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Hey guys, I was just able to put together a brass quintet at my school. We're all undergraduate level, and we have no music so I'm looking for a couple of good pieces to buy. What are your favorite BQ pieces that aren't too crazy for a group of college students?

The Canadian brass stuff is fun. Saints Hallelujah should be doable. You should be able to find "A Song for Japan" on the internet for free.

Try looking in your university library, or even the local library. You may be surprised at what you'll find.

Inter-library loans are another route, ask your school library if they can help.

As opus 37 said, many CB charts are good, but IMHO many are watered down. Robert King publishes a lot of good pieces (if you can find them). The Victor Ewald quintets are challenging but quite doable and rewarding.

A simple Google search for "Free brass quintet music" yields many results. One that will come up is the Jay Lichtmann site, his arrangements are very good.

Good luck. Once you start looking, much music will come your way, and you'll find quintet playing some of the most fun you can have behind a tuba.

Someone with a good ear and transcription ability can get the "real" arrangements from recordings, but it is a LOT of work and probably a copyright violation. in my younger years I was paid to do that.....but not now.

Shameless plug for you and your group.

If you go on ProQuest and search dissertations by Albert Miller you can find my DMA document. I'm not saying it's good by any stretch but the document does focus on your age group and chamber music, specifically brass quintet. It has a lot of repertoire samples and a list of good pieces for younger quintet.

I'm also fairly certain a grammar error slipped by my self and my lovely editor(my wife!) in the first paragraph. Don't judge!

Victor Ewald and Ewaisen

Here is a semisecret:

Find yourself a drummer and get Brass Grooves and this Brass Grooves Intgermediate.

You can be playing paying gigs with these in a couple of weeks and they are a lot of fun.

MUST PLAY: Ewald #1
There is much more, but that is BQ-101.

Another good one to get to know is Die Bankelsangerlieder (Robert King ed.).
You will see it over and over again, in your professional life. Might as well learn it now!