SKU: A0.883786

The idea for this arrangement was given to me by an old friend who played in BR Edge Hill band with when we were kids, Christine Humphreys and to do it for bass trombone, the more I looked at it thinking of Eric Burdon’s voice from The Animals with his first verse nearly too low for him to scrape the lower notes and then the later verses near to top of his register suited. The Animals though in A minor, so for BT I dropped it to Ab minor a real shall we say juicy register for bass trombone plus the added attraction of setting it in the lower octave pedal area to show the instrument off. There aren’t may Bass Trom solos in the rep, so now we add one more!

An interview with Eric Burdon revealed that he first heard the song at a club in Newcastle, England, where it was performed by Northumberland folk singer Johnny Handle.

The Animals were on tour with Chuck Berry and chose him because they wanted to sing something different. The Animals version moves the narrative from the initial point of view of a woman drawn into a life of decline to that of a man whose father is a gambler and a drunk, rather than the adorable person of the previous versions.

SKU: A0.1171810

The word groove originated in the jazz culture of the 1920s.  Starting in the mid-1940s, song titles began using variations of this word.
Firmly based on the Rondo from Sonatina Op. 36, No.5 by Muzio Clementi, Toni Wine and Carole Bayer-Sager wrote this song in under 30 minutes.  It was released in England in 1965, where it became a huge hit, and was released in America a year later, also to great success.
This arrangement for Brass Quintet with an optional Drum kit is great for Valentine's Day, weddings, and anniversaries.  
The parts are for British Brass Band instruments with orchestral brass alternate parts.
Duration 3:30   17 pages.

SKU: A0.774879

Arthur Sullivan wrote the music to The Lost Chord at his brother's deathbed. It is wistful, introspective, emotional, and rises to a powerful climax. There are arrangements of this fabulous song for brass quintet, but they omit what I feel are important harmonic elements that are included in this brass sextet version. This powerful piece is suitable in a serious concert setting or in a church setting where the message is about loss. A Toot Suite Brass Arrangement for two Bb trumpets, French horn, trombone, baritone, and tuba.  Performance time is approximately 3:30.  Visit our website, www.tootsuitebrasspublishing.com, for a catalog of our arrangements available through sheetmusicplus.com.

SKU: 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.

SKU: A0.948762

Blackadder is a series of four BBC One pseudohistorical British sitcoms, plus several one-off installments, which originally aired from 1983–1989. All television episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody, Baldrick. Each series was set in a different historical period, with the two protagonists accompanied by different characters, though several reappear in one series or another, e.g., Melchett (Stephen Fry) and Lord Flashheart (Rik Mayall). The theme song is composed by Howard Goodall, an English composer of musicals, choral music and music for television. He also presents music-based programs for television and radio, for which he has won many awards. In May 2008, he was named as a presenter and Composer-in-Residence with the UK radio channel Classic FM. In May 2009, he was named Composer of the Year at the Classic BRIT Awards. Goodall said of the Theme, They asked me if I would have a go at the tune. With all of these things, although I do come up with my own ideas, you don't really come up with a good one unless you talk it through with them and the vision they've got. It was quite obvious, the historical approach they were going for. What's interesting is that the first series, the medieval one with 'Richard the Fourth', was much more filmic and much more historical. That's why we ended up with that tune. Whereas had the first series been the Elizabethan one, the theme would have been slightly gentler, less heroic. .

SKU: A0.1028133

Hope Prevails

The composition consists of six movements and is for a Brass Quintet with guest instrumentalists of Oboe, Violin, Viola and Soprano voice.

The piece explores the moods that many encounter as they go through life from loneliness through to elation. the composers brother experienced these extreme emotions and it resulted in him taking his own life. This piece is dedicated to his memory.

The MP3 contains a very short extract from each movement that is a direct download from computer composition software and is therefore not of great quality.

The composer is looking for a group to record this piece. Please get in touch if you wish to be part fo a collaborative project perhaps as a school, college, university or other group.

The Struggle of the night - 4:09 in length:

The first movement commences with sonorous chord sequences and quickly moves to a lively section. The piece incorporates the tune of the Welsh National Anthem along with the hymn tune Cwm Rhondda. 

The movement moves between the despair and loneliness of the night that one can feel, even when sleeping next to a close partner, and the racing desperation of the mind, whereby patriotic affiliations will calm the soul at these times.  the movement finishes with the tune of Land of my father's resonating but even this is of no comfort, and the troubled mind lies awake and the movement finishes with a flurry of discord.

The Solitude - 5.34 in length:

The movement begins with a haunting melody led by the Oboe. the Horn soon joins in as do other instruments of the quintet. A simple Gregorian type rhythm and chant passes through the quintet with the Oboe leading the movement.

Crescendos and attacked notes give the piece a rise and fall showing the mood of the soul that alternates between a calm and a peak of mood as sleep is hard to come by and a restless state is invoked.

It appears that the oboe will be leading the soul into peace yet, at the last moment, the quintet joins in with chords of attack and crescendo followed by a sharp diminuendo to end the piece.

The soul has sought solace, yet, all they find is loneliness.

Brad's Broadcast - 3:01 in length:

The restless soul awakes after a restless night.  The world is full of voices, advice, motivation and answers.

In this lively movement, the soul searches for solace and finds sense from some sources, yet, the cacophony of contrary advice and the nature of some disciples of business and life coaches becomes confusing. there are some real gems of advice available, but, the noise of others drowns out the sense and sanity.

The soul manages to find some humour in the forums and media, they smile, but the relief is short lived.

The movement ends with all voices descending away in a glissando and silence is restored.

By His Own Hand - 4:26 in length:

This movement reflects the desperation of the soul. they have sought solace, humour has passed them by, they do not feel that they can continue to live.

The piece starts with a cadenza played by a viola.  A violin soon duets in this Jewish styled lament.

Throughout the movement the brass are spartan, reflecting the confusion of the soul. The ability to cling onto the world and to continue living is a losing battle.

The waves of the lament increase in their presence, but not velocity, for the depressed souul is reaching the point of no return and of no choice.

They will soon depart from the world by their own hand. The end ofthe movement is a descent and a unifying discordant sound as the soul leaves.

Dreaming of Heaven - 2:31 in length:

The soul is now rising and an ancient Celtic tune accompanies the soul in the form of a Soprano voice singing words of hope and light.

The soul's path is lit and the ancient bell of.

SKU: A0.1027894

Programme Notes

Boudicca became the Queen of the Iceni upon the death of her husband, Prasutagus. The Iceni had lived in relative peace with the Romans, with Prasutagus living as a client king, paying tribute to Rome. The Romans refused to accept a woman as the ruler, and sought to assume total control. To demonstrate its superiority, a Roman Legion attacked the Iceni, captured Boudicca and made her watch as her daughters were raped. She sought revenge, allying the Iceni with the Trinovantes under her command, and wreaked havoc, destroying many Roman settlements. Boudicca was only stopped when Rome sent one of the best generals of the time, Seutonius Paulinus. Seutonius has been depicted offering Boudicca surrender with honour and her life, but when she rejected this, his tactical acumen proved superior, and all the Iceni and Trinovantes were wiped out.

1 – Boudicca Unites the Tribes

The piece opens with the initial statement of Boudicca’s theme. Figure 3 depicts Boudicca’s reign as the leader of the Iceni, interspersed with a sadder theme depicting her lonely widowhood. Figure 4 sees the tribes called together with a drinking song and Figure 5 is the war cry, as Boudicca gives a rousing speech, first to her own warriors then to the Trinovantes. The second time bar before Figure 7 sees the tribes fall into a restless sleep. Amid early morning mists, Figure 7 sees restless horses, with distant fanfares heard, signalling the coming of the Romans. The Romans main theme is at Figure 8, with a constant fanfare over the top, signalling the confidence of the leaders. Figure 10 sees the Iceni and Trinovantes coming slowly out of hiding, and Boudicca’s theme growing in volume until the death chords signify the tribes have prevailed.

2. The Bards Sing

The tribes sing a hymn to an unnamed Pagan God. At Figure 13, the Euphonium develops Boudicca’s theme depicting Taranis, the Bard of the Iceni, singing wistfully of happier times. He then makes an impassioned speech for peace, before cutting off in mid sentence. He then sits quietly (Figure 16) fearing the future. Figure 17 gives a euphoric and hopeful rendition of the hymn, as if Taranis has not been heard.

3 – Epping

NB: It is my piece, and I say Epping is as credible as anywhere as the site of the final battle, and will not enter into any correspondence on the matter!

A fanfare awakens the two tribes. Figure 18 sees the tribes prepare for a final battle, and the repeated section depicts two victories at Verulanium (St Albans) and Londinium (London – then a small barracks). At Figure 20 Taranis has a vision, and tries to change Boudicca’s mind about another attack. Boudicca listens to him, but tells him the die is cast, and there is no going back. Death or Glory… The war cry ensues at Figure 21, but at Figure 22 it is the Romans’ theme heard, and the death chords (Figure 24) signify that it is the two tribes that are being slaughtered this time. Brave souls (Repiano and Flugel at 24) fight on in vain to allow Boudicca to escape. At Figure 25 Boudicca prays, but realising all is lost, at Figure 26 drinks poison. As she dies, the last thing this brave British heroine hears is the sound of the Roman’s theme, signifying Seutonius’ total victory.

William Elsom, December 2004