JohannChristoph Pachelbel was a German baroque composer and organist. He was anacclaimed composer and organist during his lifetime, and was also regarded asan outstanding teacher. Today Pachelbel is considered to be one of the mostimportant organ composers of the middle Baroque: he made significantcontributions to the development of chorale prelude and fugue and brought theSouthern German organ tradition to its peak. During hislifetime, Pachelbel was best known as an organ composer. He wrote more than twohundred organ pieces, both liturgical and secular, and used most of the genresthat existed at the time. His other keyboard music includes harpsichord suitesand sets of variations. Pachelbel also composed numerous vocal works: arias,Magnificat settings, motets, sacred concertos, and chamber music. As acomposer, Pachelbel apparently was most interested in variation forms andassociated techniques. Variation techniques are in many of his organ worksespecially heard in the piece presented here, his Canon for which can be hearda full set of techniques. It is the only canon he wrote, yet is one of the mostpopular ones performed today. This quintetarrangement makes a great piece to play for church services, graduations andwedding processionals. It?s stately chordal progressions, chordal tonalitiesand variations have been especially popular with audiences around the world.

The final movement of Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147 ("Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life"), is one of Bach?s most well known and beloved compositions. The familiar English lyrics, usually attributed to Robert Bridges, has as the first line the wording that gives the piece its title, ?Jesu, Joy of Man?s Desiring,? and it is a favorite for weddings, Easter, All Saints? Day, Advent and Christmas. The beauty of this arrangement makes it appropriate for any of those occasions. The all-important eighth note figures are played by the tenor voices, Horn in F and Trombone, while trumpets are given the higher melody. This arrangement was completed in 2012, and performance time runs about 2 minute, 58 seconds. The arranger, Les Smith, can be reached at lessmith@ufl.edu. For more arrangements by Les (such "Awake, My Heart, with Gladness"), enter "Sweetwater Brass Press" (without the quotation marks) in the SheetMusicPlus search box.

Michael Maybrick wrote music for ?The Holy City? in 1892 under the name, ?Stephen Adams.? Frederic Weatherly wrote the lyrics. The song was popular from the beginning, then experienced a resurgence when sung by Jeanette MacDonald in the 1936 film, San Francisco. Victorian in both words and melody, ?The Holy City? nonetheless remains a frequent performance piece today. The current arrangement is based on the original 1892 sheet music but has been augmented to take advantage of brass quintet instrumentation. Completed in 2012, this arrangement runs about 4 minutes, 47 seconds. The arranger, Les Smith, will be happy to provide substitute parts (e.g., 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.