Brass Quintet Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1221432 By Stan Kenton & His Orchestra. By L. Wolfe Gilbert, Marion Sunshine, and Moises Simons. Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Jazz,Latin,Multicultural,Pop,World. 39 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #817754. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.1221432). Can a brass quintet sound like Stan Kenton’s 19-piece big band? No, not really:  no saxophones, no rhythm section, no Milt Bernhart, no Maynard Ferguson, no Bill Russo, no Conte Candoli, no . . .   Well, you get the picture.  But five brass instruments can play in the Kenton style.  And that’s what this is:  “The Peanut Vendor� in the style of the Stan Kenton Orchestra.      Moisés Simons’ “El Manisero� (“The Peanut Vendor�) was first recorded in the late 1920s.  The melody was relatively simple yet exotic sounding; the lyrics, a Cuban street vendor’s pitch for selling his bags of peanuts.  Consumers bought more than a million copies of the sheet music, and the song supposedly led to a “rumba craze� in the U.S. and Europe (although the song is not really a rumba!).       Don Azpiazú and his Havana Casino Orchestra recorded the song for RCA Victor in 1930 with Antonio Machín on the vocal; its sales may well have been more than the million-plus sheet music copies sold.       English lyrics were added by L. Wolfe Gilbert and Marion Sunshine and the song became “The Peanut Vendor.�  One estimate is that nearly 200 recordings have been made.  That’s a lot of peanuts.      Stan Kenton revived “The Peanut Vendor� in 1947 when he first recorded it for Capitol Records.  His version was completely instrumental.  Rhythm and saxophones opened the number and established the background; later the trombone section added emphasis.  A trombone solo first stated the melody but eventually the five-person trumpet section took over with what one writer referred to as “shrieking dissonances.�  “The Peanut Vendor� subsequently became one of Kenton’s most requested numbers and he recorded it at least three more times.     This brass quintet arrangement, of course, has access to only two trumpets.  So the good news is that all five players get a chance with the melody.  Kenton’s extended opening trombone solo is shared by Trombone and Tuba.  The “shrieking dissonances� are performed not only by Trumpets but also by Horn in F and Trombone.  The bad news is that all five players have to take a turn with the continuing rhythmic background melody.  Written in 4/4 time, the suggested tempo is 184 BPM in a Latin style.  Kenton’s version is in B-flat major; this arrangement lowers it to A-flat major so that most notes are within the normal playing range of the instruments.  (Don’t worry; the “shrieking dissonances� are still there!)       Completed in 2023, performance time runs about 3 minutes, 37 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.).

Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1149129 By John Coltrane. By John Coltrane. Arranged by Keith Terrett. 20th Century,Blues,Jazz,Multicultural,Standards,World. 11 pages. Keith Terrett #749258. Published by Keith Terrett (A0.1149129). An arrangement of John Coltrane's classic Equinox for Brass Quintet with optional drum kit. Equinox is a minor blues jazz standard by American jazz saxophone player and composer John Coltrane. Originally released on Coltrane's Sound[ played in C# minor with a slow swing feel. However, it is usually played in the key of C Minor and often covered on the flute Coltrane’s wife Naima named the song Equinox. The equinox occur twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth’s axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the sun. John Coltrane was born on September 23, 1926, the day of the official autumn equinox of that year. The release of Equinox was delayed until 1964 when Atlantic issued the album Coltrane’s Sound. Before he recorded it, Coltrane performed Equinox several times in live venues, including a session with Miles Davis’ rhythm section and at the 1960 Monterey Jazz Festival. Unfortunately, the other Atlantic recordings of Equinox were lost in the 1978 warehouse fire before they were released.Unlike Naima and My Favorite Things, Equinox would not become part of Coltrane's repertoire. Coltrane's attitude in writing Equinox is described by Dr Lewis Porter as Coltrane was a serious blues player and his blues pieces reflect the desire to get back to a primal mood, and away from the emotionally lighter, harmonically more complicated and complex blues of the boppers. Equinox is introduced by McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones with a Latin rhythmic passage which shifts into the slower tempo of the theme. The composition evokes a sense of mystery. Coltrane then enters on the horn (a tenor), his playing slow and pensive. The theme is repeated for two choruses and then stating the theme twice. He then proceeds with an improvisation of unusual emotional depth - reminiscent of a preacher exhorting his congregation. Elvin Jones make dramatic use of drum rolls and cymbal crashes throughout the song to maintain the sense of mystery. McCoy Tyner comps with a light feel.

Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1158418 Composed by Dr. Daniel N. Thrower. 20th Century,Chamber,Classical,Historic,Patriotic. 31 pages. Https://gildedmusicpress.com/ #758704. Published by https://gildedmusicpress.com/ (A0.1158418). Some of my fondest memories as a child were made during long, uncomfortable road trips. As a father, similar memories with my children are among my warmest. This three-and-a-half-minute piece of music aptly tells the title’s story. The excitement leading up to the anticipated day of departure is electric! The opening fanfare-ish intro reflects this buzz well. It is followed by a quirky rhythmic section as “helpful� kids load their poorly packed bags full of unnecessary items awkwardly into the vehicle. The fanfare returns as the family hits the road at last. As the rest of the music unfolds, imagine the alphabet game, off-key songs sung at the top of everyone’s lungs, rest stops (emergency or otherwise), spilled food, car problems, drowsiness, souvenirs, car sickness, and of course ultimate arrival at planned destinations. This soundtrack to a fun part of life can be anyone’s road trip! Work on this composition began on September 19, 2021 as a thoroughly sketched out fanfare in my manuscript notebook during a church youth activity in a park. It remained in that state until I contracted Covid-19 in July 2022 and was confined to a hotel room for a week. There, I entered this sketch into the computer, along with a dozen others. Throughout the summer, all of these works received some attention, but this one more than the rest. Much of the final work on “Road Trip� took place during a trip to Philadelphia.

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 Quintet Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1465672 By Kenny Loggins. By Kenny Loggins and Melissa Manchester. Arranged by Will Corbin. Pop. 20 pages. Will Corbin #1044284. Published by Will Corbin (A0.1465672). Here's another don't-do-it chart, built from the sappy 1978 hit Kenny Loggins co-wrote with Melissa Manchester and sang with Stevie Nicks (and later with Dutch singer Kimm.This arrangement casts the trumpets in the co-singer roles, with horn and trombone solos thrown in so that they have something to look forward to. Sorry, tuba: You were too important as the heart of the rhythm section.If you need alternative instrumentation, please contact me at wilcor@aol.com.

Brass Quintet Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 2 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1373864 By Bobby Darin. By Paul Francis Webster and Sonny Burke. Arranged by Peet du Toit. Blues. 17 pages. Peet du Toit #958338. Published by Peet du Toit (A0.1373864). Black Coffee is a song with music by Sonny Burke and words by Paul Francis Webster. The song was published in 1948.It's first two measures are nearly identical to Mary Lou Williams' 1938 piece What's Your Story Morning Glory, and both songs share melodic motifs drawn from blues (including a strong melodic emphasis on the flat third and flat seventh intervals, known as blue notes). Williams felt that Burke and Webster plagiarized her composition, and reportedly considered taking legal action over the matter. The two songs have significant melodic and rhythmic differences after the first two measures of their respective 'A' sections, and Black Coffee has a unique bridge section that has no parallel in Morning Glory. However, during her piano solo, Williams plays both the identical feel and harmonies that appear on Black Coffee, with dominant chords moving up and down by half steps in lieu of staying on the tonic chord. While not a carbon copy, Burke and Webster arguably picked sections of What's Your Story Morning Glory to string together to create a new song. Coincidentally, jazz trumpeter Paul Webster (no relation to lyricist Paul Francis Webster) was given co-writer credit for Morning Glory by Williams when she published her song in 1938.My dear friend, Sam Harrill, has added his percussion magic some years later, and I am re-posting this for greater effect. Nothing in the brass parts changed. Thank you, Sam!

Brass Quintet Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1323145 Composed by Steve Dekker. Contemporary. 25 pages. Linden Brass Press Inc. #911412. Published by Linden Brass Press Inc. (A0.1323145). Experiment #1 for Brass QuintetTwo Trumpets (Bb), Horn (F), Trombone, TubaLevel: 4/5 (Colg→Univ)The composer combines lyrical heroism with jazzy rhythms to create a beautiful and approachable work for brass. An effective technique used is to punctuate the music with periodic silences or unison moments. There are a few quasi-Penny Lane measures for first trumpet midway through, followed by some nice tuba solos, then the piece ends with an appropriately What if...? feeling!===Performance Notes:Experiment #1 is an original composition written for brass quintet. This composition was inspired by a curiosity to explore the different instrument sounds available in music notation software. As a result, this piece was originally written for synths, keyboards, bass and drums. After completing the piece, I found the sounds and instrumentation lacked warmth and character.  Ultimately, I liked the piece and decided the experiment would be to score it for brass quintet and see what happens.  There are three basic themes or sections utilized in Experiment #1. The themes/sections move from heroic to the contemporary and culminate in a recapitulation of the hero theme. An eighth-note ostinato statement acts as a recurring motif connecting each section. The various themes are spread across the quintet with a variety of textures and contrapuntal devices serving to further elevate the composition. Run time is 4:48....Steve Dekker===.

Brass Quintet Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1325808 Composed by Will Whitten. 21st Century. 17 pages. Gordon Cherry #913999. Published by Gordon Cherry (A0.1325808). ZENITH for Brass Quintet by Will Whitten is a fast-paced, exciting and rhythmic new composition for Brass Quintet. It is in A-B-A form kickstarted from the first bar with the marking Driving! The contrasting B Section marked Elegant takes the excitement down several notches and gives the tuba player a chance to shine. The final A Section resumes the exciting multimeter rhythms of the opening and ends with a grand flourish.The music is scored for a traditional Brass Quintet comprised of 2 Trumpets in B-flat, Horn, Trombone and Tuba.

Brass quintet - Moderately Easy - Digital Download SKU: MQ.1.3400-E Composed by Alistair Coleman. 29 pages. Galaxy Music Corporation - Digital #1.3400-E. Published by Galaxy Music Corporation - Digital (MQ.1.3400-E). The title of the piece is the Latin word for imagination. Opening with a lively fanfare, syncopated rhythms drive the first section toward a reflective middle section. There, explorations of the melody and counter-melody, along with jazz-influenced supporting harmonies, are distributed among the various instruments. An accelerando then launches the return of the opening material and builds toward a concluding coda of vigorous rhythmic fanfares and resolute melody.

Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1158195 Composed by Dr. Daniel N. Thrower. 20th Century,Chamber,Classical,Film/TV,Instructional. 41 pages. Https://gildedmusicpress.com/ #758471. Published by https://gildedmusicpress.com/ (A0.1158195). A hypercube is a theoretical cuboid-like fourth-dimensional object. In an attempt to explain spatial dimentions, I created an 18-minute video presentation titled “Dimensions Unfurled� exposing some initial fallacies of common thought, which can be seen on YouTube. All of the music for the above-mentioned video is original. There are two trumpet duets in the section that depicts a hypercube net folding into a hypercube model, starting at 13’20� and 14’51, respectively. Both duets are published in a collection titled “Fifteen-Course Dinner for Two� (available through Gilded Music Press). The two duets share thematic material, and are combined and greatly expanded for this present major six-minute work for brass quintet, “Building a Hypercube�. The first short duet, “Drawing a Hypercube Net�, is presented as the quintet’s introduction, quite faithfully to the original, shared through five parts with harmonic expansion. The material from the second duet is essentially unadulterated starting at measure 27, spanning through measure 70 (up to letter D). From there, the development of thematic material is extensive and interesting, morphing into Escher-types of additional themes and melodies, many of which overlap and intertwine in a fascinatingly complex manner. This unsettling compositional style is indicative of years of profound pondering to fathom the mysterious matter of the fourth spatial dimension. Musically the piece is motivically and thematically unified. All the parts share in the rhythmic complexity fitting for the ponderous topic. The form is roughly sonata form with an introduction and coda, though the recapitulation (Del Segno) occurs in its original key. The majority of the piece (about three minutes, almost exactly half) is the symbolically explorative development section, from D to O. A point of interest: in spite of the piece’s high harmonic rhythm, the introduction is diatonically modal (G Mixolydian). The exposition, after a brief building transition, shifts to the relative D Dorian mode. The lengthy development section shifts tonal centers throughout, visiting various major and minor keys. Beginning at letter O, modality returns for a smooth transition into the recapitulation. The piece ends with an exhilarating coda.

Brass Quintet Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 2 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1239994 By The Browns. By Bert Reisfeld and Jean Villard. Arranged by Justin S. Bare. Pop. 16 pages. Justin S. Bare #835357. Published by Justin S. Bare (A0.1239994). The Three Bells, as performed by The Browns, arranged for brass quintet. Attempts to stay true to the recorded version by The Browns were made, including a bit of somewhat complicated rhythmic writing in the beginning chorale and subsequent like sections. Good communication is needed here, as this section should have a free feel (it is recommended that ensemble members be well-acquainted with the original version as to properly grasp the nature of the passage).This is a lovely song that makes for a beautiful piece for brass quintet sure to please audiences of all types.

Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1158198 Composed by Dr. Daniel N. Thrower. 20th Century,Chamber,Classical. 28 pages. Https://gildedmusicpress.com/ #758475. Published by https://gildedmusicpress.com/ (A0.1158198). An extremely artistic and challenging composition, fit to feature on any concert, both for the general public and academic circles, Airpower! is cleverly titled to honor MSgt Alex Serwatowski, an Air Force tuba player, upon his retirement. Overall, “Airpower!� is light-hearted with a comedic but dignified feel, intended to be happy and celebratory. There are moments of a more serious nature, such as the transitions in measures 19-22 and 74-77, and a slower contemplative section (51-68) with a particularly dramatic moment in measures 55-56, where the listener wants to rise up with honor and respect. There is a healthy spectrum of emotions in this work. One remarkable feature of this composition is that it does not end in the same key in which it starts. In fact, it ends in D major, a tritone away from its opening key of A-flat major—as distantly related as two keys can be. Throughout the entire piece, the harmonic rhythm is intense, primarily exploring chromatic mediants and relative keys, wandering from A-flat to C to F to D minor and then several rapid tonicizations leading to G major, then to E minor to E major to G, E-flat, C minor, C major, A minor, tonicizations again, finally ending in D major. Although it is highly unified thematically (with essentially one theme that varies and develops, symbolically), this unique harmonic feature symbolizes the change that a person undergoes through a 23-year career. “Airpower!� is about 4’30� in duration, which is a fairly substantial single-movement work for brass quintet. The tempo never varies through the entire work, though with rhythmic augmentation and mutation the effect of tempo changes is present. The technical demands are difficult for all the players. This piece works the tuba into the melody and technical passages as much as any other player.

Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1108344 Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Arranged by Ray Thompson. Classical,Religious,Sacred. 11 pages. RayThompsonMusic #710984. Published by RayThompsonMusic (A0.1108344). Arranged standard brass quintet. Transposed from A minor down to G minor to suit brass instrumentation The Requiem in D minor, K. 626, is a requiem mass by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791). Mozart composed part of the Requiem in Vienna in late 1791, but it was unfinished at his death on 5 December the same year. A completed version dated 1792 by Franz Xaver Süssmayr was delivered to Count Franz von Walsegg, who commissioned the piece for a requiem service on 14 February 1792 to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of his wife Anna at the age of 20 on 14 February 1791. This is my arrangement of No.5 Confutatis (From the accursed).It begins with a rhythmic and dynamic sequence of strong contrasts and surprising harmonic turns on tuba and horn the tenors and basses (Trumpets and trombone) burst into a forte vision of the infernal, on a dotted rhythm. The accompaniment then ceases , and trumpet 1 and tbn enter softly and sotto voce, (Voca me cum benedictis ()Call upon me with the blessed) with an arpeggiated accompaniment on horn and trumpet 2. Finally, in the following stanza (Oro supplex et acclinis), there is a striking modulation from G minor to Gb minor. This music suits the brass quintet. Section III of the requiem is titled “Sequenz� (sequentia or sequence). It is made up of the following pieces I have arrangements of all of them, for varying types of ensemble * Dies irae * Tuba mirum * Rex tremendae * Recordare * Confutatis * Lacrymosa. I have also arranged Mozarts Motet “Ave Verum Corpus� K618.

Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 5 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1158390 Composed by Dr. Daniel N. Thrower. 20th Century,Chamber,Classical,Contemporary,Historic. 34 pages. Https://gildedmusicpress.com/ #758671. Published by https://gildedmusicpress.com/ (A0.1158390). “Pony Express Trail� is the fourth substantial composition in a masterful series of “American Trails� for brass quintet. This piece commemorates the 160th year of the astounding system of stations and riders that was ingeniously devised to quickly deliver mail and other communications from America’s Missouri River frontier to the rapidly growing western territories. The music in this 4½-minute work is rambunctious, rhythmically unpredictable, and yet extremely exciting and listenable to the average audience member. The use of three woodblocks as the only percussion allude strongly to the clopping whirl of horses’ hooves, though not in a rhythmically mimicking manner. The opening motifs immediately develop into a manic ride across the Wild West, and lay the groundwork for all melodic content. These simple motifs smack of cowboy music, subtly borrowed from the movie theme to “Magnificent Seven� composed by Elmer Bernstein. Other influences for this piece include Aaron Copland’s harmonies and wide intervals, and the virtuosic brass band cornet writing of Gustav Holst and Malcolm Arnold. In the style of an operatic three-part overture, the middle slow section memorializes the tragic loss of 16 lives during the Paiute war in the summer of 1860. Being a rider or a station attendant for the Pony Express was perilous on any leg of the trail, but especially during that time in the Nevada Territory. In a very real way, all these men were iconic heroes of the American West.

Brass Quintet - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1489523 Composed by Dr. Daniel N. Thrower. 21st Century,Chamber,Classical,Film/TV. 31 pages. Https://gildedmusicpress.com/ #1066386. Published by https://gildedmusicpress.com/ (A0.1489523). Dimension Traveler, Op. 150, for brass quintet was completed 26 Mar 2024.  When I wrote the first few distinctive notes into the computer, my ten-year-old son said that it sounded “futuristic.”  Somehow that sparked memories of a novel I had started years ago, titled “Dimension Traveler,” based on dimensional theories I had developed.  With that fresh inspiration in mind, the piece wrote itself with opening movie credits in mind.The form is thematically palindromic, the center point being m. 77.  The beginning to rehearsal letter A mirrors K to the end; A to B is parallel to J-K; B-C = I-J; C-D = H-I; D-E = G-H; and the central thematic sections E-F = F-G.  Concerning that central turning point, the thematic material shifts from the trumpets’ first statement at letter E to low brass with the trumpets taking on the pointillistic accompaniment at letter F.  Of interest is the parallel of C-D and H-I wherein the motivic material, including dynamics, is quite literally reversed note for note to a climax.For aural aesthetics in performance, there is an optional cut from letter K to m. 142.  Thematically, the structure remains chiastic, but taking the cut simply truncates the end for a motivic flavor rather than repeating the entire opening entrée.  There is nothing wrong with purists performing the work in its entirety—it is simply a matter of taste among the performing ensemble members.Stylistically, this piece strays far from my typical compositions.  Besides the pervasive echoing eighth-note motifs, the key never changes, and there is no chromaticism.  Inspired in that regard by the masterpiece “Quintet” by Michael Kamen, the diatonicism often flows in planed clusters mildly influenced by the choral works of Eric Whitacre.  Another deviation from my well-established compositional habits is the instrumentation including bass trombone instead of tuba.  Of course the part can be played by a tubist, though the bass trombone meshes more seamlessly with the timbres of the other instruments in passing along the pervasively echoing eighth-notes.The individual brass parts appear deceptively simple, and indeed, they are not technically demanding besides a couple high notes in the trumpets.  However, putting this piece together in an ensemble setting is rhythmically treacherous!The four-minute final product indeed sounds like it could be the opening to an epic movie of the same title, based on the novel-in-progress.