SKU: A0.1393219

When Johnny Comes Marching Home (sometimes When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again) is a popular song from the American Civil War that expressed people's longing for the return of their friends and relatives who were fighting in the war.

Here's a short and powerful version of the song with great chord progressions!

SKU: A0.1145313

Swing Along! by Will Marion Cook, prominent African-American in Music Theater, composer, conductor, and violinist, combines Cakewalk style with classical music techniques to create an entertaining and memorable work from the early 20th century now arranged for a brass quintet of two trumpets or cornets in B-flat, horn in F (alternate flugelhorn part provided), trombone and tuba. The recording is of the complete edition. 

Cook was a key figure in American music from the 1890s to the 1920s. His Swing Along! was written for a theater production in 1903 combining Black folk music with classical music techniques and became a popular standard with choruses and glee clubs. A violin virtuoso, he studied at Oberlin College, Berlin's Hochschule für Musik with Joseph Joachim, and New York's National Conservatory of Music with Antonin Dvorak. He devoted his career to Black musical comedies and was instrumental in showcasing his Southern Syncopated Orchestrat throughout the Unites States and Europe, featuring New Orleans clarinetist Sidney Bechet. Mentored by Frederick Douglas, Will Marion Cook went on to mentor Duke Ellington, paving the path for orchestral concert jazz. 

“The Music of Black Composers Series is a welcome and timely addition to the brass repertoire. Interesting music, expertly arranged, fun to perform, and well received by audiences. Highly recommended!�   Wesley Nance, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Eastman School of Music

“I was so pleased to see the great works arranged for brass ensemble by Charles Decker Music Press especially the Music of Black Composers’ Series. It was especially rewarding to perform several of these with Summit Brass and with the students attending the Rafael Mendez Brass institute. Please keep these wonderful settings coming. You have provided the brass world with some real gems.�  Joseph Parisi, Director Summit Brass, Fountain City Brass Band, University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory Wind Ensemble

The Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Denver have purchased the Music of Black Composer Series with Charles Decker Music Press and the summer Rafael Mendez Brass Institute and Eastman School of Music uses the series arrangements in their chamber and brass ensembles music programs. 

See 50+ homogeneous brass editions for trumpet, horn and trombone ensembles and 75+ mixed brass ensemble publications with Charles Decker Music Press at Sheet Music Plus for inexperienced to advanced musicians with music ranging from the Renaissance to contemporary new works for trios, quartets, quintets, brass choir and brass band. Many of the mixed brass ensemble editions include alternate and substitute parts being alternate C trumpet parts for B-flat trumpet parts, flugelhorn/trumpet substitute for horn, horn substitute for trombone and treble clef euphonium substitute for trombone. To see our Music of Black Composers Series enter “Black Composers Series� in the search box at Charles Decker Music Press for 25 arrangements for mixed brass ensembles ranging from early jazz to symphonic works with composers Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, R. Nathaniel Dett, William Grant Still, Will Marion Cook, James Reese Europe, James Johnson and others.

SKU: A0.775188

Master Tin Pan Alley songwriting team Henry Creamer and John Turner Layton paired up to write Come Along (I'm Through with Worryin'), a cheerful, up tempo song with the chorus derived from the spiritual Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. In Creamer and Layton's rendition of the song, the verse is march-like. There are two separate written choruses, both of which slide into more of a Dixieland style.   Our arrangement of this piece spreads melodic responsibilities across the top four parts. Arranged for brass quintet (two Bb trumpets, French horn, trombone, and tuba). Performance time is approximately 2:28. Visit our website, www.tootsuitebrasspublishing.com, for a catalog of our arrangements available through sheetmusicplus.com.

SKU: A0.553895

Arranged standard brass quintet

The Long and Winding Road is a song by the English rock band The Beatles from their 1970 album Let It Be. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney.
When issued as a single in May 1970, a month after the Beatles' break-up, it became the group's 20th and last number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.

SKU: A0.1288806

From the 1970 album,'Let it Be'. It went on to be the Beatles 20th No.1 in the United States. McCartney, who composed the song, was not happy with what was done to it after the original recording, yet it remains one of the Beatles most popular songs.

SKU: LV.13867

The Loyal Chelmsford Volunteers March and Quick Step Arranged for the Piano Forte or Harp. Composed by Edward Perry. Published [n.d.] by Longman, Clementi & Co., 26 Cheapside in n.p. Composition of da capo with piano; harp; woodwind and brass quintet instrumentation.

About The Lester S. Levy Collection

The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music consists of over 29,000 pieces of American popular music. Donated to Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, the collection's strength is its thorough documentation of nineteenth-century American through popular music. This sheet music has been provided by Project Gado, a San Francisco Bay Area startup whose mission is to digitize and share the world's visual history.

WARNING: These titles are provided as historical documents. Language and concepts within reflect the opinions and values of the time and may be offensive to some.

SKU: A0.1364455

SKU: 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.).

SKU: A0.1320896

Recycled from Sousa’s operetta of the same name, this is one of Sousa’s longest marches. Personally, the euphonium part is one of the most difficult and demanding excerpts I’ve seen on auditions. Though I’ve followed the Marine Band edition section titles I disagree with their designations. I see mm. 22-33 as an Interlude, not a Strain, while mm. 52-68, though it adds a flat, is less a Trio melody and more an additional Strain. No matter the semantics, this is a charming and unique march close to my heart. 

This Brass Quintet arrangement was made using “The President’s Own� United States Marine Band’s The Complete Marches of John Philip Sousa score as found at https://www.marineband.marines.mil/Audio-Resources/The-Complete-Marches-of-John-Philip-Sousa/. The Free Lance was composed in 1906, and the referenced edition was made Public Domain in 2018. The piece is catalogued as Volume 4, No. 64.

SKU: A0.1200858

Brass Quintet Arrangement of Lennon/Mccartney When I'm Sixty-four featuring moderate ranges.  Playable by a good high school quintet.  Would make a fun singalong for a professional or college group as well.