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 - 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.

By David Bowie. Arranged by Kevin Morgan. Score, Set of Parts. 17 pages. Published by trombonemusic.co.uk (H0.178493-475597). - Score,Set of Parts - - trombonemusic.co.uk

Brass Ensemble - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.808700 Composed by Frank Loesser. Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Contemporary. Score and parts. 16 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #5020113. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.808700).     Brandon Thomas’ three-act farce, Charley’s Aunt, opened in London in 1892 and was a huge success. It has since been performed and adapted many times. One such adaptation was Where’s Charley? a 1948 Broadway version with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser. Ray Bolger played the starring role as Charley, and its most memorable number was the second act’s Once In Love With Amy. Every night Bolger would perform the number, then turn to the audience and invite them to sing along with him. They loved it, and Bolger would continue to perform it as his signature act for years even after the play closed.    The rhythmic and melodic nature of Once In Love With Amy, particularly its chorus, seems to lend itself to performance by musical instruments in the lower registers. And that’s what inspired this arrangement in which bass tuba carries the load with strong support from euphonium and tuba. All play the eight-measure introduction, while the verse-I caught you, sir, having a look at her as she went strolling by-features euphonium and tuba playing melody while bass tuba provides tempo and pulse. Then comes the familiar chorus-Once in love with Amy, always in love with Amy-and bass tuba takes over. The first time through, bass tuba plays melody with the other two providing accompaniment; the second time, bass tuba plays an intricate counterpoint while euph and tuba do a rather smooth swing version of the melody. Then comes the surprise ending in which all three participate.    Most players will have little trouble. The arrangement consists of 75 measures in 4/4 time. There are several tempo changes; the fastest is quarter note equals 108. Key signature is G, changing to F at measure 44. All notes for euphonium and bass tuba should be within normal playing range. Tuba, on the other hand, plays quite a few G and A notes at the top of the treble clef.     Sweetwater Brass Press also offers a similar version of Once In Love With Amy arranged for brass quintet.     This arrangement was completed in 2020, and performance time runs about 3 minutes, 1 second. The arranger, Les Smith, will be happy to provide substitute parts (for example, treble clef baritone for euphonium) at no charge; contact him directly at lessmith61@bellsouth.net. For more arrangements by Les, enter Sweetwater Brass Press (without the quotation marks) in the SheetMusicPlus search box.

Brass Ensemble,Brass Quintet Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1514884 Composed by William Ortiz. 21st Century,Chamber,Contemporary,Hip-Hop,Latin. 16 pages. William Ortiz #1089378. Published by William Ortiz (A0.1514884). “Sandungueo”, for Brass Quintet, uses Caribbean and Hip-Hop dance motives to create a lively and energetic dancescape. The opening fragmented “cencerro” and reggaeton rhythmic motive proclaimed is significant in that it introduces the works essence. “Sandungueo” is a style of dance and party music associated with reggaeton. This “cencerro” and “guaguanco” tumbao motives return throughout the piece in various guises and changes of tonality. The piece emulates a jazz ensemble where there are sections in which the instruments are called upon to solo against a rhythmic basso continuo or vamp. Latin and Hip-Hop rhythmic motives are prominent and integral to the work. This piece is a reworking of the second movement of my “Quinteto de Metales”.