New Music Friday: Minstrels from Preludes Book 1, No. 12

A lot of video games were played at our house during quarantine this spring. One of the most popular ones was Untitled Goose Game, a hit game about a mischievous goose wreaking havoc in a tidy, little village. One of the game’s many charms is its inventive use of Debussy’s Preludes as a score:

The playful piano music almost provides a kind of insight into the goose’s mind — the melody plays in quiet, short bursts when it’s up to no good, creeping up on its next victim. When the goose is in full chaos mode, waddling away from the gardener who just wants his keys back, the piano tune plays out in full, encouraging the player to keep up the shenanigans.

Purely by coincidence, we had also just agreed to publish an arrangement of that one of those preludes by Robert Longfield. As with any other of Mr. Longfield’s arrangements, we needn’t tell how excellent it is. But we will anyway. It’s excellent.

So, whether you are looking for a piece for your intermediate orchestra or seeking a soundtrack for your attempts to steal a man’s hat, you’ll certainly want to check this one out.