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: A0.808694 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: A0.808632 Composed by Richard Storrs Willis. Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Christmas. Score and parts. 13 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #484929. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.808632). Edmund Sears wrote the words to It Came Upon the Midnight Clear in 1849. A year later, the tune to which this carol is usually sung in the United States was written by Richard Storrs Willis. This arrangement features an introduction and three different versions of the carol. All throughout, the melody is handed is handed off from one instrument or group of instruments to another in novel but logical fashion, making it thoroughly fun to play. This arrangement was completed in 2012, and performance time runs about 2 minutes, 4 seconds. The arranger, Les Smith, can be reached at lessmith@ufl.edu. For more arrangements by Les, enter Sweetwater Brass Press (without the quotation marks) in the SheetMusicPlus search box.

Brass Ensemble - Digital Download SKU: A0.808697 Composed by George Job Elvey. Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Christmas,Holiday. Score and parts. 28 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #4999815. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.808697).     Henry Alford (1810–1871), Church of England cleric and man of many talents, wrote the words for Come, Ye Thankful People, Come in 1844. Fourteen years later, Alford’s hymn was set to a melody composed by George J. Elvey (1816–1893). Elvey had named the tune St. George’s, Windsor after the chapel in Windsor, England, where he was organist. The first verse of the hymn rejoices in the harvest and calls for celebrants to Come to God's own temple, come; raise the song of harvest home! As such, the hymn gained popularity in the United States as a celebration of Thanksgiving.    In keeping with the song’s celebratory and triumphal nature, this arrangement uses a fanfare as the recurring motif. The fanfare opens the piece, followed by a rejoicing, exultant first statement of the melody. In the second statement, the fanfare figure returns and forms the structure for the section. The third statement is styled as a kind of rondo; the fourth and last, grandioso. The fourth statement also changes key twice--F to B-flat, then to E-flat--includes a walking bass part and ends with, again, the fanfare. The piece should be played Allegro moderato, about 120 bpm, and there are no really tricky rhythmic figures. Most notes are well within the normal range of the five instruments-Trombone’s highest are a couple of high F notes; Trumpet 1, high A notes. So most players will have little or no trouble.     This arrangement was completed in 2019, and performance time runs about 3 minutes, 44 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. (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: A0.808698 Composed by Frank Loesser. Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Contemporary. Score and parts. 26 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #5290545. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.808698).     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 seems to lend itself to performance by a brass group. And that’s what inspired this arrangement. All play the eight-measure introduction, while the verse-I caught you, sir, having a look at her as she went strolling by-features Trumpets, Horn and Trombone playing melody while tuba provides tempo and pulse. Then comes the familiar chorus, Once in love with Amy, always in love with Amy. The first time through, Tuba plays melody with the other instruments providing accompaniment. On the second time through, for the first half, Trombone and Tuba play an intricate counterpoint while Trumpets and Horn do a rather smooth swing version of the melody; for the second half, Trombone and Tuba take the melody and Trumpets provide the counterpoint. Then comes the surprise ending in which all three participate.    Most players will have little trouble. The arrangement consists of 77 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 should be within normal playing range.    Sweetwater Brass Press also offers a similar version of Once In Love With Amy arranged for tuba trio.     This arrangement was completed in 2020, and performance time runs about 2 minutes, 58 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 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.828655 Composed by Bill Conti and Conti. Arranged by Ted Samuels. Contemporary. Score and parts. 19 pages. Theodore A. Samuels #5648547. Published by Theodore A. Samuels (A0.828655). 2020 SMP Press Composition Contest Entry for the Popular instrumental ensemble category: This is an arrangement for brass quintet, snare drum and cymbal(s) of the opening fanfare to Sylvester Stallone's first ROCKY movie. It may also be performed by a double/triple brass quintet, a larger brass ensemble, or the brass section of a concert band/orchestra, with percussion. For the sake of simplicity, the various, advanced cadenzas near the end of the original fanfare have been omitted. The duration is just under 2 minutes.(According to Wikipedia: The film, made on a budget of just over $1 million, was a sleeper hit; it earned $225 million in global box office receipts, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1976... Among other accolades, it went on to receive ten Academy Award nominations, winning three, including Best Picture.) 

Brass Ensemble - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.808709 By Eldridge/Gillespie. By Leo Mosley, Mary Lou Williams, William Luther Johnson, and William Willie Johnson. Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Contemporary. Score and parts. 28 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #6433397. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.808709).     Mary Lou Williams learned to play piano on her own at age 3. By age 6 she was playing piano to help support her large family. At age 15, she turned professional, and by the time she was 20, she had made a name for herself nationally not only as a jazz musician but also as an arranger and composer. In 1943, she wrote a piece titled Satchel Mouth Baby, which she recorded the next year with her group, Mary Lou and her Chosen Five. Three years later, Bill Johnson and His Musical Notes recorded Williams’ song after he and Leo Snub Mosley had worked on the lyrics and changed the title to Pretty Eyed Baby. Others would go on to record Pretty Eyed Baby, among them: Frankie Laine and Jo Stafford, Jane Turzy, Johnnie Ray, Peggy Lee and Roy Eldridge.    This arrangement skips along at about 120 bpm. It contains common swing rhythmic figures, and all notes are well within the normal playing range of most brass musicians. Horn in F and Trombone carry the melodic load, but all instruments get a turn at playing lead. This is a fun piece, so don’t be surprised if your audience starts clapping along while you’re playing.    Completed in 2021, performance time for Pretty Eyed Baby runs about 3 minutes,9 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 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.924439 By Barry Manilow. By Alex North. Arranged by Joseph M. Chopp. Pop,Rock. Score and parts. 12 pages. JOSEPH M CHOPP #4404526. Published by JOSEPH M CHOPP (A0.924439). The beautiful, flowing melody was written by Alex North (a composer of many movie scores) for the prison film Unchained in 1955.  There were many popular recordings over the years.  It was the July 1965 version by The Righteous Brothers that became a jukebox standard for the late 20th century, regaining massive popularity when used in the 1990 blockbuster film Ghost.This arrangement features the French horn with lots of great melody. All instruments have smoothly moving harmonies and some melody.  Sing it slow and easy.There are no rapid passages that require advanced technical ability.  A great song for musicians at an intermediate level to play musically and for an audience to enjoy.Playing time is 2.75 minutes (4 w/repeat)

Brass Ensemble - Digital Download SKU: A0.808621 Composed by Léo Delibes (1836-1891). Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Concert,Graduation,Romantic Period. Score and parts. 21 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #439497. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.808621). Brilliant and exciting, this arrangement shows off the brass quintet at its best. Delibes’ opening Marche for the Cortege De Bacchus from Act 3 of his Sylvia ballet suite is always a crowd pleaser, and this version makes it seem as though the piece was composed specifically for five brass instruments. Completed in 2012, this arrangement runs about 2 minutes, 4 seconds. The arranger, Les Smith, can be reached at lessmith@ufl.edu. For more arrangements by Les, enter Sweetwater Brass Press (without the quotation marks) in the SheetMusicPlus search box.