Finale from Tosca, Act 1 (Te Deum)

Puccini’s opera Tosca, one of his most successful and popular works is set in 1800 in Rome, as Napoleon’s invading army is approaching. There are rebels in Rome who see Napoleon as a liberator from Neapolitan rule and are plotting secretly. One of those is the young firebrand artist Cavaradossi. He and his lover, the beautiful and tempestuous Tosca, are being pursued by the evil chief of the secret police, Scarpia. At the end of Act 1, Scarpia is revelling in his plot to capture Cavaradossi and trick Tosca into sleeping with him to buy her lover’s freedom, all inside a church in Rome while a Te Deum service is being sung; in the background the bells are tolling and we hear distant cannonfire from the approaching army.

In this arrangement the part of Scarpia is played mostly by the solo trombone. There is an optional organ part, although all of the organ part is covered in the band parts.

This arrangement was first performed by the Harrogate Band conducted by Andrew Baker in 2022. Watch a video preview of the score below!