for one piano, four hands
Words and music by Benny Andersson, Stig Anderson, and Bjorn Ulvaeus; Arranged by Elena Fortin
It is exciting to see a whole new generation of people being introduced to ABBA, most recently through the “Mamma Mia!” movie franchise.
S.O.S. is one of those catchy tunes that you will find yourself humming–so fun to arrange! Since Benny Andersson is a piano player, ABBA’s music is much easier to arrange than most other pop and rock offerings–piano motifs are already featured in their music.
I have two lovely students that were interested in playing an ABBA medley. Since I cannot arrange medleys under the ArrangeMe agreement, we decided to focus on one song for now: “S. O. S.”
The music of S.O.S. lends itself well to arrangement for piano duet–the rich orchestration of writing for duet partners is fun to experiment with.
About the arrangement
This arrangement is written for piano duet in the standard format (Secondo and Primo each have their own pages, side by side). The duet is aimed at late intermediate / early advanced players. The Primo part is slightly more difficult.
The arrangement has been carefully edited so that the bar numbers line up. This piece has a lively tempo that will challenge the pianists!
For ensemble challenges: there are ritardandos between you and your partner, close writing (which means you will have to mind your rests so your partner can take over certain notes in time), continuing musical motifs between the four hands, besides learning to balance melody and accompaniment!
The secondo player needs to keep a strict rhythm to drive the piece forward. The player will also need to be sensitive to their partner’s difficulties–practice will get you used to how much time your partner may need to complete their more challenging passages!)
The primo player should get used to the secondo part so they can time their entrances correctly! The challenging parts are some small motifs that have quick chords in the right hand, the rapid sixteenth note passages, and the octave work in the right hand that starts on the A flat–for this passage, the player may need to slide off the top black notes in order to get the timing on the quicker sixteenth notes!
Above all, have fun! ABBA’s music is infectious and full of energy. This piece would make a great recital piece or showstopping ending!
Video Performance
Purchase Information
Clicking on the link below will bring you to a new site: Sheet Music Plus. This arrangement is under copyright with the ArrangeMe program by Hal Leonard.
Sheet Music Plus – S. O. S.
Sheet Music Sample
