Queen Medley

We Are The Champions | Somebody to Love | We Will Rock You | Don’t Stop Me Now

For Double Reed Choir & Drum set

By Freddie Mercury & Brian May

Arranged by Shawn W. Davern

Year: 1976/1977/1978/2024

Duration: 5:15 (Alternate Version)
                  6:15 (Extended Version)

Difficulty: Medium - Advanced 



Lead vocalist and pianist Freddie Mercury originally composed Somebody to Love in 1976, released on the British rock band Queen's fifth studio album entitled A Day at the Races. Mercury would then go on to write We Are the Champions and guitarist Brian May composed We Will Rock You, released on Queen's sixth studio album News of the World in 1977. Don't Stop Me Now was composed by Mercury in 1978 and released on Queen's seventh studio album Jazz.

A double reed choir medley of the songs was commissioned by and arranged for the 2024 Ohio State Double Reed Camp under the direction of Dr. Abby Yeakle Held and Professor Jesse Schartz. Premiered by the 2024 Ohio State Double Reed Camp Choir in Columbus, OH in June 2024. 

Program Notes

It would truly be a quest of epic proportions to find a piece of music that features that music of both the British rock band Queen and Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, but fortunately, that search can now come to an end with a new medley of the music of Freddie Mercury and Brian May arranged for double reed choir and drum set. The Stravinsky nod comes from the fact that the opening notes of the bassoon solo from Rite of Spring (when transposed) are nearly the exact same set of notes as the melody of We Are the Champions, a fact that was made known to this arranger based on a Classical FM article from a couple of years ago. It is imperative to have a drum set player for the success of this performance, and the contra bassoon should plan to be as present as possible. The arrangement also exists in two different versions: an alternate version which features parts that accommodate for younger performers, and an extended version which contains the full introduction and more advanced part writing. The Queen Medley also features the songs Somebody to Love, We Will Rock You and Don’t Stop Me Now, with a very brief reference to Bohemian Rhapsody to conclude the arrangement. It is this arranger’s hope that all admirers of Queen or Stravinsky will enjoy a dive into this Queen Medley!