El Condor Pasa

This arrangement by Gary Robert Buchanan has been performed many times by several orchestras in the U.S. Asia, Europe, and South America. It is playable by any good high school, college, community, or professional ensemble. (A performance may be viewed on You Tube, around 5:50 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmcw-uOEsC8). "El Condor Pasa" is perhaps the best known of Peruvian melodies. In this arrangement for full orchestra (optional Peruvian ensemble, e.g. guitar, panpipes) the ancient melos of the Incas gradually crescendos and towards the end decrescendos in a dramatic scoring with tribal drums, lush woodwinds, brass, and strings - as a way of adding depth and emotional intensity of the "lamento." The melody was made famous by Simon and Garfunkle, but the song is very much older, and there are many versions to found in the high Andes of Peru, where the arranger Dr. Buchanan has visited many times over the decades. The image is that of the mighty condor's mighty flight as it winds its way, circling o'er the snow-capped Andean mountains and valleys, reminding all of the great expanse that was the Inca Empire, now gone.