Brass Quintet Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 3 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1303802

Composed by F. Leslie Smith. 21st Century,Chamber,Children,Historic,Multicultural,World. 77 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #893335. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.1303802).

     A song learned in primary school years and years ago had words something along the lines of the following:
          Oh!  I’m a young musician,
          From distant lands I come.
          Singing and playing,
          Ever I’m straying.
     Also known as “I Am a Fine Musician,� “I Am a Gay Musician� and perhaps other titles, that song is still around and has evolved into many different versions.  The original was probably a German folk song from the early 1800s.  As published in an 1889 collection of children’s songs, it bears the title, “Ich bin ein Musikant.�  That translates as “I am a musician.�  In the lyrics the musician claims to be “from Schwabenland� (Swabia) and to play geige (violin: “Dide schum schum schum�), flöte (flute: “Päde wäpp päpp päpp�) and basse (bass: “Dide schum schum schump, päde wäpp päpp päpp).  Later versions list the instruments played by the musician as bassoon, bells, clarinet, drum, guitar, piano, piccolo, triangle, trombone, trumpet, tuba, tympani, viola and just about every instrument and noisemaker you can think of.
     Anyway, that’s the tune on which “The Brass Player� was built.  But here, the musician is concerned only with brass.  Which brass?  Well, possibly trumpet.  Or maybe horn in F.  Or trombone.  Or tuba.  Or perhaps all four; certainly, all are featured in this piece.
     “The Brass Player� comprises four sections.  The first is in the key of C major and is played at a moderate 2/4 tempo.  After a brief Trumpet/Tuba ostinato, Trombone introduces the main theme.  Other instruments join in and play around with a variation or two. 
     The second section is a sweet, nostalgic rendition in 4/4 carried mainly by Horn in F, with help from Trumpets and Trombone. 
     In section three, the mood changes radically.  Time signature goes to 3/4; tempo speeds up to vivace and the key changes to B Minor.  All five instruments participate, and some odd things take place rhythmically at I through K (measures 200 through 262), but Tuba seems to carry the melody most of the time.
     Section four, in G Major, clips along at a fast 4/4 time.  It returns to the main theme and (as in “Ich bin ein Musikant� and its multitudinous derivations) presents in call-and-response form.  The first few measures are straight, but discord quickly creeps in.  The melody begins to include smears, flutter tonguing and off-beat rhythmic figures.  There is even a brief section in G Minor.  Gradually, order and theme are restored and the piece ends in a glorious, upbeat statement.
     This piece, completed in 2023, consists of 398 measures, a little over nine minutes in length.  There are four changes of key and four changes of time signature.  Trumpet 1’s highest note is A above its staff; Trombone’s is F above the staff.  Trumpet 2 has a few G-below-its-staff notes.
     The arranger, Les Smith, will be happy to provide substitute parts (for example, treble clef baritone for trombone) at no charge.  He would like to receive your suggestions, comments, corrections and criticisms.  Contact him at lessmith61@bellsouth.net.  For more arrangements by Les, enter Sweetwater Brass Press (without the quotation marks) in the Sheet Music Plus or Sheet Music Direct search box.

Brass Ensemble,Brass Quintet Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 4 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1202140

Composed by Johanna Hall and John Hall. Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Contemporary,Disco,Hip-Hop,Pop,R & B,Rock. Score and parts. 27 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #800795. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.1202140).

John Hall and his then-wife Johanna had written several hit songs for John's group, Orleans.  Johanna wanted to create a song in the 1950s doo-wop style she so admired.  They did, and their composition described a certain Miss Grace who enchanted the lyricist with her “satin and perfume and lace.�  The problem was: that song really did not fit in with Orleans' pop rock repertoire and image.  Meanwhile, The Tymes, a Philadelphia group, was looking for a number that might revive its popularity.  So when the Miss Grace song was suggested they decided to take it on.  This was the mid-1970s, just when the honorific Ms. was growing in use.  So The Tymes changed the song's title to “Ms. Grace.�  Released as a single, the song did very well in the UK, topping the chart at number one in January 1975.
    Written in 4/4 time, this brass quintet version flows along at about 104 BPM.  Beginning notation instructs that eighth-note pairs are to be played so that the first note is about twice as long as the second; in other words, swing style.  It retains the original D major key, but gives most of the melody to Horn and Trombone an octave lower so that it stays within normal playing range of the group.  The nature of the song is such that there are a number of phrases that begin with off-beat pickup notes.  Trumpets provide accents and flourishes and occasionally take over the melody for a few measures.  Tuba really does the most work, playing through almost the entire piece.
    Completed in 2023, performance time runs about 3 minutes, 3 seconds. The arranger, Les Smith, will be happy to provide substitute parts (for example, treble clef baritone for trombone) at no charge.  He would like to receive your suggestions, comments, corrections and criticisms.  For more arrangements by Les, enter Sweetwater Brass Press (without the quotation marks) in the Sheet Music Plus or Sheet Music Direct search box.  (Also, purchase of this piece entitles you to your choice of another of his arrangements at no charge; send a copy of your purchase receipt directly to him at lessmith61@bellsouth.net.).

Brass Quintet Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 3 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1416368

Composed by Isham Jones. Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Jazz,Pop,Standards,Wedding. 28 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #997935. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.1416368).

Isham Edgar Jones certainly kept busy.  By age 26 the Chicago tenor saxophonist led his own dance band, and it was one of the most popular of the 1920s.  But he also found time to write melodies for a whole raft of popular songs.  Twenty-one Isham Jones Orchestra recordings of his compositions peaked in the top ten most popular, and eight of those made it to the number one spot.  One was It Had to Be You, with words by Gus Kahn.
     Although written in 1924, It Had to Be You defies the passage of time, still sounding fresh and contemporary.  It remains popular and has evolved into a jazz standard.
     This brass quintet version retains the original key of G Major.  It opens with a suggested tempo of 104 BPM and a nine-measure introduction that combines figures and phrases from both verse and chorus.  At rehearsal letter A, Trumpet 1 begins the melody of the familiar chorus, accompanied by Tuba and Horn in F.  Trumpet 2 quickly joins and the melody changes to an upper brass trio.  The melody then passes to Trombone, back to the trio, to Tuba and then to Horn in F.  The section winds up  with the original Trumpet-Horn-Tuba combination.
     The seldom-heard verse begins at rehearsal letter C and takes the form of a sort of call-and-response between upper and lower brass.  As the section nears its end, tempo slows to a suggested 80 BPM and Trombone begins to take over.
     Rehearsal letter D marks the beginning of the chorus’ final time through, and here it is mostly Trombone handling the melody in quasi-Dixieland fashion.  The upper brass trio and Tuba both help out, but, for the most part, it is Trombone all the way to the end.  (Although, a good time is had by all!)
     Performance time is about three minutes, fifty seconds.  All notes are within the normal playing range of each instrument with the following exceptions:  (1) Trumpet 1 has one or two A-above-its-staff notes, and (2) in the wrap-up near the end, Trombone has the option of playing a short phrase either (a) within its register or (b) higher, including a G above the staff.
     The arranger, Les Smith, will be happy to provide substitute parts (for example, treble clef baritone for trombone) at no charge.  He would like to receive your suggestions, comments, corrections and criticisms.  Contact him at lessmith61@bellsouth.net.  For more arrangements by Les, enter Sweetwater Brass Press (without the quotation marks) in the Sheet Music Plus or Sheet Music Direct search box.