SKU: A0.1302907

This is a moderately difficult arrangement of the Contrapunctus No. 4 from J.S. Bach's Art of Fugue. Suitable for all occasions; from church services, concerts, recitals, and any event where festive brass music is played.

SKU: A0.1457384

Movement V - R.P.A from Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar arranged for brass quintet.

SKU: A0.928172

Suite No. 4 for Brass Quintet (HMV 429) has a dramatic introductory fugue, followed by the four dances that traditionally comprised such suites (Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue). Georg Friedrich Händel wrote 22 keyboard suites over his lifetime, primarily in his younger years. Not all the suites lend themselves to brass performance, but this one is perfectly suited for such treatment. This arrangement balances the five voices or the quintet evenly, and makes for a wonderful ensemble experience. This edition includes the ornaments, tempos and articulations that convey the spirit of the Baroque. Quintets can follow traditional Baroque terraced dynamics or use a more contemporary approach, as suits their own style. Perfect for concerts, recitals and contest, the difficulty level varies by movement from medium to medium-advanced. Total performance time is 12:54. Member, ASCAP.

SKU: 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.

SKU: A0.1302977

A quiet and contemplative arrangement of this iconic piece of music from the piano music of Erik Satie. Suitable for many events including concerts, services, weddings, prelude music, and more. A moderately difficult arrangement.

SKU: A0.1132084

The Mission is scored for brass quintet. It has very dramatic, somewhat film score sound. You will enjoy adding this piece to your concert.

SKU: A0.791001

Versatile Brass Quintet Collection

I did this arrangement for brass quintet when Versatile Brass reduced to this format in the 1990's. We used it on a 'Last Night of the Proms' concert as I remember in a village hall in Lancashire.

I have since used it on a number of occasions with other quintets that I have had the pleasure of playing with. It isn't easy, because the music isn't easy but it is what it is.

SKU: A0.1489486

This collection of short compositions for brass quintet was conceived specifically to supplement a dearth of appropriate and artistic original compositions for the young aspiring brass quintet.  These pieces are most fitting for a good high school quintet or a beginning college ensemble that wants a conquerable challenge.  With a variety of keys, styles, and tempos, they lend themselves well for deep work on the core ensemble skills of rhythmic accuracy, intonation, and dynamic balance.  These brief works are also quite enjoyable for the professional quintet to perform for ever-popular school shows, or simply to read as a warmup with the focus of improving ensemble skills.  Performance time for all five pieces is approximately five minutes.

“Blackhawk” (duration 0:45) was originally composed in D-sharp minor as a melody to be used in Comprehensive Trumpet Skills, Book 9: Sightreading and Transposition (p. 39).  The quintet version is in concert D minor for more manageable execution.  This brisk four-four work is perhaps the most difficult in the collection, with demands of multiple tonguing for all the instruments as well as fairly advanced intervallic jumps.  

“Lamb of God” (duration 1:00) is one of many hymn tunes originally composed by Dr. Thrower for use in Comprehensive Trumpet Skills, Book 7: Ensemble Skills (p. 54), intended to be used to tune unisons and octaves.  As a tuning study it was published in the key of F major for B-flat trumpet, or concert E-flat major.  The quintet version retained the original key of concert E-flat.  The reverently subdued four-four tempo makes this the easiest piece in the collection, technically, though the three core ensemble skills listed in the introductory paragraph (rhythm, intonation, and balance) must still be extensively addressed.  The horn part is perhaps the most demanding in “Lamb of God,” with arpeggiated discant lines toward the end.

“Summer Solstice” (duration 1:10) was started on June 21, 2023, which was the summer solstice.  It is a bright, cheerful piece in concert F major with a lot of interest in all the parts.  One source of the title’s inspiration came from my family’s new situation living in Tokyo, Japan, where the dawn sky brightens around 4:00 AM on the longest days of the year, which obviously coincide with the summer solstice.  The 70-second piece was completed four days after conception while the long days started at their earliest.

“Triumph: Children’s March” (duration 1:00) was the catalyst for this collection.  It started as a cute little brass quintet piece in the key of concert B-flat major, to be performed for children, such as for school concerts.  The cut-time tempo is very brisk for a march, but animated little legs (or a more manageable audience activity of clapping hands) can easily handle the task.  Although the first trumpet part ends up on a high C, there is an alternate note for a more comfortable ending.

“Waltzing Puma” (duration 0:30) is an evocative title for an evocative piece.  Like “Blackhawk,” this melody was composed as a melody for Comprehensive Trumpet Skills, Book 9: Sightreading and Transposition (p. 36).  The melodies in that series took on titles of military aircraft, and this one was the helicopter “Puma.”  Since this tune is in a fast three-four, it became the “Waltzing Puma.”  The quintet version retains the original key of concert F minor.

SKU: A0.1365357

A requested processional for the bride at many wedding, this arrangement of this popular song from Wagner's Opera Lohengrin, is arranged for Brass Quintet. Perfect for weddings or any service where a stately processional is needed.

SKU: A0.928135

Variations on a Theme of Josef Haydn is one of Brahms' most popular works, expertly arranged here for Brass Quintet by American composer P. F. Strohm. Brahms wrote this piece (Op. 56) in the summer of 1873, first for two pianos then as an orchestral work. It is well-known for its unique five-measure phrasing of the chorale, which is used throughout the piece. Brahms kept this basic structure while developing the material in each variation, creating ten related-but-separate musical gems. This works out well for brass players, as individual variations range from just under a minute to just over three minutes for the finale. The piece is a joy to perform. The variations can be combined at will to fit performer skills for recitals, concerts and contests. Played in its entirety, Variations on a Theme of Josef Haydn is a striking concert showpiece with a typical performance time of 17:50. This third edition of the arrangement has uses a new font, clarifies some accidentals, and improves the part layouts. Difficulty level for the piece varies between Medium and Medium-Advanced. Member, ASCAP.