Liz and the Blue Bird (piece)

Liz and the Blue Bird (リズと青い鳥) is a piece for wind ensemble composed by Uda Yuriko (a fictional composer). In reality, it was composed by Akito Matsuda, who wrote the rest of the ''Sound! Euphonium'' soundtrack. It is the piece that the Kitauji High School Concert Band plays in the film of the same name and Sound! Euphonium: The Movie - Our Promise: A Brand New Day.

The piece is in four movements- “Ordinary Days”, “A New Family”, “A Decision of Love”, and “To The Far Sky”.

The piece is best known for the third movement, featuring an oboe and flute duet performed by Mizore Yoroizuka and Nozomi Kasaki.

Kitauji High School Concert Band's version of the piece was shortened for the competition.

The Fairytale
The piece is based on the German fictional fairytale of the same name (Ger.-Liz und ein Blauer Vogel), a book which Nozomi loved as a child. It goes like this:

Liz is the name of a lonely girl who only makes a living by selling bread at a bakery. After a mighty thunderstorm strikes, she goes outside and finds a blue-haired (unnamed) girl lying on the grass. The two instantly become close friends for a long time. However, after a while, Liz decides to let go of the girl so she can be free to do whatever with herself. The flute and oboe duet in the third movement are said to represent Liz and the blue bird.

In terms of Nozomi and Mizore, the story almost seems to reflects their own relationship, with Nozomi discovering a lonely and silent Mizore back in middle school and eventually they might be going separate ways in college.

Score and Parts
The official Liz and the Blue Bird score and individual instrument parts are available for purchase at the Print Gakufu Website.

Instrumentation
Movement I
 * Piccolo
 * Flute 1, 2
 * Oboe
 * Bassoon
 * Contrabassoon
 * B♭ Clarinet 1, 2, 3
 * B♭ Bass Clarinet
 * E♭ Alto Saxophone 1, 2
 * B♭ Tenor Saxophone
 * E♭ Baritone Saxophone
 * B♭ Trumpet 1, 2, 3
 * F Horn 1, 2, 3, 4
 * Trombone 1, 2, 3
 * Euphonium
 * Tuba
 * Contrabass
 * Timpani
 * Snare Drum
 * Bass Drum
 * Cymbals
 * Glockenspiel
 * Xylophone
 * Triangle
 * Tambourine

Movement II
 * Piccolo
 * Flute 1, 2
 * Oboe
 * Bassoon
 * Contrabassoon
 * E♭ Clarinet
 * B♭ Clarinet 1, 2, 3
 * B♭ Bass Clarinet
 * E♭ Alto Saxophone 1, 2
 * B♭ Tenor Saxophone
 * E♭ Baritone Saxophone
 * B♭ Trumpet 1, 2, 3
 * F Horn 1, 2, 3, 4
 * Trombone 1, 2, 3
 * Euphonium
 * Tuba
 * Contrabass
 * Timpani
 * Snare Drum
 * Tom-tom
 * Bass Drum
 * Cymbals
 * Glockenspiel
 * Xylophone
 * Whip
 * Tambourine
 * Flexatone
 * Ratchet
 * Wind Machine

Movement III
 * Piccolo
 * Flute 1, 2
 * Oboe
 * Bassoon
 * Contrabassoon
 * E♭ Clarinet
 * B♭ Clarinet 1, 2, 3
 * B♭ Bass Clarinet
 * E♭ Alto Saxophone 1, 2
 * B♭ Tenor Saxophone
 * E♭ Baritone Saxophone
 * B♭ Trumpet 1, 2, 3
 * F Horn 1, 2, 3, 4
 * Trombone 1, 2, 3
 * Euphonium
 * Tuba
 * Contrabass
 * Harp
 * Timpani
 * Bass Drum
 * Cymbals
 * Glockenspiel
 * Vibraphone

Movement IV
 * Piccolo
 * Flute 1, 2
 * Oboe
 * Bassoon
 * Contrabassoon
 * E♭ Clarinet
 * B♭ Clarinet 1, 2, 3
 * B♭ Bass Clarinet
 * E♭ Alto Saxophone 1, 2
 * B♭ Tenor Saxophone
 * E♭ Baritone Saxophone
 * B♭ Trumpet 1, 2, 3
 * F Horn 1, 2, 3, 4
 * Trombone 1, 2, 3
 * Euphonium
 * Tuba
 * Contrabass
 * Harp
 * Timpani
 * Snare Drum
 * Bass Drum
 * Cymbals
 * Glockenspiel
 * Vibraphone