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Sublist of ensembles, duets, and solos for woodwinds.
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Sublist of ensembles, duets, and solos for strings.
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Wonderful German Christmas carol set for seven trumpets.
The beautiful German Christmas Carol (ES IT EIN' ROS') set for trumpet septet. Yes, seven Bb trumpets. This piece was requested by a trumpet group and it turns out it is easier to write for this ensemble than one might think.
The setting here is a lullaby. Keeping the dynamics low, it is rare that all seven trumpets play together for any length of time. The full tune comes around three times. There is a little surprise built into the ending.
Since the parts are written in treble clef, other groups of like instruments reading treble clef in the same octave and transposition do this. The lowest written note is a G below middle C.
LO HOW A ROSE E'ER BLOOMING, a German Christmas carol arranged by Tom Kirkland for trumpet septet, comes in a pdf file of 229K, with a four-page score, seven one-page parts, and a license page, twelve pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:45.
The famous French Christmas Carol arranged for seven trumpets by Tom Kirkland.
The famous French Christmas Carol (GLORIA) set for trumpet septet. Yes, seven Bb trumpets. This piece was requested by a trumpet group and it turns out it is easier to write for this ensemble than one might think.
This piece starts out with a sort of baroque feel with answering fanfares in between the hymn tune phrases. The Gloria chorus is a chorale fantasy. The main body (stanza and chorus) repeat and then transition to a higher key and switch to 3/4 time and slows to become a stately polonnaise. Of course, there is a big ending.
Since the parts are written in treble clef, other groups of like instruments reading treble clef in the same octave and transposition do this. The lowest written note is a G below middle C.
ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH, a Christmas carol arranged by Tom Kirkland for trumpet septet, comes in a pdf file of 324K, with a seven-page score, seven one-page parts, and a license page, fifteen pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:20.
The famous Christmas Carol set for trumpet septet. Yes, seven soprano Bb trumpets. Written in 5/4 time which makes it much more interesting.
The famous Christmas Carol set for trumpet septet. Yes, seven soprano Bb trumpets. Yeah, I can hardly believe it either.
This setting was requested by a trumpet group and turned out to be an easier writing challenge than expected. The new twist is in this one is being in 5/4 time, which leads an extra air of mystery and a jazz groove to the tune. Three of the parts call for Harmon mutes and two others call for straight mutes.
Since the parts are written in treble clef, other groups of like instruments reading treble clef in the same octave and transposition could do this. The lowest written note is middle C.
WE THREE KINGS, a Christmas carol arranged by Tom Kirkland for trumpet septet, comes in a pdf file of 268K, with a three-page score, seven one-page parts, and a license page, eleven pages in all. Performance time should be under two minutes.
Saxophone quintet arrangement of the stirring toreador's march from the tragic opera of the same name by Manuel Penella Moreno.
Manuel Penella Moreno was a prolific Spanish composer. Much of his music is forgotten today, but this may be his best-known work. It is commonly performed in celebrations and nostalgic concerts in Spain and occasionally throughout the Spanish-speaking world. It is among the best known pasodobles (two-step marches).
In Penella's opera El Gato Montes which premiered in 1916, the tragic hero Rafael (tenor) is promoted from apprentice to full matador and thus emboldened publicly professes his love for the gypsy girl Solea (soprano). Shortly the murderer Juanillo called El Gato Montes (The Wildcat) (baritone) emerges from his wilderness seclusion and tells the gathered crowd that he is in fact Solea's true love, and that his crime was committed in defense of her honor.
In the climactic close of the of the second act, Matador Rafael triumphantly enters the bull ring of Seville to heroically face his burden of honor, to defeat six bulls and then face off against the villain-redeemed-by-love Juanillo to win the hand of Solea or die trying. The majestic and inspiring "Pasodoble" is heard as he enters the ring.
Traditionally Spanish audiences shout "Ole!" at the conclusion of the four ascending phrases of the chorus which musically depict the passes of the bull. With a little coaching the audience could follow the lead of the soprano/alto players who would be able to cue them at the pickups to measures 50, 54, 66 and 70. This adds a bit of fun to an already lively performance. The audience could also be coached to shout "Ole!" on the closing two chords of both passes through the piece.
This tragic opera depicts the brave and noble jilted matador Rafael gored to death by a bull shortly after entering the ring at the end of the second act, and Juanillo (El Gato Montes) killed at his request by one of his compadres as the police arrive to arrest him at the end of the third act. Solea is left weeping.
It is our hope that your performance of this piece ends on a more positive note.
This setting is for a sax quintet consisting of one soprano sax, two alto saxes, one tenor sax, and one baritone sax. Substitute parts include alto sax to cover the soprano sax part, and tenor sax to cover the second alto sax part.
EL GATO MONTES, pasodoble torero from the opera of the same name by Manuel Penello Moreno, arranged by Tom Kirkland for saxophone quintet comes in a pdf file of 548K, with an eight-page score, seven one-page parts, and a license page, fifteen pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
Set of three short brass quintet arrangements: I Saw Three Ships, Still, Still, Still, and God Loves Me Dearly.
This set includes three arrangements of Christmas songs: I Saw Three Ships, Stll, Still, Still and God Loves Me Truly.
I Saw Three Ships is an English Carol with a bouncy melody that may refer to the camels - ships of the desert - the traditional three magi rode into Bethlehem. Still, Still, Still is lovely little Austrian lullaby. God Loves Me Dearly is an old German tune often associated with children that was originally written in 3/4 time but appears here as a bluegrass swing.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 17, three bass quintets: I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In, Still. Still, Still and God Loves Me Dearly, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 185K, with one one-page score, two two-page scores, twelve one-page parts (most two parts to a page), and a license page, sixteen pages in all. Performance time should be about one minute each.
Brass quintet arrangement of the stirring toreador's march from the tragic opera of the same name by Manuel Penella Moreno.
Manuel Penella Moreno was a prolific Spanish composer. Much of his music is forgotten today, but this may be his best-known work. It is commonly performed in nostalgic concerts in Spain and occasionally throughout the Spanish-speaking world. It is among the best known pasodobles (two-step marches).
In Penella's opera El Gato Montes which premiered in 1916, the tragic hero Rafael (tenor) is promoted from apprentice to full matador and thus emboldened publicly professes his love for the gypsy girl Solea (soprano). Shortly the murderer Juanillo called El Gato Montes (The Wildcat) (baritone) emerges from his wilderness seclusion and tells the gathered crowd that he is in fact Solea's true love, and that his crime was committed in defense of her honor.
In the climactic close of the of the second act, Matador Rafael triumphantly enters the bull ring of Seville to heroically face his burden of honor, to defeat six bulls and then face off against the villain-redeemed-by-love Juanillo to win the hand of Solea or die trying. The majestic and inspiring "Pasodoble" is heard as he enters the ring.
Traditionally Spanish audiences shout "Ole!" at the conclusion of the four ascending phrases of the chorus which musically depict the passes of the bull, played in this arrangement by the F horn and trombone. With a little coaching the audience could follow the lead of the trumpet players who would be able to cue them at the pickups to measures 50, 54, 66 and 70. This adds a bit of fun to an already lively performance. The audience could also be coached to shout "Ole!" on the closing two chords of both passes through the piece.
This tragic opera depicts the brave and noble jilted matador Rafael gored to death by a bull shortly after entering the ring at the end of the second act, and Juanillo (El Gato Montes) killed at his request by one of his compadres as the police arrive to arrest him at the end of the third act. Solea is left weeping.
It is our hope that your performance of this piece ends on a more positive note.
This setting is for a brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba. Substitute parts include Eb horn, euphonium and euphonium TC to cover the F horn part, Bb trombone TC, Eb tuba, and Bb tuba TC-- so all parts could be covered using "brass band" players.
EL GATO MONTES, pasodoble torero from the opera of the same name by Manuel Penello Moreno, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn (or Eb horn, or euphonium) trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 636K, with a seven-page score, eleven one-page parts, and a license page, nineteen pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
Only one piece is included in this edition of Chritmas Quints, but it is a good one: He Shall Feed His Flock from Handel's Messiah.
This set includes one number: He Shall Feed His Flock from Handel's Messiah. This arrangement is a bit more advanced than most of our Christmas Quints because of the somewhat higher range and sustained nature of the parts.
This particular arrangement is only two minutes long, though the original soprano solo in Messiah is over five. We've truncated the introduction and coda section and eliminated the interlude and repeat to reduce the strain on the brass players playing continuously. A repeat to the top could be executed at the end of measure 40 to make the piece closer to four minutes long if desired and if endurance allows.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 16, He Shall Feed His Flock from Handel's Messiah, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 219K, with one three-page score, five one-page parts, and a license page, nine pages in all. Performance time should be about two minutes.
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.
Yet another set of three Christmas carols set for two trunpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba by Tom Kirkland.
This set includes our first Hannukah piece, The Dreidel Song, as well as The Birthday of a King by W. H. Neidlinger and We Three Kings. The arrangements are specifically designed to be playable by second- or third-year players, though their use need not be restricted to just young ensembles.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
MP3 sound sample: All three pieces all the way though (synthesizer/midi).
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 15, three Christmas carols-- The Dreidel Song, The Birthday of a King, and We Three Kings -- arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 277K, with one two-page score, two three-page scores, twelve one-page parts and (most contain two parts on the same page), and a license page, twenty-one pages in all. Performance time should be about one to two minutes each.
Gabriel Faure's famous choral anthem arranged for brass quintet by Tom Kirkland
Gabriel Faure was a French romantic-era composer who hung around with musicians like Ravel, Debussy, and Widor. He was known as a master of the flowing melody line, but he was no slouch writing harmony either. He was a church organist and therefore wrote much more church music than the other well-known French romantics.
The flowing triplet of the accompaniment is suggested in a few places by the horn part, but otherwise the vocal parts and bass part are the only ones represented in this arrangement.
This setting is for a brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba. Substitute parts include Eb horn to cover the F horn part, Bb trombone TC, Eb tuba, and Bb tuba TC-- so all parts could be covered using "brass band" players.
CANTIQUE DE JEAN RACINE by Gabriel Faure, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn (or Eb horn) trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 274K, with a four-page score, two two-page parts, seven one-page parts, and a license page, sixteen pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:10.
The national anthem of the USA for six trombones, one alto three tenors two basses, or four tenors two basses. The first bass part can be played on a tenor with F attachment.
This piece was arranged specifically for use at a professional sporting event. It was therefore intended to be artistic yet respectful and singable for those in the crowd who like to do that. To suit the range of the trombone, however, we ended up in concert F, which many will find to not be a very singable key.
Written for four tenor and two bass trombones, the first tenor part is quite high (writing in concert F means the high note in the first part is a D, and the high note in the second part is an A). For this reason, we have included three first parts, alto in Eb, tenor in tenor clef, and tenor in bass clef with lots and lots of ledger lines.
The two bass parts are easily managed by a tenor with F attachment and a true bass trombone.
This arrangement could also be played by five euphoniums and a tuba.
The opening phrases are quiet and legato, and the piece finishes with a grand maestoso, a waterfall on the word "free," and a dramatic ending. Enjoy!
THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER arranged by Tom Kirkland for six trombones, four tenors and two basses, plus alternate parts, comes in a pdf file of 207K, with a three-page score, eight one-page parts and a license page, twelve pages in all. Performance time should be about 1:20.
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:
+ + +
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."
+ + +
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.
Why we waited until now to put these three selections in a set of quints is anybody's guess. Carol of the Shepherds, Deck the Halls, and O Come O Come Emmanuel are all very recognizable Christmas classics. The arrangements are specifically designed to be playable by second- or third-year players, though their use need not be restricted to just young ensembles.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
MP3 sound sample: All three pieces all the way though (synthesizer/midi).
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 14, three Christmas carols-- Carol of the Shepherds, Deck the Halls, and O Come O Come Emmanuel-- arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 365K, with three two-page scores, seven one-page parts and two two-page parts (most contain two parts on the same page), and a license page, eighteen pages in all. Performance time should be about one to two minutes each.
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.
+ + +
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.
A unique setting of a favorite hymn for two trombones. Works equally well with two cellos, two bassoons, or two euphoniums.
This hymn, also known as Fairest Lord Jesus or Crusader's Hymn, has been around for perhaps as long as 800 years, but the first written version was from the 1600s in Germany. The source is unknown, but regardless who wrote it or when, it continues to be a favorite to this day.
In modern hymnals, this tune appears in 4/4 time, but this duet is written mostly in 6/4 and has a strong feel slow 3 beat.
Written for young players, this piece is just challenging enough to be interesting for all. It should work equally well with two cellos, two bassoons, or two euphoniums.
BEAUTIFUL SAVIOR, arranged by Tom Kirkland for two trombones without accompaniment, comes in a pdf file of 155K, with two pages of music and a license page, three pages in all. Performance time should be about 1:50.
Stately setting of the famous Easter hymn. May be used with any combination of brass quintet, organ, choir, and congregation.
This is the quintessential Easter hymn, being sung every Easter throughout the English speaking world by almost all Christian denominations, and in many many other languages and countries across the world.
The piece is introduced and the stanzas are connected by a brass bridge, each time ending in the same way to easily cue the choir or congregation. The first three stanzas are in concert C, and the final stanza is in concert D.
The brass quintet can stand alone, or the organ can stand alone, or the tympani can be added to either, organ can play with just two trumpets, or all can play together, and again, adding singers is also very easy. Choir or congregation can simply sing directly from a hymnal. So this is a sort of a one-size-fits-many piece. The brass quintet is two trumpets, F horn (a euphonium part is included if needed to substitute), trombone, and tuba. The tympani part is for a set of four.
If this piece is done with organ, to relieve the fatigue of the low brass players it is recommended that all of the brass rest during the third stanza.
A unique feature of this piece is that the horn part contains a sort of hunting call motif during the final stanza. It will likely become a favorite of your horn player. It is meant to remind the listener/singer of the shofar that will sound the call on the last day.
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Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing ye heavens and earth reply Alleluia!
Lives again our glorious King! Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Dying once He all doth save! Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!
Love's redeeming work is done. Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won. Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids him rise! Alleluia!
Christ has opened paradise. Alleluia!
Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head. Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise! Alleluia
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies. Alleluia!
CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY, arranged by Tom Kirkland for two trumpets, F horn or euphonium, trombone, tuba, organ, and tympani, comes in a pdf file of 381K, with an eight-page score, seven two-page parts, one five-page (organ) part, and a license page, twenty-eight pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:10.
This time around we have three English carols: On Christmas Night All Christians Sing (Sussex Carol), A Virgin Unspotted, and Lully Lullay (Coventry Carol). The arrangements are specifically designed to be playable by second- or third-year players, though their use need not be restricted to just young ensembles.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
MP3 sound sample: All three pieces all the way though, except A Virgin Unspotted is presented without repeat (synthesizer/midi).
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 13, three Christmas carols-- On Christmas Night All Christians Sing, A Virgin Unspotted, and Lully Lullay-- arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 215K, with two two-page scores, one one-page score, nine one-page parts (most contain two parts on the same page), and a license page, fifteen pages in all. Performance time should be about one to two minutes each.
Mozart wrote some fun chamber music for woodwind ensembles that is interesting and lively to listen to and fun to perform. We've taken a couple of these pieces and arranged them as a two-movement mini-suite for saxophone quintet.
The saxophone did not come along until several decades after Mozart's death, but this re-engineering of his work for this newer instrument produces a pleasing effect.
It is written to be used as a single piece with a segue directly from one section to the other. Of course, you can cut it up or perform it with a pause between as suits your ensemble.
This could be a fun intermission piece for a band concert, or an encore piece for a multi-sax recital.
The instrumentation is one soprano saxophone, three alto saxophones, one tenor saxophone, and one baritone saxophone. There are no alternate parts provided.
MINUET AND SERENADE, an arrangement of two short Mozart woodwind pieces for six saxophones (one soprano, three altos, one tenor, and one baritone) by Tom Kirkland, comes in a pdf file of 339K, with a eleven-page score, six two-page parts, and a license page, twenty-four pages in all. Performance time should be approximately 3:40 to 3:50.
A peppy little chamber music piece for soprano (or clarinet), two altos, tenor, and bari.
J. S. Bach wrote a great many pieces during his lifetime, most of them for use in the church. From time to time he did write some solo keyboard works for clavier or harpsichord. Among them are the two English Suites, written in an attempt to assume the style of the English baroque composers, of whom Handel is the best known. Most musicologists would probably say that what Bach acheived is more in the French style of the time, but that does not make the pieces any less interesting.
There are two bourrees in the second English Suite, and we have chosen to present the livelier second bourree ("boo-RAY").
This arrangement is scored for a sax quintet consisting of one soprano, two altos, one tenor and one baritone saxophone. Clarinet may be substituted for soprano sax.
BOURREE by J. S. Bach, arranged by Tom Kirkland for saxophone quintet consisting of one soprano (or clarinet), two altos, one tenor, and a baritone, comes in a pdf file of 209K, with a six-page score, one two-page part, four one-page parts, and a license page, thirteen pages in all. Performance time should be about 1:45.
You've definitely heard this one before, you possibly just didn't know what it was called. Handel's most famous excerpt from "Water Music" arranged for two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba.
The King of England was throwing a little party on the river Thames. He got a bunch of his cronies together and they all got on his party barge and the floated up the river on the tide during the evening, and returned down the river on the tide after nightfall.
Of course, the King couldn't do anything without his PR machine making a national event of it, so his barge was accompanied by hundreds or perhaps thousands of other vessels in what must have been a most amazing sight.
What's a barge party without music? Of course, things being what they were in the middle 1700s, the King's barge was not equipped with a sound system. He therefore hired the most famous composer in Britain, G. F. Handel, to put together an orchestra and float along on a separate barge playing all-new music composed especially for the occasion.
What we have left of this party today is a great story and a set of three suites of music Handel composed for the occasion. The most famous of the movements is number 12, part of the second suite, originally written in D major for a mixed orchestra of strings, trumpets, horns, oboes, and bassoon.
Handel's harmonies were simple enough that all of the essentials can be covered by the five voices of a brass quintet. This creates a piece of music that is easily incorporated into a concert program, a ceremony or reception, or any reason a brass quintet might play.
This arrangement presents just the first section of the movement, including the most recognizable themes, transposed to concert B-flat and lightly reworked for brass players.
MP3 sound sample: Synthesizer/midi.
HORNPIPE from Handel's Water Music #12 HVW 349, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 187K, with a three-page score, five one-page parts, and a license page, nine pages in all. Performance time should be approximately 2:30.
This is one of the more famous piano pieces ever written, and is an example of the ultimate Russian romantic composer's imagination and technical mastery of the keyboard.
Rachmaninoff had immense hands and long fingers, such that his pieces tend to be filled with large spreads and interlocking fingers. This work, one of his early pieces, shows that this pattern was early to emerge.
Since Rachmaninoff wrote as many as eight or in some cases sixteen notes sounding on the piano simultaneously, it is apparent that some compromises had to be made to bring this work over to saxophone quintet. In addition to harmonically simplifying the piece a bit, it was also transposed to concert Eb minor (from C sharp minor) to stay within the ranges of the various members of the saxophone family. Still, the soprano and alto parts are high in many places.
The "agitato" section was shortened considerably, as it will likely be played much, much slower than most pianists would play it. It is marked at a tempo of 70, but can be played as fast as the players can execute the triplet figure cleanly. Most of that work falls to the alto saxophones. This piece is appropriate for good high school groups and above.
PRELUDE OPUS 3 NO. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff, arranged by Tom Kirkland for saxophone quintet consisting of one soprano, two altos, one tenor, and one baritone, comes in a pdf file of 274K, with a six-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, seventeen pages in all. Performance time should be about 4:30.
The more one learns about Stephen Foster, the more interesting and sad the story becomes. For nearly twenty years around the time of the Civil War, he wrote most of the popular songs published in the United States, yet died flat broke at the age of 37. He sold most of his songs to publishers for lump sums. Some he did not sell at all. Copyright and royalty laws being what they were at the time, up to five or more publishers would have competing editions of his songs in print, and other than whatever he could get up front, he rarely saw any money.
First published in 1854, this song stands as Stephen Foster's most popular romantic piece. It is reported to have been written with his wife, Jane, in mind.
In this arrangement, the tenor sax carries the melody the first time through, and the soprano sax plays it on the second pass. There are three stanzas but only two are heard in this arrangement, so it is up to you how you'd want to handle the lyric if you intend to print it in a program.
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I dream of Jeanie with the light brown hair,
Borne like a vapor on the sweet summer air;
I see her tripping where the bright streams play,
Happy as the daisies that dance on her way.
Many were the wild notes her merry voice would pour,
Many were the blithe birds that warbled them o'er:
I dream of Jeanie with the light brown hair,
Floating, like a vapor, on the soft summer air.
I long for Jeanie with the daydawn smile,
Radiant in gladness, warm with winning guile;
I hear her melodies, like joys gone by,
Sighing round my heart o'er the fond hopes that die:
Sighing like the night wind and sobbing like the rain,
Waiting for the lost one that comes not again:
I long for Jeanie, and my heart bows low,
Never more to find her where the bright waters flow.
I sigh for Jeanie, but her light form strayed,
Far from the fond hearts round her native glade;
Her smiles have vanished and her sweet songs flown,
Flitting like the dreams that have cheered us and gone.
Now the nodding wild flowers may wither on the shore
While her gentle fingers will cull them no more:
Oh! I sigh for Jeanie with the light brown hair,
Floating, like a vapor, on the soft summer air.
The more one learns about Stephen Foster, the more interesting and sad the story becomes. For nearly twenty years around the time of the Civil War, he wrote most of the popular songs published in the United States, yet died flat broke at the age of 37. He sold most of his songs to publishers for lump sums. Some he did not sell at all. Copyright and royalty laws being what they were at the time, up to five or more publishers would have competing editions of his songs in print, and other than whatever he could get up front, he rarely saw any money.
This particular song was written in 1850 and first published in 1853. Foster was from the black-face minstrel show tradition, and this was the first of his popular songs not to use the minstrel show "slave dialect." It is said to have been influenced by letters to his parents from his older sister staying in Bardstown, Kentucky, and a possible visit to Bardstown by Foster when he was traveling to Louisville. Foster's sympathy for slaves grew over time, and he never used the "slave dialect" in a lyric again.
The song gained considerable popularity during the Civil War, and was heard in the camps of armies on both sides. By 1900, it was a nearly universally-known sentimental favorite around the nation, and was especially favored in Kentucky.
My Old Kentucky Home was first used as the lead-in music for the famous Kentucky Derby horse race in 1924, and in 1928, the Commonwealth of Kentucky made it their official state song. In 1986, the word "darkies" was replaced with "people" by the Kentucky legislature in deference to modern sensibilities. Today both the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky have rich traditions involving this song.
Foster was a master of the simple, memorable melody.
In this arrangement, a full introduction is followed by the second alto carrying the melody for the first stanza, backed by a trio, the first alto and soprano playing the same, low part. "Weep no more my lady..." is played by a quartet of soprano, both altos, and tenor, and second alto with trio resumes for the reprise lines.
After a key change, the soprano leads the second stanza with full five-part harmony. Once again the soprano, altos, and tenor form a quartet for the "Weep no more..." section, and the five part harmony comes back in for a subdued reprise section and coda line.
This arrangement is enharmonic with the brass quintet arrangement mentioned above, which creates interesting possibilities for a performance group.
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The sun shines bright in My Old Kentucky Home,
'Tis summer, the people are gay;
The corn-top's ripe and the meadow's in the bloom
While the birds make music all the day.
The young folks roll on the little cabin floor,
All merry, all happy and bright;
By'n' by hard times comes a knocking at the door,
Then My Old Kentucky Home, good night!
Weep no more my lady
Oh weep no more today;
We will sing one song
For My Old Kentucky Home
For My Old Kentucky Home, far away.
The head must bow and the back will have to bend,
Wherever the people may go;
A few more days, and the trouble all will end,
In the field where the sugar-canes grow;
A few more days for to tote the weary load,
No matter, 'twill never be light;
A few more days till we totter on the road,
Then my old Kentucky home, goodnight.
Weep no more my lady
Oh weep no more today;
We will sing one song
For My Old Kentucky Home
For My Old Kentucky Home, far away.
As close as you can come to the original Casper Troopers arrangement circa 1971-74 by Mike Duffy and Knute Holian, presented in this version for G bugles.
The words written by Julia Ward Howe to William Steffe's tune became the de facto anthem of the Union side during the American Civil War.
One of the most famous arrangements of Battle Hymn is the choral arrangement by Peter J. Wilhousky. In the early 1960s, Don Angelica scored a version of Battle Hymn for The Troopers, a DCI drum and bugle corps out of Casper, Wyoming, that was based on Wilhousky's arrangement.
In 1968, Mike Duffy, a famous corps arranger and horn line coach who is in the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame, extensively reworked that score, moving the refrain to a new key and writing a very exciting transition into it, including a unique waterfall feature. The Troopers won the VFW National Championship in 1970 with his arrangement in their show. Around 1973, Knute Holian, also of the Troopers, made some additional changes, and the Troopers continued to use that version from time to time up into the early 1980s.
This version borrows heavily and directly from the Holian revision, with a few adjustments backward to the Duffy version and some all-new material. The drum parts are totally original and bear no resemblance to anything done by the Troopers.
Battle Hymn begins in concert F, and concludes in concert D, which is enharmonic with our version for modern corps using Bb and F instruments, and so presents an opportunity to have an alumni corps playing G bugles joined by the current corps. Possible entry points for the modern corps would be measure 21 or better yet measure 23).
The entire arrangement is presented here for G bugles at the request of the Troopers Alumni corps. The parts pages are in the style of the corps of the 1970s, that is to say all instruments of a type on a page together, so all of our parts pages have two staffs on them.
Parts included are:
G Soprano 1 and G Soprano 2 & 3
G Mellophone 1 and G Mellophone 2
G Baritone 1 & 2 and G Baritone 3
G Euphonium and G Contra
Timbolis (set of five) and Cymbal/Snare/Bass Drum
Note: All of the brass parts include divisi sections.
There are no mallet or other tuned percussion parts included.
Very suitable for a parade piece, or for field marching in a Civil War- or patriotic-themed show.
BATTLE HYMN arranged for classic drum and bugle corps (using G bugles) by Tom Kirkland comes in a pdf file of 627K, including a seventeen page score, four two-page parts, one three-page part, and a license page, twenty-nine pages in all. Performance time should be about 1:40.
David Hepburn's beautiful piece arranged for two altos, tenor, and baritone sax. Optional clarinet part included which doubles the first alto part.
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.
In 1993, shortly after completing this piece as a piano solo, David was disabled by a stroke and has not written music since.
LAST by David Hepburn, arranged by Tom Kirkland for saxophone quartet consisting of two altos, one tenor, and one baritone, with optional clarinet to substitute for first alto, comes in a pdf file of 187K, with a three-page score, five one-page parts, and a license page, nine pages in all. Performance time should be approximately three minutes.
Humorous short piece for five-part string orchestra.
This original short humorous piece could be used in a pops concert setting, or perhaps to break up an otherwise "heavy" concert program.
At the end of the first section, a cellist "forgets" to play pizzicato and give us a big arco "Ole'!" that immediately draws the scorn of the rest of the orchestra. Oddly enough, the same thing happens at the end of the second section, only this time the guilty party is a violist. Finally, in the middle of the third section, a second violinist lets go a hearty shouted "Hey!" at the end of a phrase.
It will probably come as a shock to the audience that there is no final gag or gimmick to close the piece out.
PIZZITANGO, by Tom Kirkland, comes in a pdf file of 216K, with a seven-page score, five one-page parts and a license page, thirteen pages in all. Performance time should be approximately 2:10.
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 brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba. Substitute parts include euphonium BC or Eb horn to cover the F horn part, Bb trombone TC, Eb tuba, and Bb tuba TC-- so all parts could be covered using "brass band" players.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY by W. H. Doane, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn (or euphonium or Eb horn) trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 447K, with a six-page score, ten two-page parts, and a license page, nineteen pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:40.
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.
Lively piece by J. S. Bach arranged for flute quartet.
J. S. Bach wrote a great many pieces during his lifetime, most of them for use in the church. From time to time he did write some solo keyboard works for clavier or harpsichord. Among them are the two English Suites, written in an attempt to assume the style of the English baroque composers, of whom Handel is the best known. Most musicologists would probably say that what Bach acheived is more in the French style of the time, but that does not make the pieces any less interesting.
There are two bourrees in the second English Suite, and we have chosen to present the livelier second bourree ("boo-RAY").
This piece could be performed by a flute trio by omitting the third flute part.
Download the optional alto flute part that can substitute for FLUTE 4.
BOURREE by J. S. Bach, arranged by Tom Kirkland for flute quartet, comes in a pdf file of 203K, with a four-page score, four one-page parts, and a license page, nine pages in all. Performance time should be about 1:45.
Traditional New Year's song for two trumpets, F horn (optional euphonium), trombone, and tuba.
This traditional New Year's song is a Robert Burns poem set to an old melody, the origins of which are obscure. The fact is, it is one of the most recognizable songs in the world, and is used in one way or another in many countries.
With this selection, if your brass quintet has a New Year's gig, you will be all set. Written in a very singable key.
This arrangement is scored for the standard brass quintet of two trumpets, one F horn, one trombone, and one tuba. A euphonium part is included that substitutes for F horn.
AULD LANG SYNE arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, one F horn (or euphonium), and one tuba, comes in a pdf file of 173K, with a two-page score, six one-page parts, and a license page, nine pages in all. Performance time should be about one minute.
DIVERSION by Tom Kirkland for violin, viola, and cello, comes in a pdf file of 287K, with a eight-page score, three three-page parts, and a license page, eighteen pages in all. Performance time should be approximately 4:45.
Wonderful David Hepburn piece for violin, viola, and cello.
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.
In 1993, shortly after completing this piece as a piano solo, David was disabled by a stroke and has not written music since.
LAST by David Hepburn, arranged by Tom Kirkland for violin, viola, and cello, comes in a pdf file of 215K, with a three-page score, three one-page parts, and a license page, seven pages in all. Performance time should be approximately three minutes.
The three pieces in this item, Go Tell It on the Mountain. Long Ago and Far Away, and O Come Little Children are immediately recognizable. The arrangements are specifically designed to be playable by second-year players, though their use need not be restricted to just young ensembles.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
MP3 sound sample: All three pieces all the way though (synthesizer/midi).
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 12, three Christmas carols-- Go Tell It on the Mountain, Long Ago and Far Away, and O Come, Little Children-- arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 224K, with one three-page score, two one-page scores, nine one-page parts (most contain two parts on the same page), and a license page, fifteen pages in all. Performance time should be about two to three minutes each.
The three pieces in this item, It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, Of the Father's Love Begotten, and O Little Town of Bethlehem are immediately recognizable. The arrangements are specifically designed to be playable by second-year players, though their use need not be restricted to just young ensembles.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
MP3 sound sample: All three pieces once though with no repeats (synthesizer/midi).
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 11, three Christmas carols-- It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, Of the Father's Love Begotten, and O Little Town of Bethlehem-- arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 224K, with three two-page scores, nine one-page parts (most contain two parts on the same page), and a license page, sixteen pages in all. Performance time should be about two to three minutes each.
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.
In 1993, shortly after completing this piece as a piano solo, David was disabled by a stroke and has not written music since.
LAST by David Hepburn, arranged by Tom Kirkland for string orchestra, comes in a pdf file of 193K, with a four-page score, five one-page parts and a license page, ten pages in all. Performance time should be approximately three minutes.
Brass band setting of a favorite hymn tune. Includes parts for Bb, Eb, and F pitched brass instruments.
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.
The son of Samuel Hepburn, David was long associated with the Salvation Army, and played in their brass bands from a very early age. This piece was originally written for the system the Salvation Army adapted from the old European brass band system, utilizing Eb horns and an Eb tuba, with all parts written in the natural key of the instruments in treble clef.
We have preserved that original voicing in one of the scores provided in this selection. The other score shows parts that are written for the "modern" brass band. All of the necessary parts for both approaches are included, which allows for various mix-and-match scenarios.
COME YE DISCONSOLATE by Webbe, arranged for brass band by David Hepburn, comes in a pdf file of 507K, two scores: one fifteen pages long, the other sixteen pages, twenty one-page instrumental parts, and a license page, fifty-two pages in all. Performance time should be approximately 2:45.
Solid hymn arrangement for five trombones: one soprano (slide trumpet), three tenors, and a bass.
Also known by its first line, "When morning guilds the skies," this wonderful hymn tune by Joseph Barnby is known throughout the English-speaking world paired with lyrics translated from the original German by Edward Caswall.
Here it is presented for trombone quintet consisting of one soprano trombone (slide trumpet), three tenor trombones, and one bass trombone. If a soprano slide trombone is not available, the part can be played on a standard soprano valve trombone (trumpet). The soprano part is written transposed for a Bb instrument, while the other parts are written in concert key.
MAY JESUS CHRIST BE PRAISED by Joseph Barnby, arranged by Tom Kirkland for trombone quintet consisting of one soprano, three tenors and one bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 236K, with a five-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, sixteen pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
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.
THREE KINGS arranged by David Hepburn for cornet trio comes in a pdf file of 163K, with a one-page score, three one-page parts, and a license page, five pages in all. Performance time should be about one minute.
Bach's famous "Air on the G String" (BWV 1068 No. 2) for five trombones: one soprano, three tenors, one bass.
J. S. Bach wrote a great many pieces during his lifetime, most of them for use in the church. Later in life, he did have a patron, Prince Leopold of Anhalt, for whom he wrote his third orchestral suite. The second movement of this suite is a beautiful, soaring work which has come to be known popularly as "Air on the G String."
Here it is presented for trombone quintet consisting of one soprano trombone (slide trumpet), three tenor trombones, and one bass trombone. If a soprano slide trombone is not available, the part can be played on a standard soprano valve trombone (trumpet). The soprano part is written transposed for a Bb instrument, while the other parts are written in concert key.
FLYING BACH by J. S. Bach, arranged by Tom Kirkland for trombone quintet consisting of one soprano, three tenors and one bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 221K, with a five-page score, five one-page parts, and a license page, eleven pages in all. Performance time should be about four minutes.
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.
THREE KINGS arranged by David Hepburn for flute trio comes in a pdf file of 163K, with a one-page score, three one-page parts, and a license page, five pages in all. Performance time should be about one minute.
Bred Dina Vida Vingar is a hymn lyric penned by "the Swedish Fanny Crosby," Lina Sandell. The translation printed below is by Ernest Ryden. The tune is an old Swedish folk melody.
In this arrangement, the flute plays the melody for the first stanza while the cello plays an arpeggiated accompaniment the echoes one of Bach's pieces for unaccompanied cello. The cello then takes the melody for a stanza while the flute plays some figures over the top. The original stanza reprises to complete the piece.
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Thy holy wings, dear Savior, spread gently over me,
And through the long night watches I'll rest secure in Thee.
Whatever may betide me, be Thou my hiding place,
And let me live and labor each day Lord, by Thy grace.
Thy pardon, Savior, grant me, and cleanse me in Thy blood;
Give me a willing spirit, a heart both clean and good.
O take into thy keeping Thy children great and small,
And while we sweetly slumber, enfold us, one and all.
THY HOLY WINGS, Swedish hymn tune arranged by Tom Kirkland for flute and cello duet, comes in a pdf file of 235K, with a four-page score, two one-page parts and a license page, nine pages in all. Performance time is approximately three minutes.
This piece is based on material from Bach's motet Jesu Meine Freude, BWV 227 Number VIII, So aber Christus in euch ist.
The text of this movement is Romans 8:10-- "If now Christ Jesus lives in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness."
In the motet, this piece appears in C major, voiced for alto, tenor, and bass. It ends with an E major chord to set up the chorale fantasy that follows. This means that it would be almost useless to present this as a straight transcription as the ending would be quite unsettling to the listener. The "fix" was to remove the final phrase and splice a modification of the opening phrases in its place returning the piece to its starting key. This version is written in D major.
IF NOW CHRIST JESUS LIVES IN YOU, by J. S. Bach, arranged by Tom Kirkland for string trio consisting of violin, viola, and cello, comes in a pdf file of 229K, a four-page score, three two-page parts, and a license page, eleven pages in all. Performance time should be about 2:15.
A quick little number for string trio from Bach's second English Suite.
J. S. Bach wrote a great many pieces during his lifetime, most of them for use in the church. From time to time he did write some solo keyboard works for clavier or harpsichord. Among them are the two English Suites, written in an attempt to assume the style of the English baroque composers, of whom Handel is the best known. Most musicologists would probably say that what Bach achieved is more in the French style of the time, but that does not make the pieces any less interesting.
There are two bourrees in the second English Suite, and we have chosen to present the livelier second bourree ("boo-RAY").
A request came to us to come up with something for a trio of violin, viola, and cello, and we immediately thought of this piece, and quickly transposed it from our version for two flutes and cello. Also available for flute quartet, brass quintet, and saxophone quintet.
BOURREE by J. S. Bach, arranged by Tom Kirkland for two flutes and cello, comes in a pdf file of 187K, with a two-page score, three one-page parts, and a license page, six pages in all. Performance time should be about 1:45.
The origins of this tune are lost, but it one of the few popular modal hymns in modern use. It is set in the dorian mode, perhaps the most often heard of the old modes. The casual listener might think it is in a minor key, but many of the tones that would complete the minor scale are absent. Even a casual listener can identify that the melody is not in a major key.
Set in the dorian mode with D as its home pitch, the signature has no sharps or flats. The opening phrases, however, are more or less in g minor. The most commonly used chords are d, e, a, C, F, G, b(dim), sometimes g, and a few other surprises, including the ending chord of Gmaj7. Much of the time, the tune begins and ends on unisons, octaves, or open fifths. It could possibly be said that harmonically at least this arrangement has no key at all, and that's a big part of what makes it sound mysterious.
The love that sent Jesus to the cross is in fact one of the great mysteries of all existence.
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What wondrous love?
What wondrous love?
What wondrous love?
What wondrous love?
What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this
That caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul!
When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down
Beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.
To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb,
Who is the great I AM,
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,
While millions join the theme, I will sing.
While millions join the theme, I will sing.
WHAT WONDROUS LOVE IS THIS?, arranged by Tom Kirkland for unaccompanied SATBB choir, comes in a pdf file of 274K, with an eight-page score and a license page, nine pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:30.
The old Welsh tune, Llwyn Onn, known in the English-speaking world as Ash Grove, is over 200 years old, and has been used with the hymn lyrics "The Master Has Come" and "Let All Things Now Living." Regardless what title you know it by, it is a wonderful and beautiful tune.
This piece was originally written for piano, then expanded for organ, and has now been rewritten in a different key for string orchestra.
The first violin plays sixteenth-note arpeggios nearly throughout, spelled in a couple of spots by the second violins, who have a rhythmic accompaniment most of the way through. The viola has the rhythmic accompaniment most of the time as well, but joins the cellos for a pieces of the melody in a couple of places. The cello has the melody all the way through, usually in unison with the bass.
FANTASIA ON ASH GROVE, for string orchestra by Tom Kirkland, comes in a pdf file of 338K, with a ten-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, twenty-one pages in all. Performance time should be approximately 3:40.
A simple piece for strings that evokes a summer afternoon lying in the grass.
The picture painted by this piece is of laying on the grass under a tree on a lazy summer afternoon, looking up through the branches and seeing patches of blue sky break through the leafy canopy.
Ir's a simple piece for string orchestra, with AABA form, helpful to young players in developing intonation and phrasing, and a concert piece that will be relatively easy to prepare.
UNDER THE YELLOW MAPLE TREE by Tom Kirkland, for string orchestra consisting of first and second violins, volas, cellos, and basses, comes in a pdf file of 213K, with a five-page score, five one-page parts, and a license page, ten pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
A sparkling little piece for brass quintet. Fifty measures of smiles. From J. S. Bach's English Suite No. II.
J. S. Bach wrote a great many pieces during his lifetime, most of them for use in the church. From time to time he did write some solo keyboard works for clavier or harpsichord. Among them are the two English Suites, written in an attempt to assume the style of the English baroque composers, of whom Handel is the best known. Most musicologists would probably say that what Bach acheived is more in the French style of the time, but that does not make the pieces any less interesting.
There are two bourrees in the second English Suite, and we have chosen to present the livelier second bourree ("boo-RAY").
This arrangement is scored for the standard brass quintet of two trumpets, one F horn, one trombone, and one tuba. A euphonium part is included that substitutes for F horn.
BOURREE by J. S. Bach, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, one F horn (or euphonium), and one tuba, comes in a pdf file of 215K, with a six-page score, six one-page parts, and a license page, thirteen pages in all. Performance time should be about 1:45.
Beautiful melody for solo violin with piano accompaniment. Also works for oboe or flute.
In this piece, Louis Lewandowski has given us one of the most gorgeous melodies ever composed. The line simply flows like so few melodies seem to do. The rise and fall of the melody is almost achingly beautiful.
Composed originally for the synagogue as a setting for the Hebrew text of Psalm 92:13-16, it suits the human voice well, as well as all manner of instruments.
For this version, we have kept the piano accompaniment very simple. There is an optional repeat to make the piece a bit longer.
This piece could also be used with oboe or flute.
MP3 sound sample: entire piece without repeat (synthesizer/midi).
TZADIK KATAMAR by Louis Lewandowski, arranged by Tom Kirkland for solo violin with simple piano accompaniment, comes in a pdf file of 162K, with a two-page piano score with solo line, a one -page solo part, and a license page, five pages in all. Performance time should be about 1:20 without the optional repeat.
Bach's beautiful piece presented for five trombones (four tenors and a bass). Also would work with five bassoons or five cellos, or even better, four euphoniums and a tuba.
It's hard to imagine what could be left to write about J. S. Bach's ARIOSO, one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written.
We present it here for five trombones (four tenors and a bass). The first trombone plays the melody line, and the bass has a somewhat interesting line to play. The remaining three parts consist entirely of quarter notes, and are therefore not very interesting to play. The point, however, is to frame the melody line, and the quarter notes serve well to keep the rhythm going while remaining in the background.
This piece could work for bassoons, or cellos, or what might be the best alternative ensemble, four euphoniums and a tuba.
ARIOSO by J. S. Bach, arranged by Tom Kirkland for trombone quintet, comes in a pdf file of 216K, with a five-page score, one two-page part, four one-page parts, and a license page, twelve pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
J. S. Bach wrote a great many pieces during his lifetime, most of them for use in the church. From time to time he did write some solo keyboard works for clavier or harpsichord. Among them are the two English Suites, written in an attempt to assume the style of the English baroque composers, of whom Handel is the best known. Most musicologists would probably say that what Bach acheived is more in the French style of the time, but that does not make the pieces any less interesting.
There are two bourrees in the second English Suite, and we have chosen to present the livelier second bourree ("boo-RAY").
BOURREE by J. S. Bach, arranged by Tom Kirkland for two flutes and cello, comes in a pdf file of 188K, with a two-page score, three one-page parts, and a license page, six pages in all. Performance time should be about 1:45.
The famous J. S. Bach Arioso set for solo trombone with relatively simple piano accompaniment. Could also work with euphonium, bassoon, or cello.
It's hard to imagine what could be left to write about J. S. Bach's ARIOSO, one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written.
We present it here for solo trombone, pitched just a little bit high for mid-range players, but ideal for someone who loves to play those high notes. The piano accompaniment is quite simple and intended to frame the solo line, not overshadow it.
For Kevin Brown, a promising young trombonist for whom I have great respect.
This piece could work for euphonium, bassoon, or cello as well.
ARIOSO by J. S. Bach, arranged by Tom Kirkland for solo trombone and piano, comes in a pdf file of 250K, with a two-page solo part, three-page piano part with solo line, and a license page, six pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
Sensitive arrangement of Louis Lewandowski's setting of the Hebrew text of Psalm 92:13-16.
In this piece, Louis Lewandowski has given us one of the most gorgeous melodies ever composed. The line simply flows like so few melodies seem to do. The rise and fall of the melody is almost achingly beautiful.
Composed originally for the synagogue as a setting for the Hebrew text of Psalm 92:13-16, it suits the human voice well, as well as all manner of instruments. Here we present it for brass quintet.
The trombone handles the melody for the first pass in the key of concert Ab, accompanied by second trumpet, horn, and tuba. This melody will seem low to many trombonists, but the trombone playing low has the potential to develop a quality very much like the human voice.
The above four instruments carry a transition to the key of concert C, where the first trumpet takes over for another playing of the melody, initially without accompaniment, is but soon joined by second trumpet, trombone, and tuba. The horn comes in to play an echo to the waterfall-like descending lines in the second half of each half of the melody.
The piece ends simply, as it is nearly impossible to improve on Lewandowski's melody by trying to tack on some kind of coda.
A euphonium part is included that can be substituted for the F horn.
TZADIK KATAMAR by Louis Lewandowski, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn (or euphonium), trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 233K, with a eight-page score, six two-page parts, and a license page, twenty-one pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
Update of a classic arrangement used by the The Troopers of Casper, Wyoming from the late 1960s until the early 1980s, for modern corps using Bb and F instruments.
The words written by Julia Ward Howe to William Steffe's tune became the de facto anthem of the Union side during the American Civil War.
One of the most famous arrangements of Battle Hymn is the choral arrangement by Peter J. Wilhousky. In the early 1960s, Don Angelica scored a version of Battle Hymn for The Troopers, a DCI drum and bugle corps out of Casper, Wyoming, that was based on Wilhousky's arrangement.
In 1968, Mike Duffy, a famous corps arranger and horn line coach who is in the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame, extensively reworked that score, moving the refrain to a new key and writing a very exciting transition into it, including a unique waterfall feature. The Troopers won the VFW National Championship in 1970 with his arrangement in their show. Around 1973, Knute Holian, also of the Troopers, made some additional changes, and the Troopers continued to use that version from time to time up into the early 1980s.
This version borrows heavily and directly from the Holian revision, with a few adjustments backward to the Duffy version and some all-new material. The drum parts are totally original and bear no resemblance to anything done by the Troopers.
Battle Hymn begins in concert F, and concludes in concert D, and is enharmonic with our version for classic corps using G bugles, so it is possible to perform this along with alumni players using G bugles.
While the entire arrangement was updated for a modern corps using Bb and F instruments, we decided to present the parts pages in the style of the corps from the 1970s, that is to say all instruments of a type on a page together, so all of our parts pages have two staffs on them.
Parts included are:
Trumpet 1 and Trumpet 2 & 3
F Mellophone 1 and F Mellophone 2
Baritone 1 & 2 and Baritone 3
Euphonium and Tuba
Timbolis (set of five) and Cymbal/Snare/Bass Drum
Note: All of the brass parts include divisi sections.
There are no mallet or other tuned percussion parts included.
Corps practice carefully distinguishes between baritone, being closely related to cornet and french horn and having a narrower conical bore, and euphonium, being closely related to flugel horn and tuba and having a more open conical bore. If this piece were to be performed by the brass section of a marching band or some such, it is recommended that all baritones and euphoniums play the euphonium part and the baritone parts be played by the trombones. All baritone and euphonium parts in this arrangement are presented in bass clef concert key only.
Very suitable for a parade piece, or for field marching in a Civil War- or patriotic-themed show.
BATTLE HYMN arranged for modern drum and bugle corps by Tom Kirkland comes in a pdf file of 317K, including a seventeen page score, four two-page parts, one three-page part, and a license page, twenty-nine pages in all. Performance time should be about 1:40.
A great hmyn of the faith set for two tenor trombones and one bass trombone. Could also be performed by three bassoons or three cellos.
This piece was written for a trombone trio playing during a communion service. While it may have many other uses, this hymn is such a great fit in that situation that it is hard to imagine a better one.
Each of the three players takes the melody for a stanza in turn, and then after a key change, the first trombone plays the fourth stanza.
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In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o'er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers 'round its head sublime.
When the woes of life o'ertake me,
Hopes deceive and fears annoy,
Never shall the cross forsake me;
Lo, it glows with peace and joy.
When the sun of bliss is beaming
Light and love upon my way,
From the cross the radiance streaming
Adds more luster to the day.
Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure,
By the cross are sanctified;
Peace is there that knows no measure,
Joys that through all time abide.
IN THE CROSS OF CHRIST I GLORY by Ithamar Conkey, arranged Tom Kirkland for two tenor trombones and one bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 201K, with a three-page score, three two-page parts, and a license page, ten pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
A unique brass quintet that features a repeating short motif and some sharp-edged harmonies.
The repetitive main motif of this piece, when presented in an overlapping fashion, produces a sea of harmonic motion that gives the impression of one continuous vocal phrase from start to finish. It was therefore named Chanson, the French word for song.
The piece itself has a bit of a baroque feel, but the occasional dissonant harmonies would definitely not be something found in a piece from that time.
For the brass quintet that is looking for something a little bit familiar, but a little bit different.
CHANSON by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 311K, with a ten-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, twenty-one pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
Vivaldi's famous concerto for two trumpets reworked with accompaniment by an ensemble composed entirely of single-reed instruments.
Antonio Vivaldi was a little older than J. S. Bach and his music influenced Bach considerably. Vivaldi's music, however, always seems to be lighter and livelier than Bach's. Vivaldi was a master of the simple, almost mathematically precise phrase. When listening to Vivaldi, the ear is almost never surprised by where the music goes.
Vivaldi's music, like Bach's, was considered outdated and lost favor after immediately his death, and Vivaldi did not become "popular" again in classical music circles until the early 20th century. His concerto for two trumpets has been a favorite of trumpeters for almost a century now.
Written for two natural (valveless) trumpets pitched in C accompanied by a five-voice string orchestra, the piece is in three movements, the Allegro in 4/4 time presented here, followed by a brief Largo, which gives way to a slightly longer Allegro in 3/4 time.
This piece is usually performed by two modern (valved) C trumpets with a chamber orchestra, or possibly with piano accompaniment. The problem with this is that a great many high schools do not have a chamber orchestra of quality on par with their concert band. Such a school would then not be able to expose its students to this work, even if they had access to trumpeters capable of playing it.
For this reason, we chose to re-score this work for two C trumpets and a reed ensemble consisting of clarinets, alto and tenor saxes, and bass clarinets. Most high school bands, even at smaller schools, will be able to put together such an ensemble from within their band, and thus be able to perform this work.
So we present the first movement of the Vivaldi Concerto in C Major for Two Trumpets RV537 with the following parts included in the pdf file:
C Trumpet 1
C Trumpet 2
Clarinet 1
Clarinet 2
Alto Saxophone
Tenor Saxophone
Bass Clarinet
CONCERTO IN C MAJOR FOR TWO TRUMPETS - RV 537 - NO. I by Antonio Vivaldi, arranged for two C trumpets and woodwind ensemble by Tom Kirkland, comes in a pdf file of 464K, including a nineteen-page score, seven two-page parts, and a license page, thirty-four pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
Sparkling piece for parade or field marching that begins with Dixie, then transitions through Yankee Doodle into The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
This piece begins with a version of Dixie, a song written by Dan Emmitt that eventually became associated with the Confederate side of the American Civil War though it had roots on both sides. The arrangement here is inspired by a portion of the concert band arrangement done many years ago by the famous arranger Carmen Dragon.
A modernized "fife and drum" version of Yankee Doodle, with the drum line providing significant battlefield thunder, provides a transition to the Battle Hymn of the Republic.
The words written by Julia Ward Howe to William Steffe's tune became the de facto anthem of the Union side during the American Civil War.
One of the most famous arrangements of Battle Hymn is the choral arrangement by Peter J. Wilhousky. In the early 1960s, Don Angelica scored a version of Battle Hymn for The Troopers, a DCI drum and bugle corps out of Casper, Wyoming, that was based on Wilhousky's arrangement. In 1968, Mike Duffy, a famous corps arranger and horn line coach who is in the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame, extensively reworked that score, moving the refrain to a new key and writing a very exciting transition into it, including a unique waterfall feature. The Troopers won the VFW National Championship in 1970 with his arrangement in their show. Around 1973, Knute Holian, also of the Troopers, made some additional changes, and the Troopers continued to use that version from time to time up into the early 1980s.
This version for marching band borrows heavily and directly from the Holian revision, with a few adjustments backward to the Duffy version and some all-new material. The drum parts are totally original and bear no resemblance to anything done by the Troopers.
Dixie is in concert Eb, Yankee Doodle in concert Bb, Battle Hymn begins in concert F, and concludes in concert D.
Parts included are:
Flute & Piccolo
Clarinet 1 & 2
Alto Sax
Tenor Sax
Baritone Sax
Trumpet 1 (includes frequent divisi passages)
Trumpet 2 & 3
F Horn 1 (includes some divisi)
F Horn 2 (includes some divisi)
Trombone 1 & 2
Trombone 3 (requires F trigger)
Euphonium (BC)
Baritone TC (doubles euphonium)
Tuba (includes some divisi)
Timbolis (five-tom set)
Crash Cymbal, Snare Drum, Bass drum
There are no mallet or other tuned percussion parts included.
Very suitable for a parade piece, or for field marching in a Civil War- or patriotic-themed show. Structure is such that either Dixie or Battle Hymn could stand alone.
DIXIE BATTLE HYMN arranged for marching band by Tom Kirkland comes in a pdf file of 908K, including a twenty-four page score, sixteen parts (march format, two-to-a-page, eight pages), and a license page, thirty-three pages in all. Performance time should be about 2:40.
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.
This is one of the more famous piano pieces ever written, and is an example of the ultimate Russian romantic composer's imagination and technical mastery of the keyboard.
Rachmaninoff had immense hands and long fingers, such that his pieces tend to be filled with large spreads and interlocking fingers. This work, one of his early pieces, shows that this pattern was early to emerge.
Since Rachmaninoff wrote as many as eight or in some cases sixteen notes sounding on the piano simultaneously, it is apparent that some compromises had to be made to bring this work over to brass quintet. In addition to harmonically simplifying the piece a bit, it was also transposed to concert C minor (from C sharp minor) to avoid, among other things, the F-double-sharps (transposed for trumpet as G-double-sharps) that most brass players would find very irritating.
The "agitato" section was shortened considerably, as it will likely be played much, much slower than most pianists would play it. It is marked at a tempo of 70, but can be played as fast as the players can execute the triplet figure cleanly. Most of that work falls to the second trumpet and horn, so choose the parts wisely. The first trumpet goes to high C, and all of the parts are relatively rangy with only the tuba part being simple, so this quintet is definitely for good high school groups and above.
PRELUDE OPUS 3 NO. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 472K, with a six-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, seventeen pages in all. Performance time should be about 4:30.
This is an enlargement of a piano solo written in the first months of Megan Kirkland's life.
The main theme comes around three times, first in just the first violins, then in the first and second violins in octaves, and finally in the cellos. The piece is elegant in its simplicity.
The orchestra called for is first and second violins, violas, cellos, and basses.
MEGAN'S THEME by Tom Kirkland for string orchestra consisting of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and basses, comes in a pdf file of 325K, with a five-page score, five one-page parts, and a license page, eleven pages in all. Performance time should be about 4:15.
This traditional Swedish hymn tune became famous in late 19th and early 20th century Sweden after it became associated with lyrics penned by "the Swedish Fanny Crosby," Lina Sandell. The wave of Scandinavian immigration in the same period transplanted it to the United States and Canada. The most common English translation of Sandell's lyrics begins with the phrase that gives this piece its title, the other less common variant being "More secure is no one ever than the loved ones of the Father." The latter more literal translation makes it apparent that it was not originally intended to be a hymn about children, despite the metaphor used in the opening line of the former.
The piece begins with a moving introduction by the horn, trombone, and tuba. This dissolves into the first stanza by the two trumpets and the horn.
Following a transition by the first trumpet, trombone, and tuba, the trombone takes the melody for the third stanza, accompanied by the horn and tuba.
Another transition, this time with two trumpets and tuba, leads into the third stanza by the two trumpets, horn, and trombone.
The tuba then initiates an arpeggio-based key-change device, followed by the fourth stanza featuring the first trumpet in 4/4 time with the full ensemble. An adagio coda again led by the first trumpet finishes the piece.
Voicing is the "standard" brass quintet of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba. Any church brass ensemble musician is well aware of the need for substitutions, so a euphonium part is included to substitute for the F horn. This would also allow this piece to be done by a modern brass band.
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Children of the heavenly Father
Safely in His bosom gather,
Nestling bird nor star in heaven
Such a refuge e'er was given.
God His own doth tend and nourish,
In His holy courts they flourish;
From all evil things he spares them,
In His holy arms He bears them.
Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace he showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.
Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne'er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.
Lina Sandell Berg, translated by Ernst W. Olson
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MP3 sound sample: St, John's Lutheran Church Brass Quintet, Summit, New Jersey USA, recorded 29 Nov 2014.
CHILDREN OF THE HEAVENLY FATHER, a Swedish hymn arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn (or euphonium), trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 325K, with a five-page score, six one-page parts, and a license page, twelve pages in all. Performance time should be about 2:40.
Overture for the musical play A GIANT INFLATABLE CHRISTMAS for 20-piece (or larger) orchestra.
This is the overture for the two-act musical play "A Giant Inflatable Christmas." As such it is intended to give the audience a taste of the tunes they will be hearing during the show. All five of the tunes featured in this piece are sung in the first act.
The tunes are (in order): The Boss is Gonna Be Here Any Minute, A Company is a Legacy, A Pretty Good Idea, What's a Single Mom to Do?, and Things We Will Never Do. There are a couple of quick showtune-style numbers, a stately march, a tango, and a ballad, as well as a dramatic beginning and ending all derived from musical material from the first act.
This piece is intended to be played by the 20-piece pit orchestra for the show, with the following instrumentation:
Flute
Clarinet 1 & 2 (one each)
Tenor Sax
Trumpet 1 & 2 (one each)
F Horn 1 & 2 (one each)
Trombone 1 & 2 (one each)
Violin 1 & 2 (two each)
Cello
Keyboard (electric grand or acoustic piano)
Guitar (one player: hollow body electric and steel string acoustic)
Electric Bass
Percussion (one player: tympani, wood block, chimes)
Drum Kit (one player: bass, snare, ride, crash, guiro)
Substitute parts are provided for:
Alto Sax (same part as tenor sax)
Flugelhorn (same part as F Horn 1)
Euphonium (same part as F Horn 2)
There is at least one part that every instrument normally found in a band or orchestra can play (bari sax or bassoon can play off the cello part, oboe off the flute or violin, etc.), so if you have at least 18 pieces that can cover the parts on the first list (or their alternates on the second), your group can perform this piece.
Note that there is no stand-alone solo or rehearsal piano part included in the pdf.
A GIANT INFLATABLE OVERTURE by Tom Kirkland for 20-piece orchestra comes in a pdf file of 629K, with an eleven-page score, eleven two-page parts, two three-page parts, two five-page parts, and a license page, fifty pages in all. Performance time should be about five minutes.
Moving hymn tune set for various combinations of brass sextet (two trumpets, horn or euphonium, two trombones, tuba), organ, and tympani. Very easy to add choir or congregational singing.
Thine is the Glory (JUDAS MACCABAEUS) is a fantastic Easter hymn set to a tune from Handel's opera Judas Maccabaeus (See the Conquering Hero Comes). It is a stately, moving, very baroque chorus with tremendous harmonies and is easy to sing.
This version is a rewrite of our brass quintet version. The thought that some churches might wish to use it with organ instead of or along with the brass quintet led to the creation of an organ part that doubles the brass parts. Finally, since many churches will try to do something larger and different for Easter services, the addition of a tympani part was a natural fit for the tune.
The tune here appears as it is most commonly harmonized, so adding a choir or using this with congregational singing is very easy. We did not include choral parts, as the lyrics do not go public domain until 2040, and we desired to avoid copyright issues. Each of the three stanzas can be sung directly out of a hymnal, and if desired, the final two measures can be sung as an Amen! or Alleluia! with ease, the choir singers picking a part out of the simple harmony.
The piece is introduced and the stanzas are connected by a brass bridge, each time ending in the same way to easily cue the choir or congregation.
The brass sextet can stand alone, or the organ can stand alone, or the tympani can be added to either, organ can play with just one or two trumpets, or all can play together, and again, adding singers is also very easy. So this is a sort of a one-size-fits-many piece. The brass sextet is two trumpets, F horn (a euphonium part is included if needed to substitute), two trombones, and tuba. The first trumpet part has two high Ds in it, but a B can be easily substituted without much loss of effect. We also created an alternate first trumpet part (pdf) that stays at or below a G, if you want to play this on a straight Bb trumpet without a cheater mouthpiece and just don't have the lip to consistently get a quality sound out of the higher notes.
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Thine is the glory,
Risen, conquering Son;
Endless is the victory
Thou o'er death hast won.
Angels in bright raiment
Rolled the stone away,
Kept the folded grave clothes
Where Thy body lay.
Thine is the glory,
Risen conquering son;
Endless is the victory
Thou o'er death hast won.
Lo, Jesus meets thee,
Risen from the tomb!
Lovingly he greets thee,
Scatters fear and gloom;
Let His church with gladness
Hymns of triumph sing,
For the Lord now liveth,
Death has lost its sting,
Thine is the glory,
Risen conquering son;
Endless is the victory
Thou o'er death hast won.
No more we doubt Thee,
Glorious Prince of Life;
Life is nought without Thee;
Aid us in our strife;
Make us more than conquerors,
Through Thy deathless love;
Bring us safe through Jordan
To Thy home above.
Thine is the glory,
Risen conquering son;
Endless is the victory
Thou o'er death hast won.
THINE IS THE GLORY by G. F. Handel, arranged by Tom Kirkland for two trumpets, F horn or euphonium, two trombones, tuba, organ, and tympani, comes in a pdf file of 1208K, with a ten-page score, eight two-page parts, one six-page (organ) part, and a license page, thirty-three pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:40.
A fun piece that uses partner songs for "When the Saints Go Marching In" as its hook. Two trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba.
This is a fun little novelty piece written for two trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba. It is built around "When the Saints Go Marching In," and its possible (though possibly improbable) partner songs.
After a brief introduction, each trumpet takes a turn playing "When the Saints Go Marching In" accompanied by the other three instruments.
After a key change, we get a trombone and french horn duet of "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain." Then the trombone repeats while the horn plays "Saints."
Then we have "Saints" with "Mountain" with "Amazing Grace."
Then "Saints" with "Mountain" with "The Star-Spangled Banner."
The two trumpets and the horn then play "Merrily We Roll Along" (the chorus of "Good Night Ladies").
Then we get "Saints" with "Good Night Ladies" twice.
One more turn of "Merrily We Roll Along" leads us to a final shout chorus of "Saints" with "Mountain" and "Banner" and "Ladies," which sounds almost as wild as it seems it would be, transforming in to a big, showy ending.
This would be a fun number to end a quintet concert or set. All the parts are relatively easy though somewhat rangy, and if you are missing a piece there is probably no good way to substitute another instrument.
The pdf includes parts for brass band instruments as well as standard concert band/orchestral instruments.
SAINTS, ETC. by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba, plus parts for Eb horn, trombone TC, Eb tuba TC, and Bb tuba TC, comes in a pdf file of 541K, with an eleven-page score, nine two-page parts, and a license page, thirty pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
A fun little novelty duet that uses partner songs for "When the Saints Go Marching In" as its hook. For two trombones, or two other bass clef instruments, with piano.
This is a simple little novelty piece written for two trombones (or two euphoniums, two cellos, two bassoons, etc.) with piano accompaniment. The occasion for writing this piece was a fundraiser dinner, with a euphonium, a trombone, and a piano available.
Each trombone takes a turn playing "When the Saints Go Marching In." The piano then gives a little key change, and the second trombone plays "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain," with harmony by the first trombone.
This is followed by a duel of partner songs:
Saints with Coming 'Round the Mountain
Saints with Amazing Grace
Saints with The Star-Spangled Banner
The piano then plays "Merrily We Roll Along" in a high register, which is followed by "Good Night Ladies" partnered with Saints. This goes on for a couple of choruses, and everything wraps up with a big finish.
This would be a fun number to end a trombone recital where the student plays with the teacher, or anyplace a couple of trombone players are hanging around with a pianist. All three parts are relatively easy (and easy to memorize), which makes this even more fun to play.
SAINTS, ETC. by Tom Kirkland for two trombones and piano, comes in a pdf file of 232K, with a ten-page piano score, two two-page parts, and a license page, fifteen pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
A trombone trio with piano based on William H. Doane's setting of the Fanny Crosby hymn. Also would work well with three bassoons, three euphoniums, or three cellos.
William H. Doane's tune NEAR THE CROSS was written specifically for the Fanny Crosby hymn lyrics. Appearing in most English-language hymnals across denominational lines, it is a hymn of devotion that is very popular during communion and Good Friday services.
This arrangement begins with a very sparse piano accompaniment and the three trombones playing the first stanza in unison. The second stanza has the same simple accompaniment but the first trombone plays harmony over the top of the two other parts.
The chorus first appears in three-part harmony over a simple accompaniment, which is followed by a transition to a new key by the piano.
The third stanza is in three-part harmony over a more hymn-like accompaniment. And abrupt key change brings in the fourth stanza, also in three part harmony, but with an accompaniment that is quite simple in the right hand but has a rolling eighth-note bass line.
The chorus then appears again in three part harmony with a simple accompaniment for the opening phrases which is quickly followed by an accompaniment featuring a rolling eighth-note bass line.
The final phrases are repeated with great simplicity and largely in unison for a quiet and contemplative ending.
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Jesus, keep me near the cross,
There a precious fountain,
Free to all, a healing stream,
Flows from Calvary’s mountain.
Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and mercy found me;
There the bright and morning star
Sheds its beams around me.
In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever;
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.
Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day,
With its shadows o’er me.
Near the cross I’ll watch and wait,
Hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand
Just beyond the river.
In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever;
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.
JESUS, KEEP ME NEAR THE CROSS, by W H. Doane, arranged by Tom Kirkland for three trombones and piano, comes in a pdf file of 253K, with a five-page piano score, six-page conductor's score, three two-page parts, and a license page, eighteen pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:45.
Thine is the Glory (JUDAS MACCABAEUS) is a fantastic Easter hymn set to a tune from Handel's opera Judas Maccabaeus (See the Conquering Hero Comes). It is a stately, moving, very baroque chorus with tremendous harmonies and is easy to sing.
This version was originally conceived for brass quintet, but the thought that some churches might wish to use it with organ instead of or along with the brass quintet led to the creation of an organ part that doubles the brass parts. Finally, since many churches will try to do something larger and different for Easter services, the addition of a tympani part was a natural fit for the tune.
The tune here appears as it is most commonly harmonized, so adding a choir or using this with congregational singing is very easy. We did not include choral parts, as the lyrics do not go public domain until 2040, and we desired to avoid copyright issues. Each of the three stanzas can be sung directly out of a hymnal, and if desired, the final two measures can be sung as an Amen! or Alleluia! with ease, the choir singers picking a part out of the simple harmony.
The piece is introduced and the stanzas are connected by a brass bridge, each time ending in the same way to easily cue the choir or congregation.
The brass quintet can stand alone, or the organ can stand alone, or the tympani can be added to either, organ can play with just one or two trumpets, or all can play together, and again, adding singers is also very easy. So this is a sort of a one-size-fits-many piece. The brass quintet is two trumpets, F horn (a euphonium part is included if needed to substitute), trombone, and tuba. The first trumpet part has two high Ds in it, but a B can be easily substituted without much loss of effect. We also created an alternate first trumpet part (pdf) that stays at or below a G, if you want to play this on a straight Bb trumpet without a cheater mouthpiece and just don't have the lip to consistently get a quality sound out of the higher notes.
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Thine is the glory,
Risen, conquering Son;
Endless is the victory
Thou o'er death hast won.
Angels in bright raiment
Rolled the stone away,
Kept the folded grave clothes
Where Thy body lay.
Thine is the glory,
Risen conquering son;
Endless is the victory
Thou o'er death hast won.
Lo, Jesus meets thee,
Risen from the tomb!
Lovingly he greets thee,
Scatters fear and gloom;
Let His church with gladness
Hymns of triumph sing,
For the Lord now liveth,
Death has lost its sting,
Thine is the glory,
Risen conquering son;
Endless is the victory
Thou o'er death hast won.
No more we doubt Thee,
Glorious Prince of Life;
Life is nought without Thee;
Aid us in our strife;
Make us more than conquerors,
Through Thy deathless love;
Bring us safe through Jordan
To Thy home above.
Thine is the glory,
Risen conquering son;
Endless is the victory
Thou o'er death hast won.
THINE IS THE GLORY by G. F. Handel, arranged by Tom Kirkland for two trumpets, F horn or euphonium, trombone, tuba, organ, and tympani, comes in a pdf file of 454K, with an eleven-page score, seven two-page parts, one six-page (organ) part, and a license page, thirty-two pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:40.
This piece was named after it was written, because it has a sort of stormy persistence and well describes the interplay of snow squalls as they are driven about by the wind during a night-time winter snow storm.
The opening section is technically a round, but it has a sort of fugal character to it. A rhythmic figure then accompanies the main motifs during the B section.
After a return to the A section comes a rhythmic quartet section, followed by the main motif once again.
This should be a good piece for second- or third-year players, and will force them to be independent and carry their line with strength and confidence. And it's a nice little concert piece as well.
WINTER STORM by Tom Kirkland for flute quartet comes in a pdf file of 271K, with a seven-page score, four two-page parts, and a license page, sixteen pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
Three more Christmas selections for two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba.
The three pieces in this item, For Unto Us a Child is Born, O Thou Joyful, O Thou Wonderful, and Infant Holy, Infant Lowly, are immediately recognizable. The arrangements are specifically designed to be playable by second-year players, though their use need not be restricted to just young ensembles.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
MP3 sound sample: All three pieces once though with no repeats (synthesizer/midi).
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 10, three Christmas carols-- For Unto Us a Child is Born, O Thou Joyful, O Thou Wonderful, and Infant Holy, Infant Lowly-- arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 270K, with one two-page score, two one-page scores, nine one-page parts (most contain two parts on the same page), and a license page, fifteen pages in all. Performance time should be about two to three minutes each.
Lead On, O King Eternal (LANCASHIRE) by Henry T. Smart is also sometimes used with the lyrics "The Day of Resurrection." It's fine with us if you call it that, but sometimes a hymn tune comes together with a set of lyrics and the result is absolutely amazing. We think Lead On, O King Eternal is one of those hymns.
We've put together a march arrangement using a little trumpet motif to bind the stanzas together. The first stanza is a relaxed march with the melody in the euphonium and trumpet licks to answer the phrases.
The second stanza is the straight hymn tune by the low brass.
The third stanza is a full-on march treatment with the melody in the first trumpet and a counterpoint by the first trombone.
This piece need not be limited to brass sextet, but larger brass ensembles will perform it effectively as well.
Scored for two trumpets, euphonium, two trombones, and tuba, the pdf includes a french horn part that easily substitutes for the euphonium.
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Lead on, O King Eternal,
The day of march has come;
Henceforth in fields of conquest
Thy tents shall be our home.
Through days of preparation
Thy grace has made us strong,
And now, O King Eternal,
We lift our battle song.
Lead on, O King Eternal,
'Til sin's fierce war shall cease,
And holiness shall whisper
The sweet amen of peace.
For not with sword's loud clashing,
Nor roll of stirring drums,
With deeds of love and mercy
The heavenly kingdom comes.
Lead on, O King Eternal,
We follow, not with fear,
For gladness breaks like morning
Where'er Thy face appears.
Thy cross is lifted o'er us,
We journey in its light;
The crown awaits the conquest,
Lead on, O God of might.
LEAD ON O KING ETERNAL (THE DAY OF RESURRECTION) by Henry T. Smart, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass sextet consisting of two trumpets, F horn or euphonium, two trombones, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 670K, with an eight-page score, seven two-page parts, and a license page, twenty-three pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
A rich and harmonious arrangement for five-part brass of the tune most English-speakers will recognize as "Danny Boy."
Perhaps the most famous of Irish ballads, this tune has been reworked for almost every combination of instruments and vocalists imaginable.
The lyrics commonly sung with this tune, Danny Boy, may have a lot to do with the popularity of the song. Though somewhat ambiguous, it seems to tell the story of a last parting, as though sung by an ailing grandfather to his precious grandson in the waning days of a summer visit, not knowing if the elder would survive to see him again in the spring.
Regardless of the meaning of the lyrics, the tune is magnificent, though challenging in range, and allows the performer to load up the delivery with emotion.
The first stanza is lead by the tuba, with the other parts playing a rhythmically simple but harmonically complex background. A short transition puts the second stanza in the hands of the trombonist, with a similar accompaniment, now with a bit more motion and richer for the tuba in the bass.
After the full second stanza, the first trumpet takes over for a final half-stanza. The accompaniment is similar in style but has a bit more motion and uses tension and relief in the harmony to good effect.
Finally, the last two phrases are repeated once more with a very sonorous accompaniment to achieve a restful ending.
Scored for two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, the pdf includes a euphonium part that easily substitutes for the french horn.
LONDONDERRY AIR arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn or euphonium, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 757K, with a four-page score, six one-page parts, and a license page, eleven pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
Sparkling brassy arrangement of a famous German hymn tune.
This hymn, with the words of St. Francis of Assisi set to an early 17th century German tune, is one of the most famous of the church. In this arrangement, the brass is allowed to run the full range of dynamics from loud trumpet fanfare to an excited hush.
The opening fanfare provides a transitional motif throughout the piece. The opening stanza is in cut time with the low brass in the lead through much of the stanza. A contemplative bridge modulates up one step and transitions to a second stanza that switches frequently between cut time and 3/2 time. The third stanza is a reprise of the first stanza in the new key. A unique ending briefly puts the trumpet fanfare in 3/2 time with the low brass in a 6/4 feel, followed by a final grand Alleluia.
Scored for two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, the pdf includes a euphonium part that easily substitutes for the french horn. The tuba part is somewhat high and is easily played on a bass trombone. There is also a supplement available that contains brass band or "world parts" plus a C trumpet part that would actually allow you to use any combination of common wind band instruments. If you would like the supplement, email us after you have purchased this item and we will email it to you.
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All creatures of our God and King,
Lift up your voice and with us sing
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam,
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou rushing wind that art so strong,
Ye clouds that sail in heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising morn in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening find a voice,
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One,
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
St. Francis of Assisi, translated by William H. Draper
ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn or euphonium, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 866K, with a seven-page score, six two-page parts, and a license page, twenty pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
One of Chopin's famous waltzes for piano, in a new setting for brass quintet.
Frederick Chopin is the most famous of Polish composers, having become all the rage in Paris toward the end of his brief life. Despite picking minor keys for many of his most famous compositions, he was said to have been very lively with a brilliant sense of humor.
He is best remembered for his incredibly expressive and sometimes quite difficult piano compositions. It is said that the hand casts of Chopin reveal very deep depressions between the third knuckles, the result of playing his own compositions with hands spread to more than an octave. Even today, the sheer joy of playing Chopin is for many pianists tempered by aching hands.
This waltz, one of a great many written for the piano, is among his most famous compositions. The A section consists of two nearly identical phrases that both end with runs that speed up and then slow down. The B section is where the trumpeters really fly with arpeggios and runs that alternate between the first and second player.
The B section gives way to the C section, a contemplative theme carried by the horn at a slower tempo in the complementary major key. This is followed by a repeat of the B section.
The A section and B sections are then repeated to finish out the piece.
In this arrangement the tuba and trombone parts are relatively easy, though the tuba will need to have good control in the high register. The horn part is somewhat challenging in range specifically in the B section. The two trumpet parts are challenging in fingering, speed, and range.
VALSE - OPUS 64 NO. 2 by Frederick Chopin, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 1049K, with a nine-page score, five three-page parts, and a license page, twenty-five pages in all. Performance time should be just under five minutes.
One of Grieg's most famous instrumental pieces appears in this arrangement for brass quintet.
Greig was the most famous of Norwegian composers, having been known in his own time throughout Europe and most of the world for his piano compositions and orchestral music. Greig grew up in Norway as the son of the English consul, studied music in the great Conservatory at Leipzig, and toured Europe extensively throughout his career as a composer, conductor, and pianist.
Henrik Ibsen himself offered Greig a contract to write the music to go along with his new play Peer Gynt. The play opened in 1876 and was successful enough to be performed 36 times that year.
Much of the music from Peer Gynt is still known to the casual listener today, as well as Greig's piano concerto and some of his Norwegian songs.
This piece, the fourth movement of Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, is well recognized with its accessible melody and simple structure. It is one of the few pieces of "classical" music literature that begins slowly and accelerates throughout, maintaining the same melody with increasingly wild accompaniment until it reaches an almost breathless dramatic ending.
IN THE HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING by Edvard Grieg, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 450K, with a seven-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, eighteen pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:15.
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.
The tango is just a little over a hundred years old, so it seems fitting that we should celebrate by offering one here.
This piece starts simply enough, beginning with a very standard tango opening in unison. The tuba and trombone then begin the bass line, and the two trumpets and the horn come in with a simple melody over the top.
For the B section, the three upper voices break into parts in flowing harmony over the bass line.
The transition features the horn on a high melody, with the trumpets playing a little latin-sounding answer over the top.
The B section repeats, then the A section, and we're done.
This piece is written for two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba.
TANGO by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 1063K, with a seven-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, eighteen pages in all. Performance time should be just under three minutes.
One of Beethoven's most famous piano compositions set for one soprano, two altos, two tenors, and a baritone.
This is certainly one of Beethoven's most famous piano works, and has possbily been transcribed or arranged for almost every combination of instruments one could imagine. But this arrangement might be a first, for all we know.
This score is for one Bb soprano sax, two Eb alto saxes, two Bb tenor saxes, and one Eb baritone sax. There is really no good way around using this particular ensemble. No part is expendable and no part is completely within the range of another sax. If there were to be any substitutions, a clarinet could be used to sub for the soprano sax, and a bass clarinet could be used to sub for the second tenor sax. The latter substitution would change the texture significantly.
The challenge here will be breath support, and keeping the triplets in rhythm. The triplet is carried most of the way by the soprano, but the first alto has a couple of lengthy triplet passages as well.
This should be a fun and familiar concert piece that shows that the sax can play classical/romantic music as well as any instument.
MOONLIGHT SONATA, by Ludwig van Beethoven arranged by Tom Kirkland for saxophone sextet of one soprano, two altos, two tenors, and a baritone, comes in a pdf file of 1257k, with a twelve-page score, one three-page part, five two-page parts, and a license page, twenty-six pages in all. Performance time should be about 5:30.
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 trombone in the lead in Eb, then with the horn 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.
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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 quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 742k, with a four-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, fifteen pages in all. Performance time should be just under three minutes.
The tango is just a little over a hundred years old, so it seems fitting that we should celebrate by offering one here.
This piece starts simply enough, beginning with a very standard tango opening in unison. The baritone and tenor saxes then begin the bass line, and the two altos and the soprano come in with a simple melody over the top.
For the B section, the three upper voices break into parts in flowing harmony over the bass line.
The transition features the second alto on a high melody, with the first alto and the soprano playing a little latin-sounding answer over the top.
The B section repeats, then the A section, and we're done.
This piece is written for Bb soprano saxophone, two Eb alto saxophones, Bb tenor saxophone, and Eb baritone saxophone. There are no alternate parts if you do not have that voicing, but you can always use a clarinet to cover the soprano sax part.
TANGO by Tom Kirkland for sax quintet consisting of one Bb soprano sax, two Eb alto saxes, one Bb tenor sax, and one Eb baritone sax, comes in a pdf file of 1050K, with a seven-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, eighteen pages in all. Performance time should be just under three minutes.
One of the world's greatest marches, arranged for brass quintet.
What is there left to say about this march? This, the official march of the United States of America, perhaps the most recognizable march ever written, considered the penultimate march written by the very March King himself, is a tour de force of epic proportions. That it is played by every band in the USA and a great many bands everywhere else does not diminish it in the least. Other pieces would become trite with so much exposure, but for over 100 years, this march has closed more band concerts than any other, and audiences still love it.
This arrangement stays as true to Sousa's score as possible. It is impossible, however, to cover all that a listener expects to hear with only five pieces and not re-engineer a few things.
The horn player will be overjoyed to learn that the "peck horn" part has undergone a significant upgrade with a section of solo melody and another of support melody. The trombone takes up of some of the slack during sections it would normally rest, and the trumpeters find that the second player has been promoted to first for most of the piece, while the first player fills in for the nonexistent woodwinds. Only the tuba part remains largely unchanged from the original Sousa score.
For tuba, trombone, or horn, this piece is not much more challenging than the original. For the trumpets there is a decent uptick in difficulty, especially for the first trumpet, which hangs in the very high register for long stretches.
But what quintet could resist giving this a try, and once perfected, could then resist using this as a closer or an encore?
THE STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER, by John Philip Sousa, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 1223K, with a thirteen-page score, five three-page parts, and a license page, twenty-nine pages in all. Performance time should be about 4:45.
One of Dvorak's most famous pieces contributes material for this arrangement.
Antonin Dvorak's New World Symphony contains a theme called LARGO that is familiar and unmistakable, though possibly most people couldn't name it if they had to.
This piece seems at first glance to be too simple. Each part is only a page, there are only 26 measures in the piece, it seems to be in a simple key.... Ah, but this is precisely the sort of piece that is only simple if you don't mind doing it badly.
Doing it well will require excellent breath support from all players, agreement as to expression (since there are so many long notes that shouldn't be played same volume throughout), and every player will use the full dynamic range of his/her horn. As a romantic piece, there is also ample opportunity for ebb and flow of tempo.
It will also provide a watering hole of smooth sound in a concert program, and should be useful to ensembles of all skill levels.
THEME FROM THE NEW WORLD SYMPHONY, by Antonin Dvorak, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 445K, with a three-page score, five one-page parts, and a license page, nine pages in all. Performance time should be just over two minutes, to maybe as long as three minutes depending on interpretation.
A short piece based on a trio from Bach's motet BWV 227. For two tenors and a bass trombone (or two euphoniums and a tuba, three bassoons, or three cellos).
This piece is based on material from Bach's motet Jesu Meine Freude, BWV 227 Number VIII, So aber Christus in euch ist.
The text of this movement is Romans 8:10-- "If now Christ Jesus lives in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness."
In the motet, this piece appears in C major, voiced for alto, tenor, and bass. It ends with an E major chord to set up the chorale fantasy that follows. This means that it would be almost useless to present this as a straight transcription as the ending would be quite unsettling to the listener. The "fix" was to remove the final phrase and splice a modification of the opening phrases in its place returning the piece to its starting key. This version is written in F major to stay within the working ranges of the three instruments.
There is no workaround for the bass trombone, though this piece could possibly be performed with two euphoiums and a tuba. Other possibilities would be three bassoons or three cellos, ("bass" cello will use the open C string).
IF NOW CHRIST JESUS LIVES IN YOU, by J. S. Bach, arranged by Tom Kirkland for trombone trio consisting of two tenors and a bass, comes in a pdf file of 524K, a four-page score, three two-page parts, and a license page, eleven pages in all. Performance time should be about 2:15.
An American hymn tune by Joseph Brackett, Jr., set for brass quintet.
Elder Joseph Brackett, Jr., a Shaker from Gorham, Maine, probably wrote this in 1848 as a dance song, rather than a work song or hymn, given that the lyric seems to have some dance instruction built in near the end.
When Aaron Copeland used this tune as the basis for one of the movements of his ballet Appalachian Spring in 1944, it became famous the world over. In 1963, an alternate lyric, Lord of the Dance, was written and quickly became popular as well. So, an alternate title for this piece would be LORD OF THE DANCE.
Here the tune is presented as a short concert piece for brass quintet. The parts seem easy, as all but the french horn part get progressively more difficult as the piece goes along. Still, the parts are not so difficult that a high school brass quintet should have any problem with this piece.
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'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.
SIMPLE GIFTS, a hymn tune by Joseph Brackett, Jr., arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 350K, with a seven-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, eighteen pages in all. Performance time is approximately 2:30.
George Frideric Handel was a contemporary of both J. S. Bach and Domenico Scarlatti, and these three together were among the most famous composers of the baroque era. Scarlatti remained in Italy, Spain, and Portugal, and became known primarily for his keyboard compositions, Bach remained in Germany and composed mostly church music, while fellow German Handel eventually emigrated to England, anglicized his name, and became the baroque equivalent of a rock star.
Largo is Italian for slow. Seldom has slow sounded more stately and majestic than in Handel's Largo. Originally composed for the opera Xerxes (Serse) in 1738, some have come to associate it with funerals, though it is definitely not mournful, but rather sober, dignified, and deeply expressive.
It is ironic that while baroque music is usually described as complex, ornamented, and more mechanical than the classical or romantic music which followed, this piece is rather simple and very expressive. It almost seems to belong in the romatic period, as though it had come from the pen of Beethoven or Brahms.
This arrangement presents the piece simply, as Handel intended. The first trumpet carries the lead almost all the way through, though the second trumpet takes a handoff from time to time. Also notable is a long section played by just the four upper voices, creating a massive increase in sound with the dramatic reentry of the tuba for the last few phrases.
LARGO, by G. F. Handel, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 2813K, with a seven-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, eighteen pages in all. Performance time is approximately 4:35.
Bred Dina Vida Vingar is a hymn lyric penned by "the Swedish Fanny Crosby," Lina Sandell. The translation printed below is by Ernest Ryden. The tune is an old Swedish folk melody.
I returned to this hymn tune nine years after setting it for SATB choir simply because it is so appealing. It is so typically Swedish, with its lilt and rhythm, so simple, and so beautiful.
But arranging it is not necessarily so easy. Only the third line of the tune runs less than an octave from top to bottom, so the harmony parts have to do some gymnastic feats to stay out of the way.
In this arrangement, for the first pass through the melody is carried by the trombone, with the other four parts in a flowing harmony. The second time the tune is a minor third higher and played by the horn, accompanied by trombone and tuba. Finally, the tune comes around again, a fourth higher, with the melody in the first trumpet.
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Thy holy wings, dear Savior, spread gently over me,
And through the long night watches I'll rest secure in Thee.
Whatever may betide me, be Thou my hiding place,
And let me live and labor each day Lord, by Thy grace.
Thy pardon, Savior, grant me, and cleanse me in Thy blood;
Give me a willing spirit, a heart both clean and good.
O take into thy keeping Thy children great and small,
And while we sweetly slumber, enfold us, one and all.
THY HOLY WINGS, Swedish hymn tune arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, F horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 645K, with a four-page score, two one-page parts, three two-page parts, and a license page, thirteen pages in all. Performance time is approximately 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.
It is amazing that a 500-year-old hymn tune sounds so fresh, and while still especially cherished by Lutheran congregations, this hymn has grown considerable legs throughout Protestantism. A fantastic hymn of the victorious faith, A Mighty Fortress is Our God is perhaps the most popular hymn of its century.
This arrangement is scored for two brass quintets, and it makes use of some anitphonal passages, so separating the quintets physically would be the preferred performance mode. In addition to the antiphonal passages, ensembles of low and high brass are used to add variety of sound.
The first quintet parts (trumpet 1 & 2, french horn 1, trombone 1, and tuba 1) are slightly more difficult than the second quintet parts (trumpet 3 & 4, french horn 2, trombone 2, and tuba 2). This difference is most noticable in the range of the parts, but most of the critical solo passages are also handled by the first quintet.
Following the lyric as the piece progresses it can be readily seen that a programmatic approach was taken. In a hymn, the lyric is at least as important as (perhaps more important than) the tune, so it is appropriate that it illuminated the arrangement.
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A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.
EIN FESTE BURG, by Martin Luther, arranged by Tom Kirkland for two brass quintets, each consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 827K, with a ten-page score, eight two-page parts (trumpet parts within a quintet are combined), and a license page, twenty-seven pages in all. Performance time is approximately 4:40.
This is a relatively simple piece for string orchestra. Long, flowing lines, delicate voicing, and a couple of sections featuring viola come together to produce a nice concert number, also suitable for use in a worship service.
TRANQUILITY by Tom Kirkland for string orchestra, comes in a pdf file of 954K, with a five-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, sixteen pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
Romans 8:1 is one of the hinge pins of the victorious Christian faith. As the lyric of this piece renders it, "So there is now no condemnation unto them which are in Jesus Christ-- them who walk not by the flesh corruptly, but as the Spirit leads."
Throughout "Jesu, Priceless Treasure," Bach sets off the verses of the Johann Crueger hymn with contrapuntal sections set to the words of various verses written by St. Paul in what we now know as Chapter 8 of Romans.
In this movement Bach takes the opening two phrases of Romans 8 and frames them in a chorale-like opening that makes effective use of a few seconds of silence from time to time. He then weaves a tapestry around that theme and arrives at a resting point mid way. The opening theme is repeated in a different key, and then the weaving begins again, this time completing the thought of the verse.
Ultimately, the music complements the message of confidence, and the strong five-part writing fully develops the thought that in Christ, we are in fact heirs of an incorruptible promise and can live confidently in it.
Other than changing the key and adjusting octaves from time to time in the tuba part, this arrangement is very much a transcription of the choral work as Bach penned it.
This will be a challenging piece for good high school players, as the parts keep moving and some of the phrases are long. There is also need for considerable independence on the part of the players. If particular attention is paid to phrasing, dynamics, and accents, a very nice contest or concert piece will result.
SO THERE IS NOW, by J. S. Bach, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 881K, with an eight-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, nineteen pages in all. Performance time should be just over three minutes.
The angelic song from Mendelssohn's Elijah, set for clarinet trio, or any trio of three matching treble clef wind instruments.
Mendelssohn's Elijah has been a source of many a choral anthem for Sunday morning or classical concert, but many of the movements are adaptable to instruments as well.
This famous SSA trio is reworked for a trio of clarinets. It appears in the key written, D, which means it will sound one whole step lower. This puts the lowest clarinet in its deepest and richest range.
This piece would also work well for many other trios of identical treble clef instruments, however, it is too low for saxophones or flutes, and the phrasing marks are all wrong for string players. Others will find it a relatively easy and fun little piece to play.
The lyric is from Psalm 121:1-3, and Mendelssohn having lived a couple of hundred years ago, it is rendered in "King James" English.
LIFT THINE EYES, from Elijah by Felix Mendelssohn, arranged by Tom Kirkland for clarinet trio, comes in a pdf file of 420K, with a two-page score, three one-page parts, and a license page, six pages in all. Performance time should be about 1:30.
Another Stephen Foster favorite set for two trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba.
The more one learns about Stephen Foster, the more interesting and sad the story becomes. For nearly twenty years around the time of the Civil War, he wrote most of the popular songs published in the United States, yet died flat broke at the age of 37. He sold most of his songs to publishers for lump sums. Some he did not sell at all. Copyright and royalty laws being what they were at the time, up to five or more publishers would have competing editions of his songs in print, and other than whatever he could get up front, he rarely saw any money.
It was first published in 1851, and still today nearly every American knows at least the first line of this song. Foster came from the black-face minstrel show tradition, and the original lyric was written in the slave dialect of that genre.
The immediate popularity of the song initiated the Florida tourist trade to go and see the "Swanee River" Foster wrote about, yet he never visited the Suannee River, nor did he ever set foot in Florida. He simply needed a two-syllable name of a Southern river, and thought "Swanee" to be a better fit than Mississippi's Yazoo or South Carolina's Pee Dee (thankfully).
One stanza is played slowly in a rich chromatic harmonic style, followed by by two that bounce along "played in rag-time."
The lyric has been changed to avoid offending modern ears.
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Way down upon the Swanee River,
Far, far away,
That's where my heart is turning ever,
That's where the old folks stay.
All up and down the whole creation,
Sadly I roam,
Still longing for the old plantation,
And for the old folks at home.
Chorus:
All the world is sad and dreary everywhere I roam.
Oh people, how my heart grows weary
Far from the old folks at home.
All 'round the little farm I wandered,
When I was young.
Then many happy days I squandered,
Many the songs I've sung.
When I was playing with my brother,
Happy was I!
Oh, take me to my kind old mother,
There let me live and die!
Repeat Chorus
One little hut among the bushes,
One that I love,
Still sadly to my mem'ry rushes,
No matter where I rove.
When shall I see the bees a humming,
All 'round the comb?
When shall I hear the banjo strumming,
Down by my good old home?
OLD FOLKS AT HOME, by Stephen Foster, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 669K, with a seven-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, eighteen pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:20.
J. S. Bach did some truly amazing things in his lifetime, not the least of which was writing a significant number of motets for use throughout the church year. These motets were typically for four-part choir, sometimes four-part-plus-four-part double choir, and sometimes five-part choir. These were generally accompanied by a small string orchestra or by organ, but since all the accompaniment typically did was double the vocal parts, these pieces are equally effective, some would say more effective, when sung unaccompanied.
What has happened here is to take a couple of small sections of Bach's best-known five-part motet, Jesu Meine Freude, BWV 227, and arrange them for string orchestra. This piece can also be used as accompaniment for the SSATB version.
Bach's work was for a choir with two soprano sections, alto, tenor and bass, which translates well to three violin parts, viola, and cello. The bass part generally doubles the cello.
The minimum voicing for this piece is three violins, a viola, and a cello. If there is no cello, the bass would play the cello part rather than the bass part. There is also an alternate bass clef version of the viola part to make it easier to double it with cello.
This piece is not for the faint of heart, and if your browser is equipped to play the midi sample, you will hear why. The fugue has numerous passages in all parts of six-to-eight-count sixteenth-note runs at about 75 beats per minute. As you might expect, Bach has these runs reversing direction and breaking into interval jumps all over the place. They are playable by strong players on all of the instruments named, but considerable rehearsal and practice time will be required to clean up the piece and develop the ensemble needed to stay together.
The chorales are much easier to play, but they would probably not work especially well as a standalone concert piece without the fugue.
FUGUE AND TWO CHORALES OF J. S. BACH, arranged for string orchestra by Tom Kirkland, comes in a pdf file of 1389K, with a ten-page score, six two-page parts, a two-page alternate part, and a license page, twenty-five pages in all. Performance time should be about 4:20.
J. S. Bach did some truly amazing things in his lifetime, not the least of which was writing a significant number of motets for use throughout the church year. These motets were typically for four-part choir, sometimes four-part-plus-four-part double choir, and sometimes five-part choir. These were generally accompanied by a small string orchestra or by organ, but since all the accompaniment typically did was double the vocal parts, these pieces are equally effective, some would say more effective, when sung unaccompanied.
What has happened here is to take a couple of small sections of Bach's best-known five-part motet, Jesu Meine Freude, BWV 227, and arrange them for saxophone quintet.
Bach's work was for a choir with two soprano sections, alto, tenor and bass. The saxophone quintet, on the other hand has a soprano, two altos, tenor, and baritone. Arranging this piece for sax quintet required considerable thought about how to transpose the work to make it playable and reduce the amount of part surgery required to keep it sounding true to the original.
The scored configuration of one soprano, two altos, one tenor, and one baritone sax could be slightly altered. Soprano sax is written in Bb so clarinet is an obvious potential substitute. A third alto sax part is also provided to substitute for the soprano sax, though the part is a bit high, but not unplayable.
This piece is not for the faint of heart, and if your browser is equipped to play the midi sample, you will hear why. The fugue has numerous passages in all parts of six-to-eight-count sixteenth-note runs at about 70 beats per minute. As you might expect, Bach has these runs reversing direction and breaking into interval jumps all over the place. They are playable by strong players on all of the instruments named, but considerable rehearsal and practice time will be required to clean up the piece and develop the ensemble needed to stay together.
The chorales are much easier to play, but they would probably not work especially well as a standalone concert piece without the fugue.
FUGUE AND TWO CHORALES OF J. S. BACH, arranged for sax quintet by Tom Kirkland, comes in a pdf file of 1488K, with a eight-page score, five two-page parts, a two-page alternate part, and a license page, twenty-one pages in all. Performance time should be about 4:20.
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.
A sparkling setting of an old Spiritual song for six saxes.
This arrangement starts off moving very quickly with a strident bass line. One can almost see Cab Calloway striding across the stage in his zoot suit.
After one stanza and one chorus, there is a transition to a higher key and a slow blues feel. One stanza is followed by two choruses where the full sonority of six saxophones is explored with some jazz-inspired harmonies, followed by a brief coda.
Upon the mountain my Lord spoke,
Out of His mouth came fire and smoke.
All around me looks so fine,
I ask my Lord if all was mine.
Ev'ry time I feel the Spirit
Moving in my heart I will pray.
Ev'ry time I feel the Spirit
Moving in my heart I will pray.
The Jordan river is chilly and cold,
It chills the body, but not the soul.
There ain't but one train upon this track,
It rolls to heaven and don't come back.
Ev'ry time I feel the Spirit
Moving in my heart I will pray.
Ev'ry time I feel the Spirit
Moving in my heart I will pray.
EV'RY TIME I FEEL THE SPIRIT, arranged by Tom Kirkland for saxophone sextet consisting of three alto saxes, two tenor saxes and one baritone sax, comes in a pdf file of 920K, with a ten-page score, six two-page parts, and a license page, twenty-three pages in all. Performance time should be just over three minutes.
A sparkling setting of an old Spiritual song for six trombones.
This arrangement starts off moving very quickly with a strident bass line. One can almost see Cab Calloway striding across the stage in his zoot suit.
After one stanza and one chorus, there is a transition to a higher key and a slow blues feel. One stanza is followed by two choruses where the full sonority of six trombones is explored with some jazz-inspired harmonies, followed by a brief coda.
Upon the mountain my Lord spoke,
Out of His mouth came fire and smoke.
All around me looks so fine,
I ask my Lord if all was mine.
Ev'ry time I feel the Spirit
Moving in my heart I will pray.
Ev'ry time I feel the Spirit
Moving in my heart I will pray.
The Jordan river is chilly and cold,
It chills the body, but not the soul.
There ain't but one train upon this track,
It rolls to heaven and don't come back.
Ev'ry time I feel the Spirit
Moving in my heart I will pray.
Ev'ry time I feel the Spirit
Moving in my heart I will pray.
EV'RY TIME I FEEL THE SPIRIT, arranged by Tom Kirkland for trombone sextet consisting of five tenor trombones and one bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 882K, with a ten-page score, six two-page parts, and a license page, twenty-three pages in all. Performance time should be just over three 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.
Another fun arrangement of a popular Stephen Foster song.
"What in the wide, wide world of sports is a-goin' on here?"
The more one learns about Stephen Foster, the more interesting and sad the story becomes. For nearly twenty years around the time of the Civil War, he wrote most of the popular songs published in the United States, yet died flat broke at the age of 37. He sold most of his songs to publishers for lump sums. Some he did not sell at all. Copyright and royalty laws being what they were at the time, up to five or more publishers would have competing editions of his songs in print, and other than whatever he could get up front, he rarely saw any money.
Published in 1850, this may have been Foster's most popular song. Foster came from the black-face minstrel show tradition, and the lyric is written in the slave dialect of that genre.
This arrangement begins with the "call to the post" bugle call, then romps through seceral keys on its way to the finish.
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De Camptown ladies sing dis song -- Doo-dah! doo-dah!
De Camptown racetrack five miles long -- Oh! doo-dah day!
I come down dah wid my hat caved in -- Doo-dah! doo-dah!
I go back home wid a pocket full of tin -- Oh! doo-dah day!
Chorus
Gwine to run all night! Gwine to run all day!
I'll bet my money on de bob-tail nag -- Somebody bet on de bay!
De long tail filly and de big black hoss -- Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Dey fly de track and dey both cut across -- Oh! doo-dah day!
De blind hoss sticken in a big mud hole -- Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Can't touch bottom wid a ten foot pole -- Oh! doo-dah day!
Chorus
Old muley cow come on to de track -- Doo-dah! doo-dah!
De bob-tail fling her ober his back -- Oh! doo-dah day!
Den fly along like a rail-road car -- Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Runnin' a race with a shootin' star -- Oh! doo-dah day!
Chorus
Seen dem flyin' on a ten mile heat -- Doo-dah! doo-dah!
Round de race track, den repeat -- Oh! doo-dah day!
I win my money on de bob-tail nag -- Doo-dah! doo-dah!
I keep my money in an old tow-bag -- Oh! doo-dah day!
CAMPTOWN RACES, by Stephen Foster, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 609K, with a six-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, seventeen pages in all. Performance time should be about 2:45.
The more one learns about Stephen Foster, the more interesting and sad the story becomes. For nearly twenty years around the time of the Civil War, he wrote most of the popular songs published in the United States, yet died flat broke at the age of 37. He sold most of his songs to publishers for lump sums. Some he did not sell at all. Copyright and royalty laws being what they were at the time, up to five or more publishers would have competing editions of his songs in print, and other than whatever he could get up front, he rarely saw any money.
First published in 1854, this song stands as Stephen Foster's most popular romantic piece. It is reported to have been written with his wife, Jane, in mind.
In this arrangement, the trombone carries the melody the first time through, and the first trumpet plays it on the second pass. There are three stanzas but only two are heard in this arrangement, so it is up to you how you'd want to handle the lyric if you intend to print it in a program.
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I dream of Jeanie with the light brown hair,
Borne like a vapor on the sweet summer air;
I see her tripping where the bright streams play,
Happy as the daisies that dance on her way.
Many were the wild notes her merry voice would pour,
Many were the blithe birds that warbled them o'er:
I dream of Jeanie with the light brown hair,
Floating, like a vapor, on the soft summer air.
I long for Jeanie with the daydawn smile,
Radiant in gladness, warm with winning guile;
I hear her melodies, like joys gone by,
Sighing round my heart o'er the fond hopes that die:
Sighing like the night wind and sobbing like the rain,
Waiting for the lost one that comes not again:
I long for Jeanie, and my heart bows low,
Never more to find her where the bright waters flow.
I sigh for Jeanie, but her light form strayed,
Far from the fond hearts round her native glade;
Her smiles have vanished and her sweet songs flown,
Flitting like the dreams that have cheered us and gone.
Now the nodding wild flowers may wither on the shore
While her gentle fingers will cull them no more:
Oh! I sigh for Jeanie with the light brown hair,
Floating, like a vapor, on the soft summer air.
JEANIE WITH THE LIGHT BROWN HAIR, by Stephen Foster, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 283K, with a three-page score, five one-page parts, and a license page, nine pages in all. Performance time should be about two minutes.
One of the best known American spirituals is Deep River. One cannot argue against the beauty of the tune.
I hate to tell you this, but there is no wood in these woodwinds.
This setting is for six saxes. It is a direct transcription of the third movement of the Slide Suite, transposed for the various members of the sax family.
The six parts are for three altos, two tenors, and one baritone. There are two alternate parts: fourth alto substitutes for first tenor, and clarinet or soprano sax substitutes for first alto. Considering you could also use an alto clarinet to subsitute for one of the alto saxes, and possibly a bass clarinet for one of the tenors, I'm not sure how many possible combinations there are, but I would suggest the best effect would be to do it with all saxes (no clarinets) if at all possible.
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Deep river, my home is over Jordan,
Oh, deep river,
I want to cross over into campground.
Deep river, my home is over Jordan,
Oh, deep river, Lord,
I want to cross over into campground.
And when I get to heaven, I will take my seat,
And cast my crown at Jesus' feet.
Deep river, Lord,
I want to cross over into campground.
DEEP RIVER, an American spiritual arranged by Tom Kirkland, for sax sextet, comes in a pdf file of 566K, with a three-page score, eight one page parts, and a license page, twelve pages in all. Performance time should be about two minutes.
Lively arrangement for brass quintet of one of Stephen Foster's first "hits."
The more one learns about Stephen Foster, the more interesting and sad the story becomes. For nearly twenty years around the time of the Civil War, he wrote most of the popular songs published in the United States, yet died flat broke at the age of 37. He sold most of his songs to publishers for lump sums. Some he did not sell at all. Copyright and royalty laws being what they were at the time, up to five or more publishers would have competing editions of his songs in print, and other than whatever he could get up front, he rarely saw any money.
Foster was from the black-face minstrel show tradition, and as one of his earliest songs, this song uses the minstrel show "slave dialect." The original lyric is thought to be offensive to today's ears, and so the modernized lyric appears below.
Written in 1847 and first published in 1848, it made the young Foster an immediate success as a writer of songs for minstrel shows. This song also became associated with the California gold rush of 1849. It's catchy tune and nonsense lyric made it one of the the most popular songs of its time.
In this arrangement, the tune of the stanza is as Foster wrote it, but the chorus has been modified a bit to make it more fun to play.
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I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee,
I'm going to Louisiana, my true love for to see
It rained all night the day I left, the weather it was dry
The sun so hot I froze to death; Susanna, don't you cry.
Oh, Susanna, don't you cry for me
Cos' I come from Alabama
With my banjo on my knee.
Had a dream the other night when everything was still,
I thought I saw Susanna coming up the hill,
A buck wheat cake was in her mouth, a tear was in her eye,
I said I'm coming from the south, Susanna don't you cry.
Oh, Susanna, don't you cry for me
Cos' I come from Alabama
With my banjo on my knee.
I soon will be in New Orleans and then I'll look around
And when I find my Susanna, I'll fall upon the ground
But if I do not find her, this man will surely die
And when I'm dead and buried, Susanna don't you cry.
Oh, Susanna, don't you cry for me
Cos' I come from Alabama
With my banjo on my knee.
OH! SUSANNA, by Stephen Foster, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 330K, with eight-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, twenty pages in all. Performance time should be about two minutes.
The more one learns about Stephen Foster, the more interesting and sad the story becomes. For nearly twenty years around the time of the Civil War, he wrote most of the popular songs published in the United States, yet died flat broke at the age of 37. He sold most of his songs to publishers for lump sums. Some he did not sell at all. Copyright and royalty laws being what they were at the time, up to five or more publishers would have competing editions of his songs in print, and other than whatever he could get up front, he rarely saw any money.
This particular song was written in 1850 and first published in 1853. Foster was from the black-face minstrel show tradition, and this was the first of his popular songs not to use the minstrel show "slave dialect." It is said to have been influenced by letters to his parents from his older sister staying in Bardstown, Kentucky, and a possible visit to Bardstown by Foster when he was traveling to Louisville. Foster's sympathy for slaves grew over time, and he never used the "slave dialect" in a lyric again.
The song gained considerable popularity during the Civil War, and was heard in the camps of armies on both sides. By 1900, it was a nearly universally-known sentimental favorite around the nation, and was especially favored in Kentucky.
My Old Kentucky Home was first used as the lead-in music for the famous Kentucky Derby horse race in 1924, and in 1928, the Commonwealth of Kentucky made it their official state song. In 1986, the word "darkies" was replaced with "people" by the Kentucky legislature in deference to modern sensibilities. Today both the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky have rich traditions involving this song.
Foster was a master of the simple, memorable melody.
In this arrangement, a full introduction is followed by the horn carrying the melody for the first stanza, backed by a trio, both trumpets playing the same, low part. "Weep no more my lady..." is played by a quartet of trumpets, horn, and trombone, and the horn with trio resumes for the reprise lines.
After a key change, the first trumpet leads the second stanza with full five-part harmony. Once again the trumpets, horn, and trombones form a quartet for the "Weep no more..." section, and the five part harmony comes back in for a subdued reprise section and coda line.
This arrangement is enharmonic with the sax quintet arrangement mentioned above, which creates interesting possibilities for a performance group.
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The sun shines bright in My Old Kentucky Home,
'Tis summer, the people are gay;
The corn-top's ripe and the meadow's in the bloom
While the birds make music all the day.
The young folks roll on the little cabin floor,
All merry, all happy and bright;
By'n' by hard times comes a knocking at the door,
Then My Old Kentucky Home, good night!
Weep no more my lady
Oh weep no more today;
We will sing one song
For My Old Kentucky Home
For My Old Kentucky Home, far away.
The head must bow and the back will have to bend,
Wherever the people may go;
A few more days, and the trouble all will end,
In the field where the sugar-canes grow;
A few more days for to tote the weary load,
No matter, 'twill never be light;
A few more days till we totter on the road,
Then my old Kentucky home, goodnight.
Weep no more my lady
Oh weep no more today;
We will sing one song
For My Old Kentucky Home
For My Old Kentucky Home, far away.
MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME, by Stephen Foster, arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 290K, with four-page score, five one-page parts, and a license page, ten 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.
Whether known as Fairest Lord Jesus, or Beautiful Savior, this old Silesian hymn tune often known as CRUSADER'S HYMN, is one of the best known hymns in almost any language.
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Fairest Lord Jesus,
Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son:
Thee will I cherish,
Thee will I honor,
Thou my soul's glory, joy, and crown.
Fair are the meadows,
Fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in flower of blooming spring:
Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer,
Who makes our sorrowing spirits sing.
Fair is the sunshine,
Fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host:
Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer,
Than all the angels heaven can boast.
Beautiful Savior,
King of creation,
Son of God and Son of man!
Truly I'd love Thee,
Truly I'd serve Thee,
Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.
All fairest beauty,
Heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus in found in thee!
None can be nearer,
Fairer or dearer,
Than Thou, my Savior, art to me.
Beautiful Savior,
Lord of the nations,
Son of God and Son of man!
Glory and honor,
Praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be thine!
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This arrangement seeks to take advantage of as many different combinations of the six instruments in the ensemble as possible, at times having the three trombones playing, the three turmpets, three trumpets and a trombone, three trombones and a trumpet, two of each, etc. The harmonic material has been varied from stanza to stanza as well.
This piece really shows the range of dark and bright tones available in straight bore brass instruments, and is suitable for both contemporary and traditional worship services.
FAIREST LORD JESUS, a Silesian hymn tune arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass sextet consisting of three trumpets, two tenor trombones, and bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 557K, with an eight-page score, six two-page parts, and a license page, twenty-one pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:40.
A deep and rich styling of the hymn tune Genevan 42 set for clarinet quintet.
My good friend, Tim Werkema, a woodwind maven accomplished on clarinet, flute, oboe, and sax, has passed away, and I felt his passing needed to be marked by a work for clarinet, his original instrument. I had already sketched the melody of a rag for a clarinet ensemble, but felt that was not fitting for his memorial piece. The hymn "As the Hart About to Falter" using this tune was sung at his memorial service. I reworked a cello duet I had written on this tune several years ago for clarinet quintet, and we have a fitting memorial piece for Tim.
Despite technological change, at least two or three of Louis Bourgeois' hymn tunes have been passed down to church hymnals that will continue in use well into the 21st century. I guess if your music can stay in use for almost six hundred years, you've done pretty well as a composer.
The most popular of Bourgeois' tunes is OLD HUNDREDTH, which is used commonly as the tune for the Doxology (Praise God from Whom all blessings flow...). Perhaps his tune for the 42nd Psalm is less well known, but it is still used in many church traditions. The tune is known in various hymnals as GENEVAN 42 or BOURGEOIS, and has been used with a variety of texts. The title of this piece is drawn from the opening words of the 42nd Psalm, as sung at Tim's memorial service. An alternate title (fine with me if you want to call it this) would be "Comfort, Comfort Ye My People."
A careful listener may notice that the piece alternates between major and minor keys with the same tonic, the hymn tune always appearing in major (or a related key) with the "framing phrases" appearing in minor. This was just a stylistic choice and nothing special should be read into it. I have been listening to a lot of J. S. Bach's music lately, so I will admit to a strong influence in the feel of this setting, and to possibly unintentionally borrowing a musical idea or two from him. On this account I believe I am in some pretty good company.
The difficult part in this piece is the fourth clarinet, which keeps a rolling sixteenth-note theme going through most of the piece. I like to hear a clarinet play low, so much of this piece uses the low register.
AS THE HART, the hymn tune GENEVAN 42 arranged by Tom Kirkland for clarinet quintet consisting of four (soprano) clarinets in Bb and bass clarinet in Bb, comes in a pdf file of 803K, with a four-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, seventeen pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:15.
Three short Christmas carols arranged for young players, but fun for all.
The Morning Brass Ensemble of Kaneland Harter Middle School, Sugar Grove, Illinois, requested some simple arrangements of Christmas music for holiday concerts at nursing homes and shopping malls. This is a part of the collection written for them.
The three tunes in this item, Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithful, and Good King Wenceslas, are immediately recognizable. The arrangements are specifically designed to be very playable by second-year players, though their use need not be restricted to just young ensembles.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
Christmas Quints No. 2
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Christmas Quints No. 3
How Great Our Joy (Echo Carol), Once in Royal David's City, As With Gladness Men of Old
Christmas Quints No. 4
O Tannenbaum, Jeg Er Sa Glad Hver Julekveld, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
MIDI sound sample: All three carols once through, no repeats (synthesizer/midi).
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 1, three Christmas carols-- Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithful, Good King Wenceslas-- arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 350K, with three one-page scores, nine one-page parts (most contain two parts on the same page), and a license page, thirteen pages in all. Performance time should be about two to three minutes each.
Three more Christmas Carols for brass quintet, written for young players, but fun for all.
The Morning Brass Ensemble of Kaneland Harter Middle School, Sugar Grove, Illinois, requested some simple arrangements of Christmas music for holiday concerts at nursing homes and shopping malls. This is a part of the collection written for them.
The three tunes in this item, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne, and I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, are immediately recognizable. The arrangements are specifically designed to be very playable by second-year players, though their use need not be restricted to just young ensembles.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
MP3 sound sample: All three carols once through, no repeats, except God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen is complete in the sample-- we just couldn't resist (synthesizer/midi).
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 2, three Christmas carols-- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne, I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day-- arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 456K, with two one-page scores, one two-page score, nine one-page parts (most contain two parts on the same page), and a license page, fourteen pages in all. Performance time should be about two to three minutes each.
Three more Christmas Carols for brass quintet, written for young players, but fun for all.
The Morning Brass Ensemble of Kaneland Harter Middle School, Sugar Grove, Illinois, requested some simple arrangements of Christmas music for holiday concerts at nursing homes and shopping malls. This is a part of the collection written for them.
The three tunes in this item, How Great Our Joy (Echo Carol), Once in Royal David's City, and As With Gladness Men of Old, are immediately recognizable. The arrangements are specifically designed to be very playable by second-year players, though their use need not be restricted to just young ensembles.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
MP3 sound sample: All three carols once through, no repeats (synthesizer/midi.
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 3, three Christmas carols-- How Great Our Joy (Echo Carol), Once in Royal David's City, As With Gladness Men of Old-- arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 385K, with three one-page scores, nine one-page parts (most contain two parts on the same page), and a license page, thirteen pages in all. Performance time should be about two to three minutes each.
Three more Christmas Carols for brass quintet, written for young players, but fun for all.
The Morning Brass Ensemble of Kaneland Harter Middle School, Sugar Grove, Illinois, requested some simple arrangements of Christmas music for holiday concerts at nursing homes and shopping malls. This is a part of the collection written for them.
The three tunes in this item, O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree), Jeg Er Sa Glad Hver Julekveld, and Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, are immediately recognizable. The arrangements are specifically designed to be very playable by second-year players, though their use need not be restricted to just young ensembles.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 4, three Christmas carols-- O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree), Jeg Er Sa Glad Hver Julekveld, Let All Motral Flesh Keep Silence-- arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 815K, with two one-page scores, one two-page score, ten one-page parts (most contain two parts on the same page), and a license page, fifteen pages in all. Performance time should be about two to three minutes each.
MP3 sound sample: All three carols once through, no repeats, except O Tannenbaum is complete in the sample (synthesizer.midi).
Two more Christmas Carols for brass quintet, written for young players, but fun for all. Slightly more difficult than the others in the series.
The Morning Brass Ensemble of Kaneland Harter Middle School, Sugar Grove, Illinois, requested some simple arrangements of Christmas music for holiday concerts at nursing homes and shopping malls. This is a part of the collection written for them.
The two pieces in this item, Away in a Manger, and Fum, Fum, Fum, are immediately recognizable. Away in a Manger actually contains two tunes (Murray, Kirkpatrick). Fum, Fum, Fum ("foom-foom-foom") is perhaps the least known of any of the carols we have published in this series. The arrangements are specifically designed to be playable by second-year players, though their use need not be restricted to just young ensembles. These two are slightly more difficult and complex than the others in the series.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
MP3 sound sample: Both pieces complete (synthesizer/midi).
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 5, two Christmas carols-- Away in a Manger, Fum, Fum, Fum-- arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 552K, with one three-page scores, one two-page score, nine one-page parts (most contain two parts on the same page), and a license page, fifteen pages in all. Performance time should be about two to three minutes each.
Three more Christmas Carols for brass quintet, written for young players, but fun for all.
The Morning Brass Ensemble of Kaneland Harter Middle School, Sugar Grove, Illinois, requested some simple arrangements of Christmas music for holiday concerts at nursing homes and shopping malls. This is a part of the collection written for them.
The three pieces in this item, the nursery rhyme tune Christmas is Coming, French carol Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella and old favorite What Child is This? are immediately recognizable. The arrangements are specifically designed to be playable by second-year players, though their use need not be restricted to just young ensembles.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
MP3 sound sample: All three pieces, Christmas is Coming complete, and the others one time through no repeat (synthesizer/midi).
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 6, three Christmas carols-- Christmas is Coming, Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella, What Child is This?-- arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 449K, with one two-page score, two one-page scores, nine one-page parts (most contain two parts on the same page), and a license page, fourteen pages in all. Performance time should be about two to three minutes each.
Three more Christmas Carols for brass quintet, written for young players, but fun for all.
The Morning Brass Ensemble of Kaneland Harter Middle School, Sugar Grove, Illinois, requested some simple arrangements of Christmas music for holiday concerts at nursing homes and shopping malls. This is a part of the collection written for them.
The three pieces in this item, Angels We Have Heard On High, Jingle Bells, and We Wish You A Merry Christmas are immediately recognizable. Please be aware that on Jingle Bells, it is intended that after the introduction the group shift to a swing feel (there is no good way to simulate this in the midi). The arrangements are specifically designed to be playable by second-year players, though their use need not be restricted to just young ensembles.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
MP3 sound sample: All three pieces, Angels We Have Heard on High one time through no repeat, others complete (synthesizer/midi).
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 7, three Christmas carols-- Angels We Have Heard on High, Jingle Bells, We Wish You A Merry Christmas-- arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 942K, with two two-page scores, one three-page score, eleven one-page parts (most contain two parts on the same page), and a license page, nineteen pages in all. Performance time should be about two to three minutes each.
Three more Christmas Carols for brass quintet, written for young players, but fun for all.
The Morning Brass Ensemble of Kaneland Harter Middle School, Sugar Grove, Illinois, requested some simple arrangements of Christmas music for holiday concerts at nursing homes and shopping malls. This is a part of the collection written for them.
The three pieces in this item, The First Noel, Lo, How a Rose E're Blooming, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, are immediately recognizable. The arrangements are specifically designed to be playable by second-year players, though their use need not be restricted to just young ensembles.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
MP3 sound sample: All three pieces one time through no repeat (synthesizer/midi).
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 8, three Christmas carols-- The First Noel, Lo, How a Rose E're Blooming, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing-- arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 463K, with one two-page scores, two one-page scores, nine one-page parts (most contain two parts on the same page), and a license page, fourteen pages in all. Performance time should be about two to three minutes each.
Three more Christmas Carols for brass quintet, written for young players, but fun for all. Slightly more difficult than the others in the series.
The Morning Brass Ensemble of Kaneland Harter Middle School, Sugar Grove, Illinois, requested some simple arrangements of Christmas music for holiday concerts at nursing homes and shopping malls. This is a part of the collection written for them.
The three pieces in this item, The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy, Joy to the World, and Here We Come A-Wassailing, are immediately recognizable. The arrangements are specifically designed to be playable by second-year players, though their use need not be restricted to just young ensembles. These three are a bit more challenging than the others in the series, but if your group has played all of the others, you will have little trouble with these.
From time to time, all brass groups get asked to play at a community gathering, shopping mall, open house, or something similar, and this could be a handy source of some material to play.
MP3 sound sample: All three pieces complete (synthesizer/midi).
CHRISTMAS QUINTS NO. 9, three Christmas carols-- The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy, Joy to the World, and Here We Come A-Wassailing-- arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 842K, with one two-page score, two three-page scores, nine one-page parts (most contain two parts on the same page), and a license page, eighteen pages in all. Performance time should be about two to three minutes each.
Unique setting of a favorite spiritual for full brass band.
Give Me Jesus is an old favorite currently finding favor as a worship song in churches with contemporary worship styles, and has been sung and played in many styles, but my personal favorite arrangement had always been the choir arrangement by Larry L. Fleming. That arrangement strongly influenced the style of this arrangement.
After putting together the brass sextet arrangement of this piece, there came an itch to flesh it out a bit further to full brass band. The chance to hear these harmonies expressed with the dynamic range and full tone of a large brass ensemble was too good to pass up.
There are eleven instrumental parts (some combined for printing). Trumpet 1, Trumpet 2 & 3, French Horn 1 & 2, Trombone 1 & 2, Bass Trombone, Baritone 1 & 2, and Tuba. Baritone parts are provided in both treble clef Bb and bass clef concert key. All voices will need to be covered for performance.
There is no easy way around the bass trombone. The part is too high in a couple of spots for a tuba, and too low in others for a tenor trombone or a baritone/euphonium.
GIVE ME JESUS, a traditional spiritual arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass band consisting of at least three trumpets, two french horns, two tenor trombones, bass trombone, two baritones, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 1001K, with a five-page score, eight two-page parts, and a license page, twenty-two pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
A unique setting of an old spritual for six brass players.
In the course of serving in church music, from time to time a somewhat unusual combination of instruments will present itself and pose something of an arranging challenge. The particular group that sparked this arrangement was three trumpets, flugelhorn, tenor trombone, and bass trombone.
Give Me Jesus is an old favorite currently finding favor as a worship song in churches with contemporary worship styles, and has been sung and played in many styles, but my personal favorite arrangement had always been the choir arrangement by Larry L. Fleming. That arrangement strongly influenced the style of this arrangement.
There are six instrumental parts. Trumpet 1, Trumpet 2, Trumpet 3, Flugelhorn, Trombone, and Bass Trombone. Two alternate parts are included, French Horn 1 (substitute for Flugelhorn) and French Horn 2 (substitute for Trumpet 3). If only one french horn is used, it is strongly suggested it substitute for the flugelhorn.
There is no easy way around the bass trombone. The part is too high in many spots for a tuba, and much too low in others for a tenor trombone or a baritone/euphonium.
GIVE ME JESUS, a traditional spiritual arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass sextet consisting of either three trumpets, flugelhorn, trombone, and bass trombone, or two trumpets, two french horns, trombone, and bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 1001K, with a six-page score, eight two-page parts, and a license page, twenty-three pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
Another arrangement of the US National Anthem for brass quintet. Why another version? Click and find out.
In July, 2010 a call came from one of the members of The Morning Brass Ensemble of Kaneland Harter Middle School, Sugar Grove, Illinois, USA, a 12-year-old young man who serves as their business manager, asking if they could commission a version of the Star-Spangled Banner that they could play outdoors at a semi-professional football game.
This seemed like a great idea. Since the version we already have here is for a brass quintet wtih slightly different voicing, owing to the particular difficulty young players face when playing outdoors, and the simple fact that their "quintet" actually consists of two first trumpets, a second trumpet, one french horn, a trombone, and three tubas, some rearranging of what we already had seemed necessary.
First, simply translating the first trombone part to french horn was not going to generate near enough sound volume to carry the melody against a trombone and three tubas in the opening phrases. Some of the passages were more complex than they needed to be. The first trumpets needed to carry the melody throughout, which necessitated a complete rewrite of the fanfares over the rockets red glare and bombs bursting in air. In short, there were going to be a lot of differences from the "original" version.
This version is still in A-flat to maintain singability, which also matches up well with young players' key familiarity, and the overall effect is stronger and has more impact than the other. The ending was also simplified, as it is expected that an crowd would respond to a middle school brass ensemble a bit more vigorously than a more experienced group, so much of the flourish at the end of the other version would be covered by applause anyway. When a lot of crowd noise is going on and you are trying to finish a piece together, especially outdoors, simpler is better. The introduction was marked "optional" in case event promoters wanted the shortest possible version.
So all of this got put into a pot and mixed with the original version and we ended up with a version created specifically for this group.
The music proudly bears the words, "Commissioned by and dedicated to The Morning Brass Ensemble of Kaneland Harter Middle School, Sugar Grove IL USA."
THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER by Key and Smith arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, french horn, trombone, and tuba, comes in a pdf file of 305K, with a three-page score, five one-page parts, and a license page, nine pages in all. Performance time should be about 1:20 to 1:30.
Jeremy Glaser's deep and striking arrangement of a favorite Good Friday hymn tune for piano, two cellos, and double bass.
The very name of the hymn tune, PASSION CHORALE, speaks the purpose and meaning of this piece. For many, this is the ultimate passion hymn, articulating graphically the suffering of a dying Savior and the appropriate heart response of the saved.
This is perhaps Jeremy Glaser's best piece to date, and was written as a prelude to a Maundy Thursday service. It is also unusual in many ways.
The choice of ensemble-- piano, two cellos, and double bass-- was partly about availability and partly about creating a deep sound to provoke deep thinking about the meaning of the sufferings of the Son of God, a Person of the Trinity, made incarnate and willing to suffer the most horrible of deaths for the sins of mankind.
The piece's modern-art structure and harmony, with all its dissonances and unusual, almost eerie beauty, is always fully supportive of the deep meaning of the text of the three stanzas of the hymn expounded. It pushes the limits of some as to acceptability in a worship service, yet it is able to move the heart in ways that perhaps a more traditional rendering would scarcely be able to do.
This piece is not a novelty number. Ensembles that perform it will likely evoke in their own hearts and the hearts of their listeners deep questions about the meaning and purpose of the passion of Jesus Christ, and in so doing will fulfill the purpose of this work.
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O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
How pale Thou art with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish, which once was bright as morn!
What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.
What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.
O SACRED HEAD NOW WOUNDED, by Hans Leo Hassler, arranged for piano, two cellos, and double bass by Jeremy Glaser, comes in a pdf file of 790K, with a nineteen-page score, eleven-page piano part, three two-page string parts, and a license page, thirty-seven pages in all. Performance time should be about six minutes.
In a special agreement with Hope Publishing, we present a setting of a favorite hymn by Thomas Chisholm and William Ryan, arranged for brass quintet by Tom Kirkland.
Considering how to present a widely known hymn tune that is much loved in a new format and a fresh arrangement can be a daunting task. This arrangement offers some new thoughts on this now-standard hymn while maintaining respect for the thoughfulness and depth of feeling of the original song. The brass quintet is a fun ensemble to write for because of the wide range of exciting sounds the group can create, but it is important to avoid the temptation to get gimmicky and too playful in an arrangement and destroy the original tune and the feelings or memories it evokes in the listener.
We are privileged that Hope Publishing has granted us permission to offer this unique arrangement in the downloadable pdf format.
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Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
This piece made available by special agreement with Hope Publishing Company. Note that because of this agreement, this piece is NOT covered by our blanket recording policy stated below.
GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS Words: Thomas O. Chisholm, Music: William M. Runyan, Copyright (c) 1923, renewed 1951, and this arrangement (c) 2010 Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL, USA 60188.
All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS, by Thomas Chisholm and William Ryan, arranged for brass quintet by Tom Kirkland, comes in a pdf file of 947K, with a ten-page score, five three-page brass parts, a three-page french horn alternate part, and a license page, twenty-nine pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:40.
J. S. Bach did some truly amazing things in his lifetime, not the least of which was writing a significant number of motets for use throughout the church year. These motets were typically for four-part choir, sometimes four-part-plus-four-part double choir, and sometimes five-part choir. These were generally accompanied by a small string orchestra or by organ, but since all the accompaniment typically did was double the vocal parts, these pieces are equally effective, some would say more effective, when sung unaccompanied.
What has happened here is to take a couple of small sections of Bach's best-known five-part motet, Jesu Meine Freude, BWV 227, and arrange them for brass quintet.
Bach's work was for a choir with two soprano sections, alto, tenor and bass. The brass quintet, on the other hand has essentially a soprano, alto, alto/tenor, tenor, and bass. Arranging this piece for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, two trombones, and a tuba required considerable thought about how to transpose the work to make it playable and reduce the amount of part surgery required to keep it sounding true to the original.
Like all good engineering projects, this required a bit of compromise. The tuba part is high, the second trombone part is low, first trombone is a bit high, second trumpet very low, and first trumpet lower than a first trumpet would expect to play. Choosing to transpose the original piece from E minor down to A minor, however, did allow for a more-or-less pure transcription of the indivdual parts with only minor adjustments. Just about any other transposition would have required eliminating almost all of the part-crossing that makes the orignal so appealing both to hear and to perform.
The scored configuration of two trumpets, two trombones, and tuba, could be slightly altered. A bass trombone could play the tuba part, and there is a french horn part included that can substitute for the first trombone. This arrangement then covers the three most common brass quintet configurations, and probably most brass choirs and larger brass ensembles as well.
This piece is not for the faint of heart, and if your browser is equipped to play the midi sample, you will hear why. The fugue has numerous passages in all parts of six-to-eight-count sixteenth-note runs at about 70 beats per minute. As you might expect, Bach has these runs reversing direction and breaking into inverval jumps all over the place. These will be challenging enough for valve players, let alone for slides. They are playable by advanced players on all of the instruments named, but considerable rehearsal and practice time will be required to clean up the piece and develop the ensemble needed to stay together.
The chorales are much easier to play, but they would probably not work especially well as a standalone concert piece without the fugue.
FUGUE AND TWO CHORALES OF J. S. BACH, arranged for brass quintet by Tom Kirkland, comes in a pdf file of 2009K, with a ten-page score, five three-page brass parts, a three-page french horn alternate part, and a license page, twenty-nine pages in all. Performance time should be about 4:20.
Brass trio including a stanza each of My Country 'Tis of Thee, America the Beautiful, and two stanzas of God of Our Fathers. Complete MP3 sound sample of a live performance.
The tradition of using brass in church services on or around Memorial Day, July 4th, and Veteran's Day is well established throughout the United States of America. The biggest issue seems to be finding something to play that matches up with the players available in your sometimes vacation-depleted brass ensemble.
This is a piece written for just that purpose. While this piece was originally scored for one trumpet and two trombones with piano accompaniment, two alternate parts are included that can substitute for the first trombone: a trumpet part and a french horn part. This piece, therefore, can be performed with almost any combination of three brass instruments, provided one is a soprano voice, one an alto/tenor voice, and one a tenor/baritone voice.
The piece begins with the piano simulating three bells ringing in a church bell tower. Solo passages of one stanza of My Country 'Tis of Thee (AMERICA, composer unknown) are played by the two trombones.
As the bells cease to ring, the trumpet plays a free-flowing stanza of America, the Beautiful (MATERNA, Samuel A. Ward) with a simple piano accompaniment. The trombones join with the trumpet to give us our first hearing of the trio sound in the "America, America" passage.
A fanfare leads us into a trombone duet of one stanza of God Of Our Fathers (NATIONAL HYMN, George W. Warren) with minimal piano accompaniment. This is then reprised with an exciting trumpet descant. A double "Amen" for all three instruments with a stirring piano accompaniment closes the piece.
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MY COUNTRY 'TIS OF THEE
Our fathers' God, to Thee
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King.
--- Samuel F. Smith
AMERICA, THE BEAUTIFUL
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
--- Katherine L. Bates
GOD OF OUR FATHERS
Thy love divine hath led us in the past;
In this free land by Thee our lot is cast;
Be Thou our ruler, guardian, guide, and stay,
Thy Word our law, Thy paths our chosen way.
Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way;
Lead us from night to never-ending day;
Fill all our lives with love and grace divine;
And glory, laud, and praise be ever Thine.
--- Daniel C. Roberts
Amen! Amen!
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MP3 sound sample: Village Brass 2010.
GOD OF LIBERTY, arranged for brass trio with piano by Tom Kirkland, comes in a pdf file of 1135K, with a twelve-page score, eight-page piano part, three two-page brass parts, two two-page alternate brass parts, and a license page, thirty-one pages in all. Performance time should be about 3:40.
For the brass quintet that is asked to play for Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Veteran's Day, or a sporting event.
This arrangement was intended to give the audience something different than they have been used to hearing from bands or brass groups in the past, but not so radical that they can't sing with it if they wish.
To preserve singability, the song has been kept in A-flat and the rhythm of the melody kept very standard. The harmony and voicing, on the other hand, is unique.
THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER by Key and Smith arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, two trombones, and a tuba, comes in a pdf file of 376K, with a four-page score, five one-page parts, and a license page, ten pages in all. Performance time should be about 1:20 to 1:30.
So maybe your brass quintet needs to play at a hockey game...
So maybe your brass quintet needs to play at a hockey game...
This is an interesting arrangement of the Canadian national anthem for a brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, one F horn, one trombone, and a tuba. A bass trombone can easily play the tuba part if necessary, and a euphonium (bass clef) part is included that can substitute for the horn. With this particular arrangement, there is no easy way to get away with any of the players missing.
The Canadians have an absolutely wonderful national anthem, and if the US and Canada ever merge, from a purely musical standpoint, we should keep this one.
O CANADA by Wier and Lavallee arranged by Tom Kirkland for brass quintet consisting of two trumpets, one F horn, one trombone, and a tuba, comes in a pdf file of 185K, with a four-page score, six one-page parts, and a license page, eleven pages in all. Performance time should be about 1:20 to 1:30.
A flashy violin solo with a Spanish flavor, and piano accompaniment.
Kara is a friend and an accomplished violinist, who was spending a couple of months in Spain.
I had been toying with writing a solo piece for some instrument or other, but hadn't come up with a solid idea, until the thought of a young American violinist visiting Spain for the first time started the wheels turning.
What flowed out was page upon page of dramatic music that presents both the bold posturing of a matador or flamenco dancer and a quiet and contemplative theme.
The piece is musically challenging, but not so difficult that a good player will not find it fun to play. An excellent piece for a recital for a somewhat advanced player, or a showy encore piece.
Or, maybe, just for fun.
One quick performance note for those who might take a cue from the midi-- for some reason unknown to me, the composer program turns some of the ornaments into full turns. All of the ornaments were meant to be simple single tones.
KARA IN SPAIN by Tom Kirkland for solo violin with piano accompaniment, comes in a pdf file of 1427K, with a sixteen-page score, a seven-page solo part, and a license page, twenty-four pages in all. Performance time should be about five minutes.
One day I sat down and wrote out a little eight-bar melody in E minor, and then wrote a counterpoint to it.
I then wrote a counterpoint to that, and yet another counterpoint to that.
The four eight-bar melodies then ended up passed from part to part, moved into different octaves, eventually being played by both violins in turn, the viola, and the cello.
The original melody was given to the cello and the first violin in turn with a simple accompaniments. The complete set of four melodies was then reprised.
The final problem to be solved was how to end the piece, as it always came to rest on the subdominant. A rewrite of the final measure delivers a cadence that tells the listener the little piece is done.
FOURSOME by Tom Kirkland for string quartet, comes in a pdf file of 492K, with a five-page score, four two-page parts, and a license page, fourteen pages in all. Performance time should be about 2:30.
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.
Setting of these two beloved hymns for congregation with brass choir, or organ, could be played as an organ solo, or solo instrument with organ or brass choir.
The brass choir at our church found itself with four trumpets, two cornets, two tenor trombones, and a bass trombone available for a Sunday morning. Rather than try to arrange a brass anthem, and especially with that mass of trumpets and cornets, we decided to use all that brass to lead the congregation in song. Two well-known hymns were included along with the trumpets and cornets working in antiphonal fashion most of the way. It made sense that if we turned on all six high brass players at the same time the effect would be dramatic, if not stunning, so this arrangement for the most part uses all the trumpets and cornets at the same time sparingly.
This piece includes all six stanzas of the hymn "Oh, For a Thousand Tongues" by Charles Wesley with music by Carl Glazer and harmony adapted from Lowell Mason, as well as Thomas Ken's Doxology, set to Louis Bourgeois' Old Hundredth from the Genevan Psalter.
After an introduction, the hymn stanzas are framed by brass fanfares, and accompanied by various combinations of instruments. A coda gives the brass one final fanfare.
The brass choir specified consists of three trumpets, three cornets, two trombones, and a tuba. Our group used a bass trombone for the tuba part, and we ended up one cornet short, so dropped the third cornet part entirely. If fewer players are available, the third trumpet could be omitted as well with little ill effect. For much of the piece, only two trumpet lines and two cornet lines are written, to allow different players to lay out and save the lips for the really dramatic sections.
The realization of the brass parts for organ came out of the need for a rehearsal score for piano to work with the vocalists leading the singing. It certainly could be used as a stand-alone organ solo.
The vocal line could also be played on a solo instrument (trumpet? transpose yourself) with either the brass choir or organ.
It would be ill advised to use both brass choir and organ or piano, unless the organ or piano were used primarily to support the congregational singing, leaving the transitional fanfare sections and the introduction and coda to the brass alone. If led by a strong conductor, the trumpets, cornets, and trombones can be located at the corners of the sanctuary to heighten the antiphonal effect.
Apologies to the trumpet and cornet players for putting all three parts on a single staff. Both tenor trombone parts also appear on a single staff.
MP3 sound sample: Entire Piece, congregation with brass (synthesizer/midi).
OH, FOR A THOUSAND TONGUES/DOXOLOGY, arranged by Tom Kirkland, for congregation with brass choir or organ, solo instrument with brass choir or organ, or organ solo, comes in a pdf file of 982K, with a fourteen-page congregation/brass score, a ten-page congregation/organ score, four three-page instrumental parts, and a license page, thirty-seven pages in all. Performance time should be about five minutes.
The first movement of the Slide Suite for six trombones: an authentically-styled American slow rag.
The Slide Suite was written to give the trombone sextet or trombone choir a true concert suite that could demonstrate the unique capabilities of the tenor and bass trombones.
It was also written to satisfy the itch to write something that expressed some of the depth and breadth of American music. Rather than writing a suite with movements titled with Italian words for tempos like Allegro and Lento, or names of antiquated dances like Minuet and Gigue, the movements are all examples of American musical forms.
The five movements are (in order) Rag, Barbershop, Spiritual, DooWop, and Fight Song, so the Suite is bookended by instrumental forms while the three middle movements are vocal forms.
MP3 sound sample: Entire Movement (synthesizer/midi).
SLIDE SUITE NO. I: RAG, by Tom Kirkland, for trombone sextet of five tenors and one bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 589K, with a six-page score, six two-page parts, and a license page, nineteen pages in all. Performance time should be about two minutes.
The second movement of the Slide Suite is a departure from the sextet format: a Barbershop quartet.
The Slide Suite was written to give the trombone sextet or trombone choir a true concert suite that could demonstrate the unique capabilities of the tenor and bass trombones.
It was also written to satisfy the itch to write something that expressed some of the depth and breadth of American music. Rather than writing a suite with movements titled with Italian words for tempos like Allegro and Lento, or names of antiquated dances like Minuet and Gigue, the movements are all examples of American musical forms.
The five movements are (in order) Rag, Barbershop, Spiritual, DooWop, and Fight Song, so the Suite is bookended by instrumental forms while the three middle movements are vocal forms.
This is the only quartet in a suite otherwise populated by sextets. The parts are marked trombone 2, trombone 3, trombone 4, and bass trombone, meaning the intent is the first and fifth players are tacet. If the suite is being performed by a larger trombone choir, the best effect for this piece would still be to perform it with just four players.
MP3 sound sample: Entire Movement (synthesizer/midi).
SLIDE SUITE NO. II: BARBERSHOP, by Tom Kirkland, for trombone quartet of three tenors and one bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 475K, with a three-page score, four one-page parts, and a license page, eight pages in all. Performance time should be about 2:20.
The Slide Suite was written to give the trombone sextet or trombone choir a true concert suite that could demonstrate the unique capabilities of the tenor and bass trombones.
It was also written to satisfy the itch to write something that expressed some of the depth and breadth of American music. Rather than writing a suite with movements titled with Italian words for tempos like Allegro and Lento, or names of antiquated dances like Minuet and Gigue, the movements are all examples of American musical forms.
The five movements are (in order) Rag, Barbershop, Spiritual, DooWop, and Fight Song, so the Suite is bookended by instrumental forms while the three middle movements are vocal forms.
This is the only movement with a borrowed tune, a very old spiritual called Deep River.
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Deep river, my home is over Jordan,
Oh, deep river, Lord,
I want to cross over into campground.
Deep river, my home is over Jordan,
Oh, deep river, Lord,
I want to cross over into campground.
Oh, when I get to heaven, I will take my seat,
And cast my crown at Jesus' feet.
Deep river, Lord,
I want to cross over into campground.
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MP3 sound sample: Entire Movement (synthesizer/midi).
SLIDE SUITE NO.III: SPIRITUAL, by Tom Kirkland, for trombone sextet of five tenors and one bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 511K, with a three-page score, six one-page parts, and a license page, ten pages in all. Performance time should be just about two minutes.
The fourth movement of the Slide Suite for six trombones. A fifties-style doo wop!
The Slide Suite was written to give the trombone sextet or trombone choir a true concert suite that could demonstrate the unique capabilities of the tenor and bass trombones.
It was also written to satisfy the itch to write something that expressed some of the depth and breadth of American music. Rather than writing a suite with movements titled with Italian words for tempos like Allegro and Lento, or names of antiquated dances like Minuet and Gigue, the movements are all examples of American musical forms.
The five movements are (in order) Rag, Barbershop, Spiritual, DooWop, and Fight Song, so the Suite is bookended by instrumental forms while the three middle movements are vocal forms.
MP3 sound sample: Entire Movement (synthesizer/midi).
SLIDE SUITE NO. IV: DOO WOP, by Tom Kirkland, for trombone sextet of five tenors and one bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 717K, with an nine-page score, six two-page parts, and a license page, twenty-two pages in all. Performance time should be just under three minutes.
The final movement of the Slide Suite for six trombones. A rousing fight song!
The Slide Suite was written to give the trombone sextet or trombone choir a true concert suite that could demonstrate the unique capabilities of the tenor and bass trombones.
It was also written to satisfy the itch to write something that expressed some of the depth and breadth of American music. Rather than writing a suite with movements titled with Italian words for tempos like Allegro and Lento, or names of antiquated dances like Minuet and Gigue, the movements are all examples of American musical forms.
The five movements are (in order) Rag, Barbershop, Spiritual, DooWop, and Fight Song, so the Suite is bookended by instrumental forms while the three middle movements are vocal forms.
MP3 sound sample: Entire Movement (synthesizer/midi).
SLIDE SUITE NO.V: FIGHT SONG, by Tom Kirkland, for trombone sextet of five tenors and one bass trombone, comes in a pdf file of 604K, with an eight-page score, six two-page parts, and a license page, twenty-one pages in all. Performance time should be just under two minutes.
Mendelssohn's melodic aria from Elijah. A flugelhorn solo accompanied by two trumpets, two trombones, and tuba.
Mendelssohn, in his oratorio Elijah, gave this moving aria to a tenor singing the role of Obadiah. Immediately following a recitative imporing the people to turn from idolatry, he gives first a promise that God may be found by anyone who truly seeks Him, then a plea to be in God's presence, then again the assurance God will be found if truly sought.
In this setting the tenor aria has been transposed for flugelhorn, the most mellow of the soprano horns, accompanied by a brass quintet of two trumpets, two trombones, and a tuba. The arrangement is close to Mendelssohn's orchestral score, and makes an effective, smooth, flowing number that shows off the sonority of a full clutch of horns.
Bass trombone can be easily substituted for tuba. This piece could also be used as a trumpet solo with two flugelhorns, two baritone horns, and a tuba, to great effect.
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"If with all your hearts ye truly seek Me, ye shall ever truly find Me," thus saith our God.
O, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might even come before his presence.
"If with all your hearts ye truly seek Me, ye shall ever truly find Me," thus saith our God.
IF WITH ALL YOUR HEARTS, by Felix Mendelssohn, arranged by Tom Kirkland as a flugelhorn solo accompanied by two trumpets, two trombones, and a tuba, comes in a pdf file of 607K, with an four-page score, six two-page parts, and a license page, seventeen pages in all. Performance time should be slightly more than two minutes.
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.
Classic German hymn tune set as a trombone solo accompanied by string quartet.
This simple little arrangement for trombone and strings makes a very nice prelude or special for a Christmas eve, Christmas day, or advent service. The piece sounds much better than the midi rendering would indicate, since it is near impossible to work expression into midi.
Rather than creating separate parts sheets for each player, the score was kept to four pages so all players can play from the score. This seemed important since this piece meanders freely from 3/2 to 2/2 time and back again. I have always found it easier to play such pieces when one can see all of the parts at the same time. The string quartet parts are rendered visually on a grand staff so this piece can easily be performed with a trombone (or baritone horn, cello, bassoon) and a string synthesizer (or pipe organ) if desired.
LO, HOW A ROSE E'ER BLOOMING arranged by Tom Kirkland for Solo Trombone with String Quartet, comes in a pdf file of 239K, with a four-page score and a license page, five pages in all. Performance time should be approximately 3:30.
Swedish hymn tune set for flute and cello duet. The common lyric is "O let your soul now be filled with gladness..."
This is a setting of an old Swedish hymn tune for flute and cello. Could also be used with violin and cello, oboe and bassoon, or other soprano and bass instrument combinations. It might even work as a two-part invention for piano.
The hymn tune itself is a bit of a mystery. There do not even seem to be many theories as to who wrote it or when, simply that it seems to have come from Sweden.
The lyric most closely associated with this tune in English is by Peter Achan and translated to English by Karl Olsson.
O let your soul now be filled with gladness,
Your heart redeemed, rejoice indeed!
O may the thought banish all your sadness,
That in His blood you have been freed,
That God's unfailing love is yours,
That you the only Son were given,
That by His death He has opened heaven,
That you are ransomed as you are.
If you seem empty of any feeling,
Rejoice, you are His ransomed bride!
If those you cherish seem not to love you,
And dark assails from every side;
Still yours the promise, come what may,
In loss and triumph, in laughter, crying;
In want and riches, in living dying,
That you are purchased as you are.
It is a good, every good transcending,
That Christ has died for you and me!
It is a gladness that has no ending
There in God's wondrous love to see!
Praise be to Him the spotless Lamb,
Who through the desert my soul is leading
To that fair city of joy exceeding,
For which He bought me as I am!
You are certainly welcome to use the first line, O Let Your Soul Now Be Filled With Gladness, as an alternate title for this piece.
SWEDISH FOLK MELODY arranged by Tom Kirkland for Flute and Cello, comes in a pdf file of 509K, with a four-page score, two two-page parts, and a license page, nine pages in all. Performance time should be approximately 3:00.
Spicy arrangement of a favorite hymn tune for brass quintet.
This hymn tune, Nettleton, was penned by John Wyeth over 150 years ago, and is still quite popular.
In 3/4 time, the tune is very espressive and majestic. This arrangement makes it fun and interesting by leaving 3/4 time behind and switching to 5/4 time. Using a rhythm borrowed from Lalo Shiffern's theme for Mission: Impossible, the piece takes on a latin flair with mariachi-style trumpet licks and the tuba driving the rhythmic figure throughout.
Once the counting issues are sorted out, this will be a fun piece for high school players on up. Some more advanced junior high players may even be able to handle it, as the keys (concert Eb and concert F) are familiar. Be really solid on the rhythms, though, because if the audience gets into it and tries to clap along, things could get ugly-- only real musicians can clap in 5/4 time.
This arrangement was originally scored for two trumpets, two trombones, and tuba. As many brass quintets consist of two trumpets, one french horn, one trombone, and tuba, we have made a french horn part (substitute for first trombone) available.
COME THOU FOUNT OF EVERY BLESSING, an arrangement of a hymn tune by John Wyeth for two trumpets, two trombones, and tuba by Tom Kirkland, comes in a pdf file of 647K, with a five-page score, five two-page parts, and a license page, sixteen pages in all. Performance time should be approximately 3:05.
A somewhat difficult arrangement of a couple of short Mozart woodwind pieces that shows off the capability of the trombone sextet. Arranged by Tom Kirkland.
Why should the woodwind players have all the fun? Mozart wrote some fun chamber music for woodwind ensembles that is interesting and lively to listen to and fun to perform. It was high time something like this was arranged for trombone sextet.
Not that trombone sextets are that easy to come by, but most college bands will have at least six players good enough to handle this piece.
It is written to be used as a single piece with a segue directly from one section to the other. Of course, you can cut it up or perform it with a pause between as suits your ensemble.
Faint hearts beware, as all six parts are pretty even in difficulty, requiring extended eigth-note runs of all players and sixteenth-note patterns of all but the bass trombone player. The bass trombone will need to have a solid low C for the solo "clean-up" cadences in the minuet, so nobody gets off easy.
This could be a fun intermission piece for a band concert, or an encore piece for a multi-trombone recital.
One thing that bears asking is please, please, I beg you, do not substitute valve trombones or baritone/euphonium horns for real honest slide trombones in this piece. The best effect is the common sonority and singing effect of real slide trombones, played by people who understand and appreciate the particular subtle grace of being able to play completely in tune, both lip and tube, with real vibrato and genuine vocal effect.
Now, you could use this piece with five euphoniums and a tuba, or six bassoons, or five cellos and a bass, and it would be interesting and satisfying, but that is not the intent. If you must use trombone surrogates, then please substitue all of the parts with voices from the same family.
MINUET AND SERENADE, an arrangement of two short Mozart woodwind pieces for six trombones (five tenors and a bass) by Tom Kirkland, comes in a pdf file of 1111K, with an eleven-page score, six three-page parts, and a license page, thirty pages in all. Performance time should be approximately 3:40 to 3:50.
Faure's peaceful and deceptively simple Pavane set for Violin Cello duet by Keith Templeman.
According to Debussy: "The play of the graceful, fleeting lines described by Faure's music may be compared to the gesture of a beautiful woman without either suffering comparison." The word "ethereal" is the one most often applied to the melodies of this student of Saint-Seans and teacher of Ravel who once played second organist to Charles-Marie Widor.
The Pavane is well-known, though perhaps not as well known as the choral works of Faure, and has been set for any number of combinations of instruments, including saxophones and tuba (tuba?). But in Keith Templeman's arrangement, we find the original orchestral score reduced to just two essential voices, violin and cello. It is fitting that an orchestral work by a master of chamber music be converted to an intimate chamber music setting.
As a cellist himself, Keith Templeman has taken full advantage of the instrument, working a broad range of both tones and expressions for the instrument. The melodic line played by the violin almost becomes accompaniment for the cello part (it's about time, say the cellists of the world).
This piece could possibly be played by other combinations of bass-soprano instruments, but be forewarned. The violin part is probably lower than most flutists or oboists will want to go, and the cello part, with its immense range, will be quite difficult to manage well on any wind instrument save the bassoon, though a very good tubist with an exceptional high range might do well, perhaps paired with a trombone, french horn, euphonium, or trumpet playing the soprano part, though transposing is is left to you if you want to venture it.
PAVANE (OPUS 50) by Gariel Faure, arranged for Violin/Cello duet by Keith Templeman, comes in a downloadable PDF file of 800K that contains a three page score, one page violin part, one page cello part, plus a license page, six pages in all. Performance time should be around 3:45, depending upon interpretation.
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.
Keith Templeman's exciting flute/cello styling mixes "Be Thou My Vision" with "Lord of the Dance" (or "Gift to be Simple") and comes up with something old and something new.
Keith Templeman, a cellist from Buckingham, England, has put together this sparkling piece that shows just what can be accomplished with a flute and a cello. This duet piece is both quite listenable and quite playable, but to bring out all of the subtelties that are available in it will challenge even accomplished players.
Oboe/bassoon, violin/cello, and possibly trumpet/trombone (transposition is up to you) combinations will also be able to make good use of this piece.
What seems to begin as a simple setting of "Be Thou My Vision" becomes a gallop through the second tune, "Lord of the Dance" (or "Gift to be Simple" depending on your perspective) and then the two tunes become intertwined in a contrapuntal fantasy of phrases and melody snippets in various keys and with various timings. A fun and useful piece for many occasions.
FANTASIA ON TWO HYMN TUNES for flute/cello duet by Keith Templeman comes as a downloadable PDF file of 1424K, containing a four-page score, two-page flute part, two-page cello part, and license page, nine pages in all. Performance time is approximately 2:45.
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.
This old Irish song, often sung to the words "Danny Boy," is set here for a flute and cello duet. It could also be used with other treble/bass combinations, or as a keyboard piece.
Sooner or later, just about everybody hears this old Irish song. That it is sometimes badly butchered by would-be Irish tenors trying to milk the audience for the sentiment they may have for the tune is a tragedy that often mars an otherwise wonderful piece.
This tune is most often set to the words "Danny Boy," and was used as theme music for Danny Thomas' television show in the 1950s. The Danny Boy lyric tells the story of a fond separation that the singing party fears may be permanent, so other than the title it is not obvious what connection the song would have with the show. The tender and melancholy lyric is perhaps one of the reasons it has been so often performed, yet the tune itself has much to recommend it.
The melody has a moderately large range for a vocalist, but instrumentalists find it easy to negotiate. The rising and falling of the tune evokes a picture of the green hills of western Ireland, one of the most beautiful places on the earth.
This treatment is intended to frame the natural beauty of the melody in a relatively uncluttered and unaltered form, so that the tune remains completely recognizable, though ornamented in the reprise chorus, while still allowing the artistry and technique of the two players to come through.
This piece can easily be performed by other soprano/bass instrument combinations such as oboe/bassoon or violin/cello. Good high school players should have little difficulty with this piece.
LONDONDERRY AIR for flute and cello, by Tom Kirkland, comes in a PDF file of 769K that contains three pages of musical score, a two-page flute part, a two-page cello part, and a license page, eight pages in all. Performance time should be around 3:10.
This classically styled rendering of Louis Bourgeois' tune for the 42nd Psalm shows off the range and beauty of sound produced by two cellos. Could also be done by two bassoons.
Back in 1551, when Louis Bourgeois penned a set of hymn tunes that were to be published in the Genevan Psalter, he may have recognized the modern cello, but he would not have had the faintest inkling of using computers and the internet to transmit downloadable musical scores.
Despite technological change, at least two or three of Louis Bourgeois' hymn tunes have been passed down to church hymnals that will continue in use well into the 21st century. I guess if your music can stay in use for almost six hundred years, you've done pretty well as a composer.
The most popular of Bourgeois' tunes is OLD HUNDREDTH, which is used commonly as the tune for the Doxology (Praise God from Whom all blessings flow...). Perhaps his tune for the 42nd Psalm is less well known, but it is still used in many church traditions. The tune is known in various hymnals as GENEVAN 42 or BOURGEOIS, and has been used with a variety of texts. One set of words penned by T. Kingo in 1689 begins, "Praise to Thee and Adoration, Blessed Jesus, Son of God..." It is the source of the title of this piece. An alternate title (fine with me if you want to call it this) would be "Comfort, Comfort Ye My People."
A careful listener may notice that the piece alternates between major and minor keys with the same tonic, the hymn tune always appearing in major (or a related key) with the "framing phrases" appearing in minor. This was just a stylistic choice and nothing special should be read into it. I have been listening to a lot of J. S. Bach's music lately, so I will admit to a strong influence in the feel of this setting, and to possibly unintentionally borrowing a musical idea or two from him. On this account I believe I am in some pretty good company. The flow of the two parts is such that it is more natural to have the players cross voices rather than always keeping the lead with one of the two players. This results in both parts containing the same material, just in a different order, therefore, this piece, while not sounding that way, can be considered as a very long and well-concealed round. This is mentioned only to point out that the players will need to be well matched as to skill and tone quality. There is no lead/accompaniment structure to this duet.
Other bass clef instruments will be able to make good use of this piece, most notably two bassoons, two euphoniums, or two trombones. Mixing instruments might be interesting, but would give the piece a much different flavor because of the lead-switching mentioned above.
The occasion for writing this piece was a request by an enthusiastic customer of www.tributek.com. Her exact words were: "...since you asked about my "dream" piece, I'd like GENEVAN 42 (87 87 77 88) set for two cellos (good luck!)." What do you think of it, Sharon?
MP3 sound sample: Entire piece(synthesizer/midi).
PRAISE TO THEE AND ADORATION for two cellos, by Tom Kirkland, comes in a PDF file of 1008K that contains three pages of musical score and a license page, four pages in all. Performance time should be around 3:15.
Dan Pinkston has rendered William Bradbury's hymn tune as a sparkling fantasy for flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon.
One might well expect an arrangement of William Bradbury's hymn tune BRADBURY, commonly set to the words "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us," to be as smooth as butterscotch topping. Perhaps that is why Dan Pinkston's arrangement for woodwind quartet is so much fun.
Set for flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, this piece is a study in varied rhythms and contrast between staccato and slurred figures. One can almost imagine sheep heading across a hillside, each in its own direction, as the individual woodwind parts accelerate ahead and then pause phrase by phrase.
High school players will find this piece a challenge, as much of the intricate rhythm counting occurs during rests, and there are many places where an unwary player who misses a time signature change will find him- or herself with an unintentional solo. Almost all college players will easily handle this piece.
This piece is fun to play, and a refreshing change of pace that is idiomatically very modern and quite different from your average woodwind quartet fare. In short, it is offered here because we find it quite musical and interesting, and it is likely that you will too.
Dan Pinkston teaches composition at Simpson College in Redding, California, and plays both clarinet and guitar.
SAVIOR, LIKE A SHEPHERD LEAD US for woodwind quartet (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon), arranged by Dan Pinkston, comes in a PDF file of 1736K that contains a seven page score, four parts of two pages each, and a license page, sixteen pages in all. Performance time should be around 2:30.
A short melodic piece for string quartet. Terrific parts for the cello and viola.
This melody, which is rather unimaginatively entitled "Air in C," was originally written for solo piano. It is a rather haunting tune, and I found myself humming it from time to time as I went about doing whatever.
Eventually, as sometimes happens, I found myself humming fragments of a countermelody. This countermelody was a sort of running eighth note part, rising and falling as the harmonies progressed on by. Eventually, I heard a string quartet in my head, with the viola carrying the rolling eighth note part, the cello playing a continuo-like quarter note sequence, and the second violin playing a series of melodic phrases that fill out the harmony and support the first violin on melody. Surprisingly, it went down on paper about as I had heard it. That is, until the first occurrence of the "B" section.
The "A" section establishes a theme that comes back twice more in the piece. It forms the noodle part of our pasta dish. The sauce comes in the "B" section, a soaring exploration of related keys. Since I think nothing soars quite like a cello, I gave the melody to the cello in the "B" section and gave the three chin-mounted instruments a simple rhythmic pattern on which to play the supporting harmony. Besides which, how often do you hear a soaring cello? You hear soaring violins every day, but a soaring cello-- that's a rare treat.
This piece has the same A-B-A-B-A structure of the piano solo of the same name, and borrows its melody. The harmonies were altered somewhat, and the melody was dropped an octave in the "B" section to accommodate the range of the cello. Rhythmically, only the melody bears any resemblance to the piano piece. If nothing else, it is interesting to compare the two pieces and listen for the differences.
As a low brass player, I have played a great many wonderful pieces that had excessively boring supporting parts. I believe (and I think I am in agreement with one J. S. Bach on this point) that all of the players should have interesting parts to play, so far as it is musically possible. So in this piece, the cellist has the continuo and the solo line to play, the violist gets the juicy rollercoaster eighth note countermelody, and the two violinists get sweet melodic phrases. The three higher voices do have the rhythmic accompaniment during the "B" sections, but at least there is bowing technique to work on. I guess the cellist and violist will love it, and the violinists will be able to take it or leave it. Life is like that some times.
If this piece were merely musicologically interesting there would be no point. I wrote it because I wanted to hear it; possibly other folks would want to hear it as well.
This can be well performed by a competent high school string quartet with the traditional voicing (two violins, a viola, and a cello). It is suitable for a reception, or perhaps could find use as a wedding processional. It will probably work in a worship service, or it could be a concert piece, though perhaps not a very flashy one. There is that soaring cello thing, though.
AIR IN C for string quartet, by Tom Kirkland, comes in a PDF file of 1528K that contains a five page score, four parts of two pages each, and a license page, fourteen pages in all. Performance time should be around 3:35.
A unique duet piece for flute and cello, that can also be done with oboe and bassoon or violin and cello.
Perhaps there are not many flute/cello duet combinations out there to perform this piece. Perhaps there are not many violin/cello duets or oboe/bassoon duets, either. But at least one flute/cello duet pair exists and they recently e-mailed and asked if we couldn't come up with an arrangement of this old Irish hymn tune for them.
Well, since we already had two arrangements of this hymn for different combinations out there, it seemed to make sense that we try to follow on with something for just the two voices.
In contemplating how to write for just bass and treble voices, it occured that Bach had written a number of two-part inventions, in which the lower voice part was every bit as much involved in carrying the load as the upper voice. In trying to come up with a way to make that work given that the hymn tune was already extant, this concept evolved into a sort of continuo-style lower voice part supporting at first a simple upper voice part that then becomes an elaborate solo. The end effect would seem to be pleasing to the ear, and the piece can be performed with high school musicians of slightly-above-average skills.
So, we present to you the only arrangement we know of of the Irish tune "Be Thou My Vision" for flute and cello duet, arranged at the request of a couple of young ladies from the Buffalo, New York area. If you are an oboe/bassoon duet or a violin/cello duet, some other pair of treble/bass instruments, or a keyboard player, you should also be able to perform this piece. Enjoy.
BE THOU MY VISION, arranged by Tom Kirkland for flute and cello comes in a pdf file of 659K, with a three-page score, two one-page parts, and a license page, eight pages in all. Performance time for the piece will be about three minutes.
A unique contemporary solo arrangement of the hymn tune, for solo clarinet and piano. Setting by Dan Pinkston. Complete MP3 sound sample.
Dan Pinkston has arranged a contemplative contemporary setting for William H. Doane's hymn tune "Rescue." This famous missionary hymn is very familiar, and this setting enhances the rather simple tune.
Dan Pinkston teaches composition at Simpson College in Redding, California, and is an accomplished clarinetist. He has arranged many hymn tunes in his bright, contemporary style. He makes use of unusual harmonies and shifting rhythms to capture the beauty of this basic late-nineteenth century revival song.
MP3 Sound sample: Daniel Pinkston.
The PDF file contains a score with full piano part, and a clarinet part. It may be possible to play this on a trumpet or cornet, but it would change the feel considerably. Also, this piece has much greater pitch range than most brass players will feel comfortable with. The PDF file contains eight pages in all, a five page score, two page part, and license page
(1624K). Performance time runs about 2:50.
David Hepburn's plaintive Mendelssohn-like piece for oboe and piano. Can also be done with other instruments (three transpositions of the solo part are included).
This piece sounds quite simple, but actually requires quite a bit of musicianship to do well. The interplay of the accompaniment and the solo part does not come through too well in the MIDI sound sample, but in actual performance the accompanist and the soloist can work together to provide a performance lush with emotion.
The piece is written in B major, which in itself can be a challenge. It has a broad range but can be easily managed on a oboe, violin, bassoon, or cello. It would be a much greater challenge on trombone (it is relatively high for a trombone piece) or trumpet or clarinet (in addition to being high, transposition for these instruments puts one in the key of C#).
The accompaniment sounds simple enough, but will also provide a challenge for a developing pianist, both because of the key and because of clef changes in the right hand.
The PDF file contains a score with piano and solo line, an oboe/flute/violin solo part, a clarinet/trumpet solo part, and a bass clef bassoon/cello/trombone solo part.
Interesting treatment of a Christmas standard , for three trombones (or bassoons or cellos).
A trio for low-brass instruments. Can be used with trombones, bass-clef baritones, bassoons, or cellos. Range requires third trombone to hit a low D (bass trombone).
Arpeggiation and unusual harmonies give this piece a uniqueness that will make it fresh during a time of year when the old standards can seem a little tired.
WE THREE KINGS arranged by Tom Kirkland for two tenor trombones and one bass trombone comes in a PDF file of 699K, containing a two-page score and three one-page parts, plus license page, six pages in all. Performance time should be about three minutes.
A request was made to score this old Irish tune for a rather unique ensemble. Click to read the story.
One day I got an e-mail from a young lady named Sarah, asking if I could help her find Be Thou My Vision, scored for her particular ensemble. Listening to the collection of instruments she had gathered to perform this work, I made a wild guess that the only way she was going to get what she was looking for was if I scored it for her group.
So, here is an interesting styling of this grand old Irish tune for a most unique collection of instruments: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Trumpet, Piano, and Vibraharp.
BE THOU MY VISION arranged by Tom Kirkland comes in a PDF file, 1576K, twelve pages in all, score, piano/vibraharp part, flute part, oboe part, clarinet part, trumpet part. Performance time is about three minutes.
alto flute part
