 's Last Night album. The video game Rayman uses an altered version of the piece during a chase sequence in which the title character rides a mosquito. This version gradually increases in tempo. The Great Kat recorded a thrash metal version on her 1990 album Beethoven on Speed. The 1993 animated series Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog samples the tune as part of the show 's opening theme, combining it with `` In the Hall of the Mountain King '' and the theme from the original Sonic the Hedgehog video game. The music inspired Walt Disney to have a bumblebee featured in a segment of Fantasia that would sound as if it were flying around a movie theater. Although this did not appear in the final film, it anticipated the eventual invention of surround sound. However, in his film Melody Time, Disney included an animated segment using Freddy Martin 's `` Bumble Boogie '', a jazz arrangement of the piece. For Guinness world record of fastest guitarist and violinist, `` Flight of the Bumblebee '' must be played flawlessly at an increased speed. The current guitar world record is 620 bpm held by John Taylor. In the Scott Hicks film Shine, Geoffrey Rush 's character David Helfgott wanders out of a rainy night into a cafe and amazes the few patrons there by playing a piano version of `` Flight of the Bumblebee. '' Bob Dylan wrote and recorded a song called `` It 's the Flight of the Bumblebee '' with The Band during the Basement Tapes sessions that quotes the original during the piano intro. References Jump up ^ Harry James, Harry James : Big Bands, CD, Time Life Music, 1992, liner notes Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, Billboard Books, New York, 1992 Jump up ^ Holman, Tomlinson ( 2007 ). Surround sound : up and running. Focal Press. pp. 3, 4. ISBN 978 - 0 - 240 - 80829 - 1. Retrieved 2010 - 04 - 03. Jump up ^ `` ( Italian version ) ''. Youtube.com. February 27, 2009. Retrieved 2012 - 04 - 21. Jump up ^ `` ( world record ) ''. guinnessworldrecords.com. January 9, 2012. Retrieved 2016 - 05 - 23. External links Flight of the Bumblebee at AllMusic A MIDI page including five versions of the Flight Nikolai Rimsky - Korsakov Operas Christmas Eve Kashchey the Immortal The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya May Night Mlada Mozart and Salieri Pan Voyevoda Sadko Servilia The Golden Cockerel The Maid of Pskov The Noblewoman Vera Sheloga The Snow Maiden The Tale of Tsar Saltan The Tsar 's Bride Opera excerpts `` Flight of the Bumblebee '' Symphonies Symphony No. 1 in E minor Concertos Piano Concerto in C ♯ minor Trombone Concerto in B ♭ major Orchestral works Capriccio Espagnol Fantasy on Serbian Themes Suites ( 2 ) from Mlada Russian Easter Festival Overture Sadko Scheherazade Suite from The Golden Cockerel Suite from The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya Suite from The Snow Maiden Suite from The Tale of Tsar Saltan Related articles Rimsky - Korsakov Apartment and Museum Rimsky - Korsakov Monument List of compositions Portal : Classical music Harry James Singles `` Goodnight, My Love '' `` Sing, Sing, Sing ( With a Swing ) '' `` One O'Clock Jump '' `` It 's the Dreamer in Me '' `` Boo - Woo '' `` Woo - Woo '' `` I Found a New Baby '' `` Ciribiribin '' `` The Flight of the Bumblebee '' `` You Made Me Love You '' `` Misirlou '' `` I Do n't Want to Walk Without You '' `` Easter Parade '' `` Sleepy Lagoon '' `` Skylark '' `` I Remember You '' `` But Not for Me '' `` I Cried for You '' `` Mr. Five by Five '' `` I Had the Craziest Dream '' `` Manhattan Serenade '' `` I 've Heard That Song Before '' `` Moonlight Becomes You '' `` All or Nothing at All '' `` I 'll Get By ( As Long as I Have You ) '' `` On a Little Street in Singapore '' `` Memphis Blues '' `` I 'm Beginning to See the Light '' `` Guess I 'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry '' `` The More I See You '' `` If I Loved You '' `` It 's Been a Long, Long Time '' `` I Ca n't Begin to Tell You '' `` I 'm Always Chasing Rainbows '' `` Who 's Sorry Now '' `` Heartaches '' `` Jalousie ( Jealousy ) '' `` Stella by Starlight '' `` Mona Lisa '' `` Would I Love You ( Love You, Love You ) '' `` You 'll Never Know '' Albums Boogie Woogie Harry James And His Orchestra 1948 - 49 Young Man with a Horn Wild About Harry ! The New James Harry 's Choice ! Related articles `` Everything but You '' Louise Tobin Betty Grable Book : Harry James Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flight_of_the_Bumblebee&oldid=840565468 '' Categories : Compositions by Nikolai Rimsky - Korsakov Opera excerpts 1900 compositions Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from July 2014 Articles needing additional references from July 2014 All articles needing additional references Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from January 2015 Wikipedia articles needing clarification from August 2016 Articles with trivia sections from May 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Deutsch Emiliàn e rumagnòl Español فارسی Français 한국어 Italiano עברית Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Română Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska ไทย 中文 11 more Edit links This page was last edited on 10 May 2018, at 18 : 04. 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Question: what type of music is flight of the bumblebee
Answer: orchestral interlude