Cielito Lindo - Multi-Level Masterpiece!
A Multi-Level Masterpiece Arrangement by Michael Linert
Commissioned by the Aspen Music Festival and School 2022
Sheet Music Purchase: www.michaellinert.com/store/mlm-cielito
This arrangement utilizes “Format 1”.
Format 1: These arrangements feature parts ranging from a foundational player on their first day of instruction typically through a difficulty grade four. This format was developed and utilized largely as part of the Aspen Music Festival’s Mariachi Workshop allowing students with 0-8 years of experience to learn, explore, and perform together. Each instrument has four primary parts they can play: Foundational Notes, Bass Line, Harmony Line, and Melody Line(s). The Bass, Harmony, and Melody parts typically each have 2 parts (part 1 and part 2) with differences of difficulty between them. Parts are available for all of the typical orchestral, band, mariachi, and general music instruments. Between the various instruments all of the pitches/rhythms are identical, allowing for unison playing and practice.
These arrangements work best in public performance if everyone is playing the same part (say the melody), with a pianist playing the bass and harmony lines OR by splitting an ensemble to have foundational players playing the Foundational Notes, while other low instruments play the Bass Line parts, mid-range instruments play the Harmony parts, and upper range musicians playing the Melody parts. Low instruments can harmony or melody lines (and vice versa), but the arrangements can become “muddy” if too many parts overlap in the mid-range. Lyrics are included for the Melody parts on songs, but the pieces are written in a manner that they lyrics/singing can be optional.
Together the parts sound absolutely wonderful, but a focus is on unison playing of each individual part so that students can invest more time actively playing/learning rather than waiting for others to learn their parts. There are other arrangements of many of these pieces that have much greater complexity of counterpoint/harmony for musicians who are further along their musical journey to be able to independently learn their own parts without needed as much support and repetition.