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Well, the Christmas brass quintet season will soon be over for another year. I was going through our book trying to decide on some prelude music for an upcoming service and realized we don’t have a lot of numbers to choose from. Most of our Christmas portfolio is not suitable for worship. I’m looking for some suggestions for next year of arrangements we could acquire that are suitable for church use, not about Santa, snow, reindeer and greed. We have the Canadian Brass Books and use them. We’re looking for something other than 4-part transcriptions of carols and hymns. Thanks for your help.

This is always an interesting topic that my group wrestles with frequently...

We just had our big Winter gig, and along with some tunes from the CB books, we added something arranged by Judith Otten called "Psallite! In Natali Domini" which is based on material by Praetorius. We were also considering "In the Bleak Midwinter" but ended up cutting it for time.

We ended up reading a lot of material through the fall, but our musical director ended up trimming down all the segments in order to keep the run time down (we have 3 choirs and handbells in addition to our Quintet). We thought we were struggling to find material and it ended up working out well for us in the end.

IF you do not have either set of carols form Richard Price, I would highly (very highly) recommend them!

Sounds samples can be found on the Cimarron Music Press site:

http://www.cimarronmusic.com/

where you can purchase the second set.

Or you can order both sets together at sale price through the end of the year on the BVD Press site:

http://www.bvdpress.com/

Both sets are tremendous and most of the pieces were recorded by the Galliard Brass Ensemble a few years back.

Wishing all a happy holiday season,

As a part of my project about presenting Danish hymns in a form playable by the not very standardized format of the American Church Orchestra you will find several hymns/carols associated with Advent through Epiphany:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Yo ... %20salmer/

The basic idea is, that 9 different 4-part playing scores allow for relevant reading by just about all church, orchestra, and band relevant instrument. Each score has 5 or 6 staves, but the music is 4-part all the way.

As I understand it, some brass quintets play 4 part hymns by spreading trumpets, horn, and trombone over the SATB parts and then doubling the bass line 8bassa in the tuba.

I do not agree with that practice, as the bass line becomes too heavy and especially the tenor line becomes too weak. Depending on the size of the instrument the tuba easily can defend either the bass or the contrabass lines. The trombone is a very good tenor, so that the trumpets and the horn can juggle the two upper parts between them.

The organ will find compatible parts for potential antiphonal performance. More on that and on programme notes in the folder with information and instructions.

You also will find a setting of Praetorius: Enatus est Emanuel:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YorkMaste ... t-Emanuel/

More music can be found via

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Yo ... 0%20Index/

All music is in .PDF format free for the download. To avoid abuse from certain “funnyâ€

imperialbari wrote:
As I understand it, some brass quintets play 4 part hymns by spreading trumpets, horn, and trombone over the SATB parts and then doubling the bass line 8bassa in the tuba.

I do not agree with that practice, as the bass line becomes too heavy and especially the tenor line becomes too weak.

I agree it is too heavy this way. My group usually just has the Trumpets trade off for hymns, etc. It seems to work out well!

I'll definitely second Bryan's recommendation of the Richard Price sets. A bit self-serving, but I also enjoy the arrangement of Corelli's Christmas Concerto published by Lyric Brass.

http://www.lyricbrass.com/publishing/lbpcat01.html

You might check these folks out:

Anthem Works Press. It is run by Dennis Klophaus and Sterling Proctor, two fine musicians that I worked with when I lived in Dallas. I remember their arrangements being very good!

Ditto to Bryan's recommendation for the Price quintets. We programmed several of them in our brass choir concert last week. Some we did as quintets (a split of the choir) and others we did as a double quintet. "Joy to the World" was done antiphonally while one quintet was in the choir loft, the other on the stage, rotating between sections and ending together. We had a lot of fun with it. "Coventry Carol" is an outstanding arrangement in the collection. It left the audience "speechless" - you know, that giant pause before applause.

BVD Press wrote:

imperialbari wrote:
As I understand it, some brass quintets play 4 part hymns by spreading trumpets, horn, and trombone over the SATB parts and then doubling the bass line 8bassa in the tuba.

I do not agree with that practice, as the bass line becomes too heavy and especially the tenor line becomes too weak.

I agree it is too heavy this way. My group usually just has the Trumpets trade off for hymns, etc. It seems to work out well!

Put the bone on the melody with one of the trumpets, horn player covers the tenor part. More juice on the melody, and in the tenor range, where the choir usually needs help anyway. Works wonders.

Cover the four parts (SATB) from the hymnal and have the horn or other trumpet part play a descant or counter melody. Those are easily created, or easily found in various books or hymnals.

Bill,

Tomorrow (or I guess later today ) I'll be playing for Commencement up here at App. We're playing some Christmas Carols from some books that I'm pretty sure are in 5 parts (We have a 10 piece group, but I'm sure it would work well for quintet). I can't remember the names of the books, but I'll write them down and give them to you, or post them here! I think that a couple of them are Nestico Arrangements! I'll be home for holidays, so see you soon maybe? (Have scouts ended for Christmas yet???) anyways hope I can help you Bill!

-Dan

Thanks for the suggestions. The Price arrangements look real good.
Daniel, did the band make it to Chattanooga? What a year for Appalachian!

that you take a look at the quintet Christmas arrangements by Jack Gale. There are about 12 in a book and they are excellent arrangements. Very challenging for all the players and a lot of fun for the audience. There are a few jazz phrases thrown in as well. An interesting set that keeps these from getting too boring over time.

Just my $0.02
Roger

Heck yeah band went!! three years straight wooohoooo

GO APPS!!!!!!!


Anyways...

The Salvation Army Carolers Favorites Arr. by Erik Leidzen and Stephen Bulla(has five parts works with just about anything, can do it with or without the 5th part (We put bones and 4th trumpet on it))


and then

Christmas: The Joy and Spirit Arr. by Sammy Nestico published by Kendor Music, Inc.(It says its for Brass Choir, but like I said, it could work well for Quintet) <i>these are really cool </i>

Hope this helps Bill!!

My church quintet played a very lyrical arrangement of Silent Night this morning during service. It is not difficult, but it does contain several beautiful color chords and the second verse is played by the tuba. This being one of my favorite carols, I absolutely loved it.

The arrangement was done by Gordon Cherry at Cherry Classics.
www.Cherry-Classics.com

Roger Lewis wrote:that you take a look at the quintet Christmas arrangements by Jack Gale. There are about 12 in a book and they are excellent arrangements. Very challenging for all the players and a lot of fun for the audience. There are a few jazz phrases thrown in as well. An interesting set that keeps these from getting too boring over time.

Just my $0.02
Roger

Speaking of... I just picked up a CD off Ebay by the Crescent City Brass Quintet. It containsa ll 12 of the Gale pieces. It is a really fine CD, but I have no idea where would would buy it? If anyone knows of the group and can post a link, I think there might a be a few people interested. Richard Brown is the player on the CD.

tubapress wrote:You might check these folks out:

Anthem Works Press. It is run by Dennis Klophaus and Sterling Proctor, two fine musicians that I worked with when I lived in Dallas. I remember their arrangements being very good!

Gary - Thanks for the plug!
90% of the music in my catalog was written for or commissioned by churches. The music is written by Brass players, for brass players, and it is generally a notch more difficult than, say, the old Robert King charts. But - they also have rests, clear places for cuts or repeats, and are idiomatic of the particular instruments.
Cheers, All!

Don't overlook the Salvation Army Carolers Favorites. 70 nice arrangements for little money. I think Dillon's has them or 440 West Nyack Rd, West Nyack, N Y 10994-1739

Beltway Brass is Andy Kochenour's group. They have a collection of awesome Christmas tunes, THey really aren't the same-o-same-o stuff. Like Jolly Old St. Nick played over the top off Pachelbel's Canon, Blue Christmas, I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day (as a quasi-tango), etc. We Three Kings A La Take 5. VERY creative arrangements. I'll be getting this collection for my quint for next season...

Samples at:

http://beltwaybrass.com/recordings.htm

I guess not all really suitable for a traditional worship service, but some would work really well.