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David Hepburn is a retired minister-of-music, choir director, band director, missionary, teacher, and school president, and a fine tenor and trumpeter. His many compositions are a testament to the works of Jesus he has seen in the lives of others and in his own life.
David Hepburn wrote this song in 1975 during his tenure as leader of the New Song Singers, based in Minneapolis. He personally performed it as a solo with piano, bass, guitar, drums, and four-part choral harmony on hundreds of occasions. Later, a different arrangement of this same song was performed for many years by the Covenant Four Quartet (of which David was a member), based in San Francisco.
This arrangement for trombone quartet remains true to the feel of the original "New Song Singers" version. While each of the four trombones have the melody at one point or another and it modulates through three keys, the feel of the song and the way David sang it is there.
We include here the entire lyric, as it is quite compelling and beautiful:
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There's a city, I've been told,
Where the streets are paved with gold,
Where sorrow and strife
Have no part in that new life,
And the gates were opened wide on the day that Jesus died,
And He paved the road to heaven with His love.
Oh, He paved the road to heaven with His love,
Condescending to come down from heaven above.
When He died on Calvary's tree
Redeeming men and setting free,
He paved the road to heaven with His love.
If to that city you would go
Then my Jesus you must know.
He alone is the way,
He alone the price did pay.
"Follow Me," He says in love, "I've a mansion up above,"
"And I paved the road to heaven with My love."
Oh, He paved the road to heaven with His love,
Condescending to come down from heaven above.
When He died on Calvary's tree
Redeeming men and setting free,
He paved the road to heaven with His love.
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MP3 Sound sample: Midi/synth.
THE ROAD TO HEAVEN by David Hepburn comes in a PDF file of 247K, Five page score with four one-page parts (concert key bass clef) plus license page, ten pages in all. Performance time, about about 3:00.
A humoresque for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass trombone, or other combinations of four brass instruments with these voices.
This piece is based on an American folk song depicting a legend that is likely based on an actual event which occurred in the 19th century in the southern Appalachians. A railroad worker, born a slave but freed at the end of the American Civil War, and armed only with a steel face-drilling bit and a hammer (or two hammers), entered into a speed drilling contest with a steam-powered face drilling machine.
Legend has it that John Henry beat the steam drill but then died from the effort.
This piece depicts the following words from the song:
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When John Henry was a little baby
Sittin' on his daddy's knee,
He picked up a hammer and a little piece of steel and said,
"This hammer's gonna be the death of me, Lawd, Lawd."
"This hammer's gonna be the death of me."
Big John Henry went down to the tunnel,
Steam hammer by his side.
He said, "Before I would let this ol' steam hammer get me down"
"You know I’d lay down this hammer and I’d die, Lawd, Lawd."
"I’d lay down this hammer and I’d die."
Then follows several stanzas depicting the drilling contest, and finally,
John Henry turned to the straw boss.
He said, "Lawd knows how very hard I tried."
"I done my best but that hammer is fast."
"Please gimme a cool glass of water 'fore I die, Lawd, Lawd."
"A tall cool glass of water 'fore I die."
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This piece is intended to be performed as a musical drama, with the part of John Henry played by the bass trombonist. The parts are intended to be easily memorized.
The first two stanzas are played in a slow swing style. Then commences the contest. The steam drill, played by the upper three voices, begins slowly. John Henry laughs derisively and begins to drill (playing the melody).
As the tempo increases stanza by stanza, John Henry works increasingly hard to stay with the steam drill, finally collapsing to his knees from exhaustion.
Panting, he watches the steam drill accelerate out of control and finally break down. At this, he pumps his tired fist in the air, slowly plays the final line, and then dies.
The other three players then play the opening and closing lines of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."
This piece was written for a high school trombone quartet that happens to have all four instruments available. If this is not the case, it is easy enough to substitute a trumpet, cornet, or flugel horn for the Bb soprano, a tuba for the bass, or a euphonium for either tenor or bass. Substitute parts are provided to allow the Eb alto part to be played not only on alto trombone or alto horn, but on trumpet, cornet, flugel horn, or F horn as well.
The midi rendering from the composer program has three inexplicable slowdowns that no amount of effort has yet successfully corrected. We hope to have a recording and/or video of an actual performance available soon.
JOHN HENRY an American folk song arranged by Tom Kirkland for trombone quartet consisting of one Bb soprano, one Eb alto, one tenor and one bass, plus alternate parts, comes in a pdf file of 265K, with a five-page score, five two-page parts, one three-page part and a license page, nineteen pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:20.
One of William Bradbury's most beloved hymn tunes set for three tenor trombones and one bass trombone.
William Bradbury (1816-1868) was the composer of many well-known hymn tunes, including He Leadeth Me, Sweet Hour of Prayer, The Solid Rock, Just As I Am Without One Plea, and Jesus Loves Me.
His namesake tune, BRADBURY, is treated introspectively in this uncomplicated arrangement, seeking to underscore the meaning of having Jesus as a personal shepherd, and to have been, as the first stanza states, bought and owned by Him.
All three of the tenor trombones take a turn at playing the melody line, while the bass trombone provides support.
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Savior, like a shepherd lead us,
Much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,
For our use Thy folds prepare:
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Thou has bought us, Thine we are,
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Thou has bought us, Thine we are.
Thou hast promised to receive us,
Poor and sinful though we be;
Thou hast mercy to relieve us,
Grace to cleanse and power to free.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, hear, O hear us when we pray,
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, hear, O hear us when we pray.
Early let us seek Thy favor,
Early let us do Thy will;
Blessed Lord and only Savior,
With Thy love our bosoms fill.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Thou hast loved us, love us still,
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, Thou hast loved us, love us still.
SAVIOR, LIKE A SHEPHERD LEAD US from the hymn tune by William Bradbury arranged by Tom Kirkland for trombone quartet consisting of three tenors and one bass, comes in a pdf file of 195K, with a three-page score, four two-page parts and a license page, twelve pages in all. Performance time should be just over three minutes.
William H. Doane wrote many hymn tunes, quite a few for Fanny Crosby lyrics, and became quite well known despite not being a vocational musician. This hymn with lyrics by Crosby is quite well known in evangelical churches in the U.S. and Canada.
This setting is for a trombone quartet consisting of a soprano trombone (slide trumpet - treble clef, Bb transposed), two tenor trombones, and a bass trombone (all three bass clef, concert key). A trumpet or cornet could be substituted for the soprano trombone, but there is no good workaround for the bass trombone.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY by W. H. Doane, arranged by Tom Kirkland for trombone quartet consisting of one soprano trombone, two tenor trombones, and one bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 232K, with a five-page score, four two-page parts, and a license page, fourteen pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:40.
Beautiful hymn tune based on a Maori song, scored for one soprano trombone, two tenor trombones, and one bass trombone.
Dr. J. Edwin Orr wrote the text "Search me, O God..." about Easter of 1936 in a small village in New Zealand. He was inspired to set his lyrics to the traditional Maori farewell song "Po atu rau..." This tune also became popular around the time of World War II as "Now is the Hour."
Most people hearing it today associated it with Orr's lyrics, a poem he entitled "Cleanse Me."
This arrangement is scored for four trombones: one soprano, two tenors and a bass. The bass trombone part is too high in spots for a tuba, too low for any other brass instrument. The soprano trombone (Bb slide trumpet) may be played on the much more common soprano valve trombone (Bb trumpet) if desired, and is presented transposed.
The first tenor trombone gets the melody for the first stanza, with the bass trombone, second tenor trombone, and soprano trombone entering in turn. The first trombone also carries the melody in the second stanza, finally handing it off to the soprano trombone for the third stanza. The arrangement was kept simple, to better frame the beautiful melody.
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Search me, O God, and know my heart today;
Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin and set me free.
I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin;
Fulfill Thy Word, and make me pure within.
Fill me with fire, where once I burned with shame;
Grant my desire to magnify Thy name.
Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine;
Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine.
Take all my will, my passion, self and pride;
I now surrender, Lord-- in me abide.
CLEANSE ME (Maori Melody) arranged by Tom Kirkland for trombone quartet consisting of one soprano trombone (slide trumpet), two tenor trombones, and one bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 209K, with a five-page score, four one-page parts, and a license page, ten pages in all. Performance time should be just over three minutes.
Samuel Webbe's hymn tune, CONSOLATOR, is about 200 years old now, but it is still fresh and moving.
The common lyrics are by Thomas Moore (Stanzas 1 and 2) and Thomas Hastings (stanza 3). It seems at once to be both a communion hymn and a funeral hymn, with its description of heaven and its consolation theme.
The hymn tune is played through three times, first with the tenor trombone in the lead in Eb, then with the second trumpet in the lead in concert G, then with the first trumpet in the lead in concert Db. This was done as much for texture change as for playing range.
You will definitely need a bass trombone for this one.
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Come, ye disconsolate, where e're ye languish,
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts, here bring your anguish,
Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.
Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,
Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!
Here speaks the comforter, tenderly saying,
"Earth has no sorrow, that heaven cannot cure."
Here see the bread of life, see the waters flowing
Forth from the throne of God, pure from above;
Come to the feast of love-- come ever knowing
Earth has no sorrow but heaven can remove.
COME, YE DISCONSOLATE, a hymn tune by Samuel Webbe, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quartet consisting of two trumpets, tenor trombone, and bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 736k, with a four-page score, four two-page parts, and a license page, thirteen pages in all. Performance time should be just under three minutes.
This hymn tune feels like a comfortable old jacket. Even when hearing it for the first time, it seems familiar.
This arrangement is for three tenors and one bass trombone.
In the first stanza, the bass trombone plays the lead with a set of unusual moving harmonies above it, then the first takes the lead for the refrain.
The second trombone takes the lead for the second stanza, still with flowing harmonies but now more conventional.
An immediate segue brings the first trombone into the lead again in a closely related minor key. This stanza is low, and the harmonies are very close.
The refrain is then played up-tempo and very conventionally with the first in the lead. Finally, the refrain is repeated, more majestically, with the second in the lead.
The overall concept is very strongly related to Joseph Gilmore's lyrics:
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He leadeth me, O blessed thought,
O words with heavenly comfort wrought,
What e're I do, where e're I be,
Still, 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.
He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By His own hand He leadeth me.
His faithful follower I would be,
For by His hand he leadeth me.
Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mine,
Nor ever murmur nor repine,
Content, whatever lot I see,
Still 'tis Thy hand that leadeth me.
And when my task on earth is done,
When, by Thy grace, the victory won,
E'en death's cold wave I will not flee,
Since God through Jordan leadeth me.
He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By His own hand He leadeth me.
His faithful follower I would be,
For by His hand he leadeth me.
HE LEADETH ME, by William Bradbury, arranged by Tom Kirkland for trombone quartet (three tenors and a bass), comes in a pdf file of 1692, with a four-page score, four two-page parts, and a license page, thirteen pages in all. Performance time is approximately 3:10.
Mendelssohn's Oratorio Elijah is full of great choral pieces. This particular chorus has always been a favorite.
The text is taken from Psalm 121:4 "He, watching over Israel, slumbers not nor sleeps," and Psalm 138:7 "Shouldst thou, walking in grief, languish, He will quicken thee."
These two phrases are interwoven to great effect in Mendelssohn's soaring style.
This edition indicates a tempo of about 80 bpm, though some prefer to perform it a bit faster. This is a somewhat rare arrangement for this site in that it does not require a bass trombone.
For this arrangement, we have taken the piece down a half-step, and in addition to the 17-page score and four 2-page instrumental parts, we have provided a more-readable 8-page accompaniment part that also reduces page-turning.
HE WATCHING OVER ISRAEL by Felix Mendelssohn, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quartet consisting of two trumpets and two trombones, with piano accompaniment, comes in a pdf file of 2145K, with a seventeen-page score, four two-page parts, eight-page accompaniment, and a license page, thirty-four pages in all. Performance time should be just under four minutes.
Sometimes, you just need something to play during a missions conference.
A thoughtful rendering of Rescue the Perishing using some more modern-sounding chords is followed by (two times through) Lord, Lay Some Soul Upon My Heart, with slight harmonic modifications. Then comes a rousing march-like arrangement of Cutler's tune Macedonia.
The quartet here is two trumpets, one ternor trombone, and one bass trombone. The bass trombone is easy to get around with a tenor by simply transposing the notes that are too low up one octave.
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RESCUE THE PERISHING
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o'er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.
Rescue the perishing,
Care for the dying,
Jesus is merciful,
Jesus will save.
Fanny Crosby - William H. Doane
LORD, LAY SOME SOUL UPON MY HEART
Lord, lay some soul upon my heart,
And love that soul through me;
And may I nobly do my part
To win that soul for Thee.
Leon Tucker - Ira Sankey
MACEDONIA
The vision of a dying world
Is vast before our eyes;
We feel the heartbeat of its need,
We hear its feeble cries;
Lord Jesus Christ, revive Thy church
In this, her crucial hour!
Lord Jesus Christ, awake Thy church
With Spirit-given power.
The warning bell of judgement tolls,
Above us looms the cross;
Around are ever-dying souls--
How great, how great the loss!
O Lord, constrain and move Thy church
The glad news to impart!
And Lord, as Thou dost stir Thy church,
Begin within my heart.
MISSIONS MEDLEY, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quartet consisting of two trumpets, trombone, and bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 503K, with a four-page score, four two-page parts, and a license page, thirteen pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:20.
Two arrangements, one for brass quartet, one for brass quartet plus synthesizer, drum, and cymbal.
Here are two relatively easy pieces for brass quartet consisting of two trumpets, tenor trombone, and bass trombone. No bass trombone? In this case, you can get around it with a tenor trombone.
The old plainsong melody O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, opens with each player in turn playing one of the four closing phrases of the tune. The brass players can be separated by some distance, such as at the four corners of the sanctuary.
The synthesizer then comes in with a droning pad in an open fifth. Immediately after, a drum enters playing a rhythm in 6/8 time. The brass players then play the melody in 2/4 time, playing the even eigth notes against the triplet of the drum. The drum helps hold the brass players in rhythm, again allowing them to be separated and still play as an ensemble.
In the other piece, the quartet plays two of the popular tunes for Away in a Manger (Murray, Fitzpatrick) in 4/4 time, just to make the pieces sound more interesting.
TWO CHRISTMAS BRASS QUARTETS, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quartet consisting of two trumpets, tenor trombone, and bass trombone, with synthesizer, cymbal, and drum, and Away in a Manger for brass quartet consisting of two trumpets, tenor trombone, and bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 1056K, with a six-page-page score, a three-page score score, nine instrumetnal parts, and a license page, twenty-one pages in all. Performance time should be about 2:30 for each.
Gabriel Faure was among the last of the nineteenth-century French romantic composers, living from 1845 to 1924. His two most popular choral works are undoubtedly his REQUIEM and CANTIQUE DE JEAN RACINE.
The CANTIQUE DE JEAN RACINE is a beautiful Mendelssohn-like song that is rendered here for a brass quartet consisting of two trumpets and two trombones accompanied by piano. The introduction and interlude were omitted in order to reduce the performance time.
The lyric is a prayer:
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Oh Redeemer divine, our sole hope of salvation,
Eternal light of the earth and the sky,
We kneel in adoration.
Oh Savior, turn on us Thy loving eye.
Send down on us the fire of Thy grace all consuming,
Whose wondrous might dispersed the powers of hell,
And rouse our slumbering souls with Thine illumining radiance,
That they may waken Thy mercy to tell.
Oh Christ, bestow Thy blessing on us, we implore Thee,
Who here are gathered on penitent knee.
Accept the hymns we chant to Thine eternal glory,
And these Thy gifts we return unto thee.
Gabriel Faure's "Cantique de Jean Racine" for brass quartet of two trumpets and two trombones with piano accompaniment, arranged by Tom Kirkland. OH REDEEMER DIVINE comes in a PDF file of 1757K that contains a thirteen-page score, four two-page instrumental parts, a six-page piano part (larger staves and fewer page turns than playing from the score), plus a license page, 28 pages in all. Performance time should be around 3:30.
Simple arrangement of the famous hymn tune for two trumpets, tenor trombone, and bass trombone.
Sibelius' symphonic poem FINLANDIA was written in 1899 as the Finns chafed under the domination of Czarist Russia. It was wildly popular as a nationalistic anthem and was promptly banned. This had the opposite of the desired effect for the Czarist authorities, as Sibelius' fame grew and the piece became his most famous work. The great music, like the Finns themselves, rose up and by the 1930's FINLANDIA had crossed over and become a popular hymn tune, most often sung in English with a lyric by Catharina von Schlegel, translated by Jane Borthwick. It is in this context that we present this arrangement.
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Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.
Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
FINLANDIA, by Jean Sibelius, arranged by Tom Kirkland for a quartet of two trumpets, a tenor trombone, and a bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 280K, with an five-page score, four two-page parts, and a license page, fourteen pages in all. Performance time should be slightly less than three minutes.
When Swedes arrived in the new world in relatively large numbers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, they brought a musical tradition that added several standards to American evangelical Christian tradition. Among them is this hymn by Lina Sandell, translated to English by A. L. Skoog, set to music by Oscar Ahnfelt. It is hard to say exactly what makes a Swedish hymn tune distinctive, but whatever it is you can learn to hear it.
This arrangement sets the first stanza in a low key with the traditional harmony. The second stanza begins in the same key with the melody transferred to the first trombone in the same octave the first trumpet has just played it, and with a modified harmony. An abrupt key change puts the melody back with the first trumpet in a higher key just as the hymn reaches the musical climax of the second stanza. The second half of the second stanza then repeats with a new harmony that further emphasizes the "top of the rollercoaster" moment.
The third stanza moves to a still higher key with a couple of waterfall phrases, then passes up and over the top of the stanza with still another harmonization and ultimately achieves its peace and rest with a calm coda.
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Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
I've no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow'r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"
This the pledge to me He made.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"
This the pledge to me He made.
Help me then, in every tribulation,
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith's sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E'er to take, as from a father's hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till with Christ the Lord I stand.
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MP3 Sound sample: Village Brass, 2008.
DAY BY DAY, music by Oscar Ahnfelt, arranged by Tom Kirkland for a quartet of two trumpets, a tenor trombone, and a bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 384K, with an eight-page score, four two-page parts, and a license page, seventeen pages in all. Performance time should be slightly less than three minutes.
A smooth arrangement of this old standard hymn for brass quartet (two trumpets and two trombones).
I have always admired the smooth sound of the arrangement of William Monk's famous hymn tune played by some of the military bands of the United States. Since it is not often that most of us can put together a complete military band for a Memorial Day service or some other occasion, I sought to develop an arrangement for four-piece brass quartet that would deliver some of that same texture.
This arrangement is unique and should be interesting both to play and for listeners. None of the parts are very difficult, though the first trombone part is quite high in one spot, but a good high school quartet should have no trouble with this piece.
That said, finding a bass trombone can sometimes be problematic for school groups. I have kept the part from going too low, though an F-attachment is absolutely necessary. The part cannot be played on a tuba because it would both radically alter the texture, and the bass trombone part is relatively high in some spots.
This piece could find a place in the regular rotation of any number of brass quartets, both scholastic and professional. It accurately portrays the moving lyric of Henry Lyte, who over 150 years ago penned: "Hold Thou Thy Cross before my closing eyes, Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies, Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee; In life, in death, O Lord! abide with me!"
For friends who have gone on before and are often in my thoughts....
ABIDE WITH ME, William Monk's hymn tune arranged for two trumpets, tenor trombone, and bass trombone by Tom Kirkland, comes in a downloadable PDF file of 805K that contains a seven page score, four two page individual parts, plus a license page, sixteen pages in all. Performance time should be around 3:00, depending upon interpretation.
Joyful music for two trumpets, tenor trombone, and bass trombone (or tuba).
This G. F. Handel tune has always been a natural for brass groups. Of all the "Christmas Music" in circulation, none better expresses the hope and joy found in the message of a baby born to save the world from the curse under which it had labored since just after the dawn of mankind.
If this arrangement were just a rehashing of the harmonizations of this hymn tune that have been found in hymnals for the past two centuries, there would scarcely have been need to write it down. Rather, this is an attempt to bring something new to the old hymn tune, to do something that the listener may not exactly expect, but that will bring a smile to the face.
The four parts are quite playable for good high school musicians, though it may be difficult at times to scare up a bass trombonist. Feel free to substitute a tuba or just take those pesky low e-flats up an octave on a tenor trombone. If there is no bass trombonist available, the tuba is a better musical choice, but either path will suffice. The arranger is both a bass trombonist and tubist, and so has left the door wide open for either instrument.
So, give a Christmas-time audience a little treat this year-- a new arrangement of an old standard, Handel's "Joy to the World."
JOY TO THE WORLD for brass quartet (two trumpets, tenor trombone, and bass trombone or tuba), arranged by Tom Kirkland, comes in a PDF file of 1568K that contains a four page score, four parts of two pages each, and a license page, thirteen pages in all. Performance time should be around 2:50.
