“It is a delightful piece!” – Trent Rash, Executive Director, Missouri Symphony Orchestra.
The Adventure
A lively musical retelling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, this story follows Tom and his loyal best friend, Huckleberry Finn, as they set out in search of hidden treasure. Their adventure leads them to a haunted house, where they get the fright of their lives after overhearing Injun Joe reveal plans to move his treasure to a secret cave. Thrilled by their discovery but unaware of the danger ahead, the boys follow the robber to his hideout—only to find that their biggest problems are just beginning.
Performance
Colourful orchestration—complete with optional harmonica—brings the story vividly to life, weaving original themes together with authentic Western and Native American folk songs to heighten the drama. Lasting approximately 28 minutes, the piece is ideally suited to younger audiences while offering rewarding material for advanced youth orchestras. The narration may be performed by a single narrator or shared with two young actors in the roles of Tom and Huck, with an optional second adult narrator taking on the part of the crook, Injun Joe—a role that often proves especially popular with school headmasters!
Adapted by the composer from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, this narrated orchestral work is designed for semi-staged concert performance.
The Orchestra
Tom Sawyer’s Treasure Adventure is suitable for advanced youth orchestra performance.
For narrator and orchestra: 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in A (parts available for clarinets in Bb), bass clarinet in Bb, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 1 trumpet in D, 2 trumpets in Bb, 2 tenor trombones, bass trombone, tuba (optional doubling euphonium), timpani, percussion (3 players): xylophone, vibraphone, glockenspiel, snare drum, tenor drum, bass drum, cymbals, suspended cymbal, wood block, tambourine, triangle, whip, wind chimes, guiro, maracas, tam tam, bell in D (tubular or hand), harmonica (optional), classical guitar (optional), piano (optionally prepared with paper), strings.
Where to buy and hire sheet music
Tom Sawyer’s Treasure Adventure is published by UMP Ltd., with orchestra parts and narrated text, A4 study and A3 conductor scores available.
Similar Orchestral Works
Bon Voyage! is an award-winning sea suite for orchestra, while Morte d’Arthur is a narrated orchestral piece based on the Arthurian legend of the sword in the stone.