This arrangement was adapted for a wood quintet ensemble, ideal to be performed at weddings and by groups of music beginners, which does not prevent it from being performed by professionals in the area. The piece has approximately 2 minutes and 33 seconds of duration, being in a comfortable time for those performing it, so that there is no difference between this version and the composer's original.

The Four Seasons, Italian Le quattro stagioni, group of four violin concerti by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi, each of which gives a musical expression to a season of the year. Unusually for the time, Vivaldi published the concerti with accompanying poems (possibly written by Vivaldi himself) that elucidated what it was about those seasons that his music was intended to evoke. This movement is illustrated textually in a sonnet with the following description:

Standing quietly and contentedly by the fire
While outside the rain bathes everything;
Walk on the ice with slow step
For fear of falling in the attempt.
To feel when going out through the stinging door,
Sirocco, Borea, and all the winds at war;
That this is winter, but such, that joy door.

This album contains 5 of Johann Sebastian Bach\'s most famous and versatile pieces for saxophone quintet, all very well suited for the beginners who want to get to know the baroque repertoire. They are also suitable for performances at events such as: weddings, Christian and church ceremonies, Easter, and academic recitals or concerts. They can be used in music institutions and by teachers as repertoire material and study methods, either for performance or instrumental technique. This collection includes a totally free bonus for you to enjoy: Martin Luther\'s A Mighty Fortress is Our God, a Renaissance sacred song for choir, which has been adapted for this set. You can also buy each one individually by checking right at the end of each description of each work.

1: Air on the G String - The original piece is part of Johann Sebastian Bach\'s Suite No. 3 for orchestra, in D Major, BWV 1068, written for Prince Leopold of Anhalt. The so-called \"Air on the G String\" dates from one of these latter employments. In the service of the Prince of Cöthen, Bach composed not only the famous Brandenburg Concertos, but also several orchestral suites, from the third of which comes the \"Air on the G String\". This curious title derives from a later arrangement of this piece for violin solo, in which the melody is played entirely on the lower, higher string of the instrument. ID: S0.1189781

2: Arioso - The Cantata 156 (BWV 156) was written for the third Sunday after Epiphany in 1729, and was first performed on January 23 of that year. The text is by Picander, one of Bach\'s favorite librettists. Of the four cantatas written by Bach for the feast, it was the last and only one scored for solo voice. This is a choral cantata, employing a choral melody in several movements. Cantata 156, in fact, employs two different choral melodies and texts in the second and sixth movements. A cantata is a sung symphony consisting of several parts, one of which is the Arioso, which is the initial instrumental part. ID: S0.1189985

3: Jesu, joy of man\'s desiring - This is one of Bach\'s most beautiful cantatas, made famous by the Jesus the Joy of Men chorus. It was originally composed for Advent 1716 in Weimar. Years later, already in Leipzig, Advent was tempus clausum, there was no music in the churches. Bach then reworked it for the Feast of Mary\'s Visitation. It is the final chorale of the cantata \"Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben\". Although it is the 32nd cantata composed by Bach, of those that have survived, it was given BWV 147 in the complete catalog of his works. ID: S0.1190041

4: O Jesulein süss, o Jesulein mild - The Jesulein süß, the Jesulein mild is an original traditional German choral melody for voice and continuous bass arranged by Johann Sebastian Bach around 1735. With lyrics by Valentin Thilo, O Jesulein süss is a sacred melody adapted and catalogued as BWV 493. The first translation is by Dirk van Hogendorp, who made it more of a song for the time of suffering. ID: S0.1190181

5: Minuet in G major - This famous piece has traditionally been attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach, as it appears in the Notebook for Anna Magdalena , a notebook that Bach gave to his wife Anna Magdalena in 1725 and which was to be filled with the favorite selections of Bach family members. However, recent research has concluded that this minuet, sometimes referred to as BWV Anhang 114. was probably composed by Christian Petzold, a German composer and organist contemporary with Bach. ID: S0.1190377

Bonuses: A Mighty Fortress is Our God, by Martin Luther - Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott is a hymn written by Martin Luther probably before 1529. The melody was also considered his work for a long time, but it was created at least with the collaboration of Johann Walter. The song is of great symbolic power for Protestantism.

O God, Beyond All Praising (Thaxted) (Bb) (Saxophone Quintet) - Intermediate - Digital Download. This marvelous arrangement of "O God, Beyond All Praising", a hymn tune based on the "Andante Maestoso" section from "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" from Gustav Holst's The Planets, would be a fabulous addition to any music library and could be performed for church services, especially Weddings and Funerals, but would be appropriate any time during the church year. However, if you are looking to perform this selection for concerts or recitals, I would suggest you look for the arrangement of "Jupiter" (Andante Maestoso from "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" from The Planets), also by Regis Bookshar. These arrangements are suitable for high school and college students but professional musicians would also enjoy playing these selections as well. Included are a score and a complete set of parts (9 pages). This selection is one of the many arrangements from The Regis Bookshar Trumpet Ensemble's extensive music library which are being made available for the first time. We have performed the Trumpet Quintet version of this composition quite often for numerous weddings and other special occasions.
The Planets, written between 1914 and 1917 by the English composer Gustav Holst, premiered at the Queen's Hall in London, on September 29, 1918 for an invited audience of about 250 people. In the fourth movement, "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity", Holst portrays Jupiter's supposedly characteristic abundance of life and vitality. Nobility and generosity are allegedly characteristics of those born under Jupiter, and in the slower, middle section marked "Andante Maestoso", perhaps the most well-known theme from The Planets (and the theme on which this arrangement is based), Holst provides a broad tune embodying these traits. In 1921, Holst adapted the theme to fit the patriotic poem "I Vow to Thee, My Country" by Cecil Spring Rice, and was written as a unison song with orchestra. It did not appear as the hymn tune until 1926, when Holst harmonized this melody, named "Thaxted", named after the English village where he had lived for many years. Holst's friend Ralph Vaughan Williams included it in Songs of Praise. It has since been performed at numerous occasions, most notably for the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales in 1981, and also at the funerals of Princess Diana in 1997, Margaret Thatcher in 2013 and Senator John McCain where it was performed at the Washington National Cathedral on September 1, 2018. In addition to being used as the melody for the solemn, patriotic hymn "I Vow to The, My Country", other settings of this hymn tune also include "O God, Beyond All Praising", by Michael Perry in 1982 and "We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God", a paraphrase of the "Te Deum Laudemus" by Stephen P. Starke in 1999.
Regis Bookshar thought that it would be wonderful if other instrumentalists could have the opportunity to play this beautiful melody, so, in addition to the Trumpet Quintet version and this version for a Saxophone Quintet, consisting of 2 Alto Saxophones, 2 Tenor Saxophones (one of which has the lead) and 1 Baritone Saxophone, he has made quite a few other arrangements of this selection. There are Quintets readily available for a wide variety of instrumental ensembles. Please take the time to look for other versions of this composition. You may find something else that may also suit your needs. I would also encourage you to search for other arrangements by Regis Bookshar, as well, as there are numerous arrangements in a variety of styles, also available for purchase. You may find something else which might interest you. Please continue to check periodically because new arrangements are added as often as possible. I'm certain that this beautiful arrangement of "O God, Beyond All Praising" based on the "Andante Maestoso" section from "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" from Gustav Holst's The Planets, will continue to entertain both performers and audiences alike for years to come.

O God, Beyond All Praising (Thaxted) (Bb) (Tenor Saxophone Quintet) - Intermediate - Digital Download. This marvelous arrangement of "O God, Beyond All Praising", a hymn tune based on the "Andante Maestoso" section from "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" from Gustav Holst's The Planets, would be a fabulous addition to any music library and could be performed for church services, especially Weddings and Funerals, but would be appropriate any time during the church year. However, if you are looking to perform this selection for concerts or recitals, I would suggest you look for the arrangement of "Jupiter" (Andante Maestoso from "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" from The Planets), also by Regis Bookshar. These arrangements are suitable for high school and college students but professional musicians would also enjoy playing these selections as well. Included are a score and a complete set of parts (9 pages). This selection is one of the many arrangements from The Regis Bookshar Trumpet Ensemble's extensive music library which are being made available for the first time. We have performed the Trumpet Quintet version of this composition quite often for numerous weddings and other special occasions.
The Planets, written between 1914 and 1917 by the English composer Gustav Holst, premiered at the Queen's Hall in London, on September 29, 1918 for an invited audience of about 250 people. In the fourth movement, "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity", Holst portrays Jupiter's supposedly characteristic abundance of life and vitality. Nobility and generosity are allegedly characteristics of those born under Jupiter, and in the slower, middle section marked "Andante Maestoso", perhaps the most well-known theme from The Planets (and the theme on which this arrangement is based), Holst provides a broad tune embodying these traits. In 1921, Holst adapted the theme to fit the patriotic poem "I Vow to Thee, My Country" by Cecil Spring Rice, and was written as a unison song with orchestra. It did not appear as the hymn tune until 1926, when Holst harmonized this melody, named "Thaxted", named after the English village where he had lived for many years. Holst's friend Ralph Vaughan Williams included it in Songs of Praise. It has since been performed at numerous occasions, most notably for the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales in 1981, and also at the funerals of Princess Diana in 1997, Margaret Thatcher in 2013 and Senator John McCain where it was performed at the Washington National Cathedral on September 1, 2018. In addition to being used as the melody for the solemn, patriotic hymn "I Vow to The, My Country", other settings of this hymn tune also include "O God, Beyond All Praising", by Michael Perry in 1982 and "We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God", a paraphrase of the "Te Deum Laudemus" by Stephen P. Starke in 1999.
Regis Bookshar thought that it would be wonderful if other instrumentalists could have the opportunity to play this beautiful melody, so, in addition to the Trumpet Quintet version and this version for a Tenor Saxophone Quintet, he has made quite a few other arrangements of this selection. There are Quintets readily available for a wide variety of instrumental ensembles. Please take the time to look for other versions of this composition. You may find something else that may also suit your needs. I would also encourage you to search for other arrangements by Regis Bookshar, as well, as there are numerous arrangements in a variety of styles, also available for purchase. You may find something else which might interest you. Please continue to check periodically because new arrangements are added as often as possible. I'm certain that this beautiful arrangement of "O God, Beyond All Praising" based on the "Andante Maestoso" section from "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" from Gustav Holst's The Planets, will continue to entertain both performers and audiences alike for years to come.