Brass Ensemble - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.808694 Composed by Alexander R. Reinagle (1799-1877). Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Christian,Easter,Holiday,Sacred. Score and parts. 22 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #4798569. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.808694).     British composer Alexander Robert Reinagle wrote this melody about 1836 and named it after the church where he was organist, Oxford's St. Peter-in-the-East. First published as a musical setting for Psalm 118, it was adapted to John Newton’s How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds in 1861 and then to the hymn by John Oxenham (William A. Dunkerley), In Christ There Is No East or West, in the early 20th Century.    While some sources specify that the St. Peter melody should be played without any festive fanfares, this brass quintet version does contain a few ceremonial flourishes.    Most players will have little or no difficulty with this piece. The andante moderato tempo should be interpreted as somewhere in the vicinity of quarter note = 92. Most of the rhythm patterns involve quarter and eighth notes, with a few 16th-note passages scattered throughout. Trumpet 1’s highest note is its high A; tuba’s lowest is G below the staff. Otherwise, the music remains well within the normal playing range of all instruments.     This arrangement was completed in 2019, and performance time runs about 4 minutes, 13 seconds. The arranger, Les Smith, will be happy to provide substitute parts (for example, treble clef baritone for trombone) 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 - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.808712 Composed by F. Leslie Smith. Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Children. Score and parts. 37 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #6656487. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.808712).     Gremlins, trolls and hobgoblins. All are imaginary or supernatural, products of folklore. The first is a mischievous elf. The second, a product of Scandinavian imaginations, is a rather unattractive dwarf (or maybe a giant) that dwells in caves or on mountains. The third is a small, hirsute and naughty household spirit. In other words, these are just the types of beings that show up on your doorstep on October 31 evenings threatening to play tricks unless you provide treats.    This composition exemplifies not only these creatures, but also the witches, skeletons, ghosts, vampires, black cats and other scary beings that populate Halloween. Written in the key of C minor with a 6/8 time signature, it rolls along at a suggested tempo of 96 BPM. Based primarily on the traditional melody, The Hearse Song (the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out), it also quotes the composer’s own The Eerie Night and Chopin’s Marche Funèbre. And like the worms of the song, the melodies work their way sinuously in and out among the five instruments. Most notes are well within normal playing range: Trumpet 1’s highest is five A notes above its staff; Tuba’s lowest, G below the staff. There are no tricky rhythmic figures. It’s just a fun piece for Halloween . . . or any time of the year.    Completed in 2021, performance time for Gremlins, Trolls and Hobgoblins runs about 3 minutes, 33 seconds. The composer, Les Smith, will be happy to provide substitute parts (for example, treble clef baritone for trombone) at no charge. He would also like to receive your suggestions, comments, corrections and criticisms. Contact him directly at lessmith61@bellsouth.net. For more arrangements by Les, enter Sweetwater Brass Press (without the quotation marks) in the 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 Ensemble - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.817619 Composed by James Bland. Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Folk,Spiritual,Traditional. Score and parts. 28 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #424503. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.817619).      James Alan Bland, composer of “In the Evening by the Moonlight,” was a prolific song writer.  He is said to have created the words and music for more than 600 compositions.  Born in 1854 to a free African American family in Flushing, New York, he made a name for himself as musician, composer and minstrel performer.  Among his compositions were “Oh, Dem Golden Slippers,” “In the Morning in the Bright Light” and “De Golden Wedding.”  His most famous song by far was “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny,” which the State of Virginia used as its official anthem for over 50 years.      Bland, in keeping with his persona as a minstrel, wrote the lyrics to “In the Evening by the Moonlight” in dialect.  Years passed and sensitivities changed, but the song’s poignant melody and basic sentiment survived.  Latter day recordings, such as those by Bing Crosby and the Ray Charles Singers, dropped the dialect and objectionable terms.  One of the most notable versions was by singer, pianist and civil rights activist Nina Simone, released in 1960 on the album Nina at Newport.      This brass quintet version begins with the group instrumentally humming along under an eight-measure Horn in F introduction.   The first statement of the melody initially takes the form of a partial call-and-response between a Trombone/Horn duo and Trumpet 1, then switches to an exchange between Trumpet 1 and Tuba.  Next, the melody is repeated but in a rhythmic pattern reminiscent of the 1880 tune “Here Dem Bells”; Tuba plays counterpoint.  Third time around, the melody is presented almost exactly as Bland wrote it and as Hitchcock’s Music Store published it in 1880.  Finally, the tempo slows and the melody is presented as so many have sung it around campfires at YMCA, 4-H and other youth camps all over the country:  softly and tenderly.  The arrangement ends with a brief recapitulation of the introduction.      There are no really difficult or tricky rhythms in this arrangement.  Trumpet 1’s highest note, which occurs in Section D, is A above its staff; Tuba’s lowest, G below the staff.  Otherwise, there are no exceptionally high or low notes.  The piece opens in the key of F major then, about halfway through, changes to G major.  Tempo opens with a suggested MM of 104, speeds up to 120, slows to 66, increases again to 122 and finally slows to 66.      Completed in 2022, performance time runs about 4 minutes, 22 seconds. The arranger, Les Smith, will be happy to provide substitute parts (for example, treble clef baritone for trombone) at no charge.  He would also like to receive your suggestions, comments, corrections and criticisms.  Contact him directly at lessmith61@bellsouth.net.  For more arrangements by Les, enter "Sweetwater Brass Press" (without the quotation marks) in the SheetMusicPlus 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 Ensemble - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.808703 Composed by Guy d'Hardelot (1858 – 1936). Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Holiday,Romantic Period,Spiritual,Wedding. Score and parts. 18 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #6072651. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.808703).      This song is a great piece to play for a general concert. But it really shines in matrimonial settings. The fact is: No wedding is complete without the performance of Because.     Helen Guy, the daughter of an English sea captain and a French singer, was born at Château d'Hardelot in France. She entered the Paris Conservatory at age 15, and in her early 20s composed a musical setting for Victor Hugo’s Sans toi, which gained some popularity. She composed over 300 songs using the name Guy d'Hardelot. She was also a noted piano accompanist. After marrying W.I. Rhodes, she settled in London and taught singing. As a composer, she is best remembered for Because (Parce Que), for which she wrote both the music and the French words. It was first published in 1902 with English lyrics by Edward Teschemacher and has since been recorded many times by many different artists.     This arrangement was derived from the 1902 Chappell & Co. score in C major for piano and voice. For the most part, however, the musical setting is original and different. Throughout most of the piece, Horn in F carries the melody with Trombone and Tuba providing an arpeggio accompaniment. Trumpets 1 and 2 play a syncopation figure for the opening and the end but during the majority of the arrangement they provide an antiphonal response to the melody. The opening is marked Poco Adagio with a suggested metronome setting of 76, but the tempo does vary rather frequently. All notes are well within the range of each instrument; e.g., B-flat Trumpets’ highest note is G at the top of their staff, while Tuba’s lowest note is A below the staff. All-in-all, this arrangement is a beautiful and poignant setting for an old favorite, a real crowd pleaser.     Completed in 2020, performance time for Because runs about 3 minutes, 22 seconds. The arranger, Les Smith, will be happy to provide substitute parts (for example, treble clef baritone for trombone) 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 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 Ensemble - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.808684 Composed by Irving Berlin (1888–1989). Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Holiday,Jazz,Patriotic. Score and parts. 42 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #3582931. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.808684). Irving Berlin’s composition Alexander’s Ragtime Band was not only his first hit, it was also one of the most popular songs ever. It first gained widespread recognition when Emma Carus sang it in Chicago in 1911, and then it really took off when Al Jolson performed it in New York. It’s no wonder the popularity of Alexander’s has been so long-lived. Both words and music are absolutely bouncy and upbeat. The lyrics proclaim the Ragtime Band to be the best . . . in the land and invite the listener to come on and hear the group, even to meet its leader! The tune is energetic and lively, a salute to the toe-tapping Dixieland style that even then was developing in New Orleans.  This arrangement takes the natural exuberance of the melody and raises it a couple of notches. Wide open and sprightly, it features the trombone, but also gives each of the other parts a chance to shine, too. In addition to several iterations of the well-known chorus, it also includes the seldom-heard verse and even throws in a few true ragtime licks, quotes from Scott Joplin and Percy Wenrich. The tempo is a bouncy, cut-time 76, with some fairly tricky rhythms and one ritardando near the middle. Trumpet 1 plays a couple of notes above its staff, one A and one B. Trombone plays F above its staff several times and one brief G. Tuba’s lowest note is F below the staff. This arrangement was completed in 2018, and performance time runs about 4 minutes, 33 seconds. The arranger, Les Smith, would be very interested in your comments; contact him at lessmith@ufl.edu or leave a review on the SheetMusicPlus website. For more arrangements by Les, enter Sweetwater Brass Press (without the quotation marks) in the SheetMusicPlus 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 Ensemble - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.808695 Composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908). Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Holiday,Patriotic,Romantic Period. Score and parts. 44 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #4819845. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.808695).     Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov composed his third opera, The Snow Maiden, during the period 1880-1881. Based on Alexander Ostrovsky’s play of the same name, The Snow Maiden uses fairy-tale characters to portray the opposing forces of nature, winter versus summer. Act 3 contains the Dance of the Skomorokhi.  Skomorokhi were traveling performers in old Russia and, in connection with this composition, the term is usually translated as tumblers or clowns. Rimsky-Korsakov also included this selection as one of four movements he compiled into a concert suite based on the opera. Dance of the Tumblers has become one of his most frequently performed and best known pieces.    Light and uplifting, Dance of the Tumblers is vibrant, energetic and addictive. It takes the form of, as one commenter wrote, a classical sonata-structure, complete with development section, invigoratingly intensified reprise, and a veritable whirlwind of a coda. This brass quintet arrangement retains the original key signature of C but adjusts register to make the melodies accessible and playable. As a result, most notes are well within the normal playing range of the five brass instruments. Trumpet 1’s highest note is its A above the staff. At measures 132 and 133, Trumpet 2 has the option of playing some high notes (including one C above its staff) an octave down. Tuba plays mostly in the lowest register, with quite a few low F notes and one low E. Most instruments have some octave jumps, but all have a lot of notes to play in a very short time: many, many sixteenth notes. The score is marked Vivace, and the audio sample moves along at a pretty fast clip. But of course, the speed at which performers actually play the piece is up to them, a matter of interpretation.     This arrangement was completed in 2019, and performance time runs about 3 minutes, 38 seconds. The arranger, Les Smith, will be happy to provide substitute parts (for example, treble clef baritone for trombone) 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 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 Ensemble - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.808688 Composed by Henry Clay Work (1832-1884). Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Children,Folk,Holiday,Patriotic. Score and parts. 31 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #4111581. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.808688).     Henry Clay Work, Civil War era song writer and abolitionist, composed Kingdom Coming in 1862. Chicago’s Root & Cady published it in April of that year, Christy’s Minstrels premiered it and it became enormously popular.    The lyrics to Kingdom Coming, also known as The Year of Jubilo, were written as though slaves in the Confederacy were celebrating their upcoming freedom. However, the song was actually released eight months before President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Interestingly, Kingdom Coming also gained popularity in the South. A Southern edition was published in August in 1864, and the song remained a favorite in the former Confederacy for some years.     Kingdom Coming has been used as theme or background music in a number of film, television and radio settings. Almost certainly its most popular iteration in modern times was the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra’s 1952 recording under the title Doodletown Fifers.    This arrangement is a show-off piece for each member of the quintet. It moves along at a brisk pace of about 108, begins in the key of C and changes to A-flat, then B-flat. The first time through the melody, all instruments perform ensemble. Each succeeding repetition features an instrumentalist, starting with tuba and working up to Trumpet 1. The piece ends with another ensemble version.    There are no exceptionally out-of-normal-playing-range notes: Trumpets 1 and 2 both play their B-flat below the scale several times, and Trumpet 2 plays G below the scale; Horn in F also plays its G below the scale; Trombone’s range is G at the bottom of the scale to D above the scale; Tuba’s lowest note is A-flat below the scale. Trumpet 1 will probably triple tongue its repetition of the melody, and some triple tonguing may be called for near the end of the piece for Trumpets 1 and 2 and Trombone.    This arrangement was completed in 2018, and performance time runs just under 4 minutes. The arranger, Les Smith, would be very interested in your comments; contact him at lessmith@ufl.edu. For more arrangements by Les, enter Sweetwater Brass Press (without the quotation marks) in the SheetMusicPlus search box.