I played an arrangement of the Star Spangled Banner for symphonic band way back when and thought that the arranger had the right idea, and have tried to capture this for Brass Quintet . The countermelodies should be brought out but never louder than the melody. Keep the energy through the end. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this, but you can listen to it before you buy. Some challenges for your players (particularly for the trombone, as I am a trombone player), and you may leave out the intro, however, this arrangement has always been a crowd pleaser.

This novelty is great as either a featured number or as an encore. It is upbeat, a medley of turn-of-the-last-century tunes that, in the tradition of Haydn?s "Farewell" Symphony (No. 45 in F-sharp minor), provides opportunity for four musicians to leave, one by one, until only Tuba remains. It opens at a fast clip with a statement of ?Good-Night, Ladies? followed by a four-measure vamp that is subsequently repeated after nearly every section. First, horn and tuba perform ?There is a Tavern in the Town.? Second, trombone and trumpets combine to ask, ?Bill Bailey, Won?t You Please Come Home.? Third is a close-harmony, ensemble version of ?Goin? Home.? Fourth features exchanges between trumpets and low brass in ?Toot, Toot, Tootsie!? Fifth is an amalgam of all the tunes; this is played four times, each time featuring a different instrument, which then drops out for the rest of the number. The tuba ends the piece and takes a bow. This arrangement was completed in 2014, and performance time runs about 3 minutes, 56 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.

Here is what the arranger, Ross Holcombe says about his great scoring of this wonderful and unique work by Ives.

Ives finished the majority of his Concord Sonata, from which this movement is excerpted, in 1915. According to Ives, the piece reflects on the old Alcott house in Concord, MA, but I feel a greater struggle in this work than a mere journal about a piece of architecture. The fact that Ives quotes Beethoven?s 5th Symphony so extensively makes me wonder about his views on destiny, fate, the future, and the creative process.

The piece starts serenely but quickly devolves into uncertainty, doubt, and anger. A floating interlude brings us back to distant memories where we remember that we are shaped by our past, but have control of the direction of our future. Building on that realization and quickly gaining steam, the piece ends with a powerful and joyful climax. The angry Beethoven theme is transformed into one of power, hope, and light. A feeling of calm and contentment ends the piece, finally coming to rest on one simple C major chord.

This work is scored for 10 trombones: 1 alto, 7 tenor, and 2 bass trombones and is appropriate for advanced performers.

Song Of The Liberty Bell (for unaccompanied cello) MO132

Cello Solo

Music by Mark O?Connor

2 pages - 3:00 minutes in length



Song Of The Liberty Bell for unaccompanied cello was composed by Mark O?Connor and used as the theme song for the critically acclaimed PBS documentary, ?Liberty! The American Revolution?. O?Connor wrote the piece to include three different instrument groupings - unaccompanied solo, folk ensemble, and string orchestra. The Sony Classical album ?Liberty!? features ?Song Of The Liberty Bell? in all three arrangements with Yo-Yo Ma as the guest cellist on the recording. Album notes author Thomas Fleming calls the music ?profoundly moving? with ?exquisite melody?. The music is suited for all levels.



Original music printed from the composer?s manuscripts.

Music editing, copying and engraving by Mark O?Connor

using ?Finale? on Apple Macintosh 1996



Composed by Mark O?Connor

The string orchestra version can be heard on ?Liberty!? Sony Classical

Mark O?Connor - violin, Yo-Yo Ma ? cello, and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra



Catalogue Number MO132

Copyright � 1996 by Mark O?Connor Music International