Five Musical Moments for Brass Quintet by Petros Shoujounian is a work of contrasts. Each movement is unique and different than the others, yet they have an integrated feeling when performed as a whole work.

The work is about 11 minutes in length and appropriate for advanced performers.

Gottschalk was one of America's firstimportant composers. His numerous worksfor piano are mostly light. His Marche desGibaros from the Souvenir de Porto Ricotranscribed by Karl Hinterbichler is lively andbright. American born Louis MoreauGottschalk (1829-1869) was one of thegreat pianist/composers of his day. Hebegan his career in Europe but spent mostof his life touring from coast to coast in theUS, as well as South America, and theCaribbean.

He composed more than 100 works whichcombine the typical European Romanticvirtuoso style with musical traditions fromSouth America, the Caribbean, Spain andsacred and popular songs from the UnitedStates.

Originally for solo piano, Souvenir de PortoRico (op. 31), bears the subtitle Marche desGibaros, a reference to the peasants of theisland. The simple melody derives from aPuerto Rican song 'Si me dan pasteles, lesd�nmelos calientes,' 'If you give me cakes,give them to me hot,' sung by strollingmusicians during the Puerto RicanChristmas season. This simple melody isthen subjected to a series of variations. Themusic depicts the sound of strollingmusicians, first heard in the distance,coming ever closer, rising to a climax andthen fading as the Gibaros march away intothe distance. The syncopated rhythmsstrongly suggest its Caribbean origins.

Instrumentation is for 2 Trumpets in Bb(Trumpet 1 doubles on Piccolo), Horn,Trombone and Tuba.

Petros Shoujounian, an Armenian/Canadian composer has written Twelve Duos for Trumpets based on the folksong collection of the Armenian priest Komitas, known as the founder of the Armenian national school of music and one of the pioneers of ethnomusicology. Below are comments from the composer about his inspiration in writing these Twelve Duos for Trumpets.

My interest in the collected works of Komitas's ethnographical songs was aroused when I was introduced to Bela Bartok's similar works followed by Alan Hovhaness's huge creative world. Bartok completed his project having at his disposal a large collection of ethnographic music, while Hovhannes studied the wealth of Komitas's music with great interest. It is difficult to say to what extent the Armenian underpinning of Hovhannes's works is nurtured by Komitas's musical world, but his classical interpretation of the Armenian ethnographical music created a huge interest in the listener. Needless to say, there is also Aram Katchaturian's legacy, which at its core has the ardent presence of the Armenian spirit, nurtured by Komitas's very existence.

Komitas has left a collection of about 3,000 cleaned versions of the ethnographic song and dance pieces, of which 1,700 has reaches us, about 400 of which have been activated. I believe that in those beautiful musical fragments reside the power to be revived, once we enrich them with colorful musical instruments and unbounded polyphonic imagination.

This is the motivation behind my own work and these Twelve Duos for Trumpets: to make the essence of our ethnographic music accessible through Komitas.

These Twelve Duos are appropriate for advanced performers and are written for C Trumpets, B-flat Trumpets, Cornets, B-flat Piccolo Trumpets, and Flugelhorns.

Petros Shoujounian, an Armenian/Canadian composer has written Twelve Duos for Trombones based on the folksong collection of the Armenian priest Komitas, known as the founder of the Armenian national school of music and one of the pioneers of ethnomusicology. Below are comments from the composer about his inspiration in writing these Twelve Duos for Trombones.

My interest in the collected works of Komitas's ethnographical songs was aroused when I was introduced to Bela Bartok's similar works followed by Alan Hovhaness's huge creative world. Bartok completed his project having at his disposal a large collection of ethnographic music, while Hovhannes studied the wealth of Komitas's music with great interest. It is difficult to say to what extent the Armenian underpinning of Hovhannes's works is nurtured by Komitas's musical world, but his classical interpretation of the Armenian ethnographical music created a huge interest in the listener. Needless to say, there is also Aram Katchaturian's legacy, which at its core has the ardent presence of the Armenian spirit, nurtured by Komitas's very existence.

Komitas has left a collection of about 3,000 cleaned versions of the ethnographic song and dance pieces, of which 1,700 have reaches us, about 400 of which have been activated. I believe that in those beautiful musical fragments reside the power to be revived, once we enrich them with colorful musical instruments and unbounded polyphonic imagination.

This is the motivation behind my own work and these Twelve Duos for Trombones: to make the essence of our ethnographic music accessible through Komitas.

These Twelve Duos are appropriate for advanced performers and may be performed on Alto, Tenor, and Bass Trombones.

The Clef Studies by Vladislav Blazhevich, composed in 1925 are a staple of the Trombone repertoire. Their quality is superb, not only for teaching the clefs, but solid technique and musical style as well.

Karl Lyden has brilliantly arranged Three Studies for Trombone Quartet inspired by the Blazhevich Clef Studies for Trombone based on numbers 56, 54 and 65 (subtitled Five Etude having a funk feel to it). They are very musically interesting, rhythmically challenging and fun to perform.

Here is a description of the Three Studies by arranger Karl Lynden:

"The seed for the Blazhevich Three Studies for Trombone Quartet came from my desire to write for my trombone quartet during undergraduate studies at Nebraska-Lincoln. I was tinkering with study No. 64 from Blazhevich?s Clef Studies for Trombone book and began to imagine pulsating trombone chords and ostinatos. The original was in 5/8 so I dubbed that arrangement ?Five Etude?.

Several years later, I had similar experiences with two other works from the book (No. 54 and 56). For the latter No. 56, I originally imagined it as a mournful duo between trombone and cello. I then flushed out the implied harmony to allow for four trombones.

No. 54 is more harmonically dense with an active bass line. It should be played majestically but come to rest in a subsided manner.For all three studies, I deviate slightly from the written form. However, the melody always remains constant as a means of generating new textures, harmonies, and rhythms. My hope is that trombonists in quartets will experience these familiar etudes in a new light."

Here is a description of the music by the composer, Henry Wolking.

"The Mannequin Challenge is a work for brass quintet inspired by the participatory video fad in which a group of people are shown posing stock-still for the camera while music is playing in the background. It became a social media participating video fad in November 2016 (with the hashtag #mannequinChallenge). Since then it has had become a world-wide phenomena, sort of like the Ice-Bucket Challenge, which I considered writing about, but then got cold feet. This work inverts the mannequin challenge sequence in that the music plays first, and then the musicians freeze in brief silence. Though the freezes are only in 3/8 in between the particularly beguiling musical interludes, they may be extended to any length. Long live social media and brass quintet mannequin challenges!"

This piece is scored for traditional brass quintet with Trumpets in B-flat and for advanced performers of about 2+ minutes in length.

Zatten was commissioned in 2005 by Trumpeter Paul Neebe during the composer's vacation to do ancestral research in the town of Zatten, currently part of Poland.

Roger Petrich writes the following about his Zatten Concerto for Trumpet:

"The 'DNA' of this compostion tracks back to my great-grandfather and the tiny Plattdeutsch village where he was born. Zatten, [then] located in the eastern part of Berlin/Brandenburg is in an area of forest and small farms dating back to the 1600's. My grandfather R. T. Petrich, whose initials I bear, was six years old when he, along with his parents, sister, and older brother left Prussia to start a new life in the USA.

My own childhood memories include many visits to the family homestead in Dakota Territory, where I used to play in the barn which hosted many summer dances. The Dakota sky was vast by day, and nights could become magical with the addition of the Northern Lights. Though not a professional musician, my father kept up his trumpet playing all his life. In a special way it was his "voice" - a sound that deeply imprinted all my growing up years. All of this is mixed together in my Zatten Concerto"

The Zatten Concerto is in three movements, the two outer movements faster and the middle is a Largo. This work is written for Trumpet in C and is appropriate for advanced performers.

The title Zatten (the name of the small village in Germany where his family was located before immigrating to the USA) is spelled out in Morse Code in the very opening eight bars of the work. The Concerto is originally written for Trumpet and String Orchestra, this version using a reduction for Piano.

Hill Country Miniatures for 8-part Trombone Ensemble was written by Richard J. Lawn in 2002 for the Trombone Choir at the University of Texas and its director Nathaniel Brickens. The work is dedicated to Donald Knaub its former director. It has become a staple in the American Trombone Ensemble repertoire since its original release. Mr. Lawn explains in the notes, his deep emotional connection to the Hill Country land and to his days at the Eastman School of Music, hearing the legendary Trombone Choir led by Emory Remington and following through to his days at the University of Texas with Knaub and Brickens, all of which inspired him to compose this work.

This music is about 15 minutes in length and is for advanced performers.

The four movements of the work are:

Hickory Cove - September 2001 - a lyrical, somber and solemn introductory movement.

Smithwick - a jaunty piece reflecting the Scottish and English heritage of this tiny Texas spot.

The Narrows - As part of the Colorado River narrows, it twists and turns its way through the Texas Hill Country. You can hear the gentle waters winding through the cliffs and slopes.

Blue Bonnet Boogie - The springtime brings a profusion of the Blue Bonnet, the Texas state flower. A sea of these swaying in the breeze brings out the good old down-home boogie-woogie! A jazz solo featuring Bass Trombone (written for Bill Reichenbach in mind) with solo written out or improvised using chord symbols adds a festive finish.

Cherry Classics is proud to be the new distributor of this great work.

Miss Trombonism by African American composer, trombonist, bandleader, and publisher Nathaniel Cleophas "Shorty" Davis was written in 1918 as a Trombone solo in the American genre of Ragtime featuring the trombone's patented glissando as the "hook". These solos were also called smears or jazzes.

Miss Trombonism is one of five entertaining works of Davis' "Trombone Family" written between 1915 and 1921 with the subtitle - A Slippery Tune. The granddaughter of "Oh Slip It Man" and daughter of Mr. Trombonology.

This arrangement has been wonderfully arranged by Aaron Hettinga for Trombone (the whole section can perform it) and Concert Band and is playable by moderately advanced performers.

Cherry Classics Music will be publishing the complete series of these works by Davis.

Thanks to Douglas Yeo for his research and advice.

Fantasy for Trombone and Piano was written in 1981 as a Christmas present for Richard Raum while he and Elizabeth Raum were performing with the Regina Symphony. Ms. Raum is a highly respected Canadian composer with a catalog of outstanding compositions, many featuring brass instrument solos.

Fantasy for Trombone is dramatic, lyrical and very expressive, making it an ideal recital choice.

The work has gained immense popularity since its debut, having been performed and recorded by major artists worldwide. It is 6 1/2 minutes in length and appropriate for advanced performers.

Performers are Gordon Cherry, trombone and Joyce Cherry, piano from a live recital in 1986.

The Sea-Shells Waltz was written in 1880 as part of a musical challenge Innes posed to the great French cornetist, Jules Levy. They were both in New York performing as soloists with the legendary Gilmore band for some summer concerts. Levy would play a solo and Innes would follow with an even more elaborate one. One day Levy brought in a new solo in which he injected his own extemporaneous cadenza made up of everything he could do on the cornet. When his turn came to play, Innes also had something up his sleeve. He had written a brand new solo for the trombone, entitled The Sea-Shells Waltz with a minute and one-half cadenza.

This legendary musical duel brought forth a delightful solo that has been rediscovered and edited by Trombonist Chris Buckholz. The solo is about 8-minutes in length for advanced performers.

Below is a gorgeous sample of some of the concert band version of the work (soon to be published) beautifully performed by Chris Buckholz, from his double CD album Versatility.

Wagner composed five songs or lieder for voice and piano in 1857-58 based on poems by Mathilde Wesendonck, the wife of one of his patrons, and have thus been known as the Wesendonck Lieder over time. Three of them: Der Engel (The Angel), Schmerzen (Sorrows), and Tr�ume (Dreams) have been beautifully arranged for solo Trombone (may be performed on Tenor or Bass Trombone) and 5-part Trombone Ensemble by Bob Burnham. They are very beautiful to listen to!

Of musical interest....Wagner inscribed the movement Tr�ume as being a "study for Tristan and Isolde".

The three movements are about 9-minutes in length and this arrangement is appropriate for moderately advanced to advanced performers and will add a great deal of musical depth to your recital or concert.

Eine Alpensinfonie is Strauss's final and largest scale tone poem. Composed in 1915 (during WWI) Strauss puts into music his feelings of joy and mystery about the glory of nature, especially the mountains. He so loved the mountains that he built a home in the Bavarian Alps with stunning views.

The original work is scored for an enormous orchestra of at least 125 musicians and is about 50 minutes in length. This fantastic 6-minute arrangement by Randall Malmstrom, appropriate for advanced performers is for an 8-part Trombone Ensemble (1 alto, 5 tenors, and 2 bass trombones) and features excerpts from the work that highlight the trombone section's glorious chorals.

Dvorak's Slavonic Dances are among his most popular and accessible compositions, performed by every level of orchestra worldwide and universally adored by music lovers.

Marc LaChance has arranged the energetic Slavonic Dance, Op. 72, No. 7 for Trombone and Piano. It can be performed by advanced musicians and is about 3 1/2 minutes in length.

The Concone vocalise studies have been used by brass performers for many years now as a way to perfect a beautiful legato, lyrical technique and sound. The 15 Lyrical Duets for Trumpet, beautifully arranged by Matthew Mitchell are easy to easy/intermediate level and are also valuable to more experienced performers to build a singing lyrical sound.

Here is what Mr. Mitchell writes about his arrangement:

The source material for this collection are Concone?s original studies for high voice. The melodies are presented in the first trumpet part for each duet. The harmonic integrity for these duets has been preserved by using Concone?s original accompaniments as a basis for the second trumpet parts. The second trumpet parts have many similarities to Concone?s original accompaniments in regards to rhythm, melodic ideas and style.

The keys, articulations, markings and dynamics for this series of duets mirror those unutilized by J.F. Sawyer in the Brass Press Edition of Concone?s Lyrical Studies for Trumpet. The user is encouraged to experiment with their own articulations, markings and dynamics. The player may also want to take liberties with note lengths at the ends of phrases, often playing notes longer than their printed values, creating a more satisfying musical experience.

The 15 Lyrical Duets for Trumpets are great tools for teachers to use in the studio as well.

These TWO SUITES were composed in response to a request form Heini Schneebeli, the musical director of ?TROMBONANZA 2017?. Santa Fe in Argentina is the backdrop for this exciting annual event involving many hundreds of student and professional players.

The FIRST SUITE has three movements and is intended for a trio of younger tenor trombonists working with a teacher on bass trombone who will add richness and depth to the ensemble sound.

It is my hope that this piece will encourage, entertain and challenge student players and provide useful concert material for use in the promotion of this unique and versatile instrument.

John Frith - 2017

This work is appropriate for younger performers at an intermediate level all in bass clef. The three movements total about 5 1/2 minutes in length and have the following titles:

1. Totem Tango

2. Full Steam Ahead

3. Clowning Around

Ecce Sacerdos Magnus (?Behold the Great Priest?) comes from the early European tradition of plainchant. Bruckner?s setting of the responsory, originally scored for eight-part mixed choir, organ and three trombones, brings certain medieval qualities to an otherwise Romantic-era composition.



This transcription for 10-part brass choir is appropriate for intermediate level and above and attempts to retain the majesty, power, and beauty of the original piece. It should be approached as a choral piece: connected and fluid. The harmonic language is essentially triadic; great care should be taken in the tuning of each chord throughout the piece.



Instrumentation is for: 3 Trumpets in B-flat, 2 Horns, 3 Trombones, Euphonium and Tuba.



Listen to the live performance by a young group of musicians conducted by Dr. Paul Stevens, Professor of Horn at KU.

Lament for Trombone and String Orchestra by composer Jeremy Niles Kempton is a serious and lyrical work of about 6 minutes in length for advanced performers.

The work was composed and performed within a 2 week period at a memorial concert given for Helen Manheim, a violist in Mr. Kempton's Island Chamber Symphony on Long Island, NY. Ms. Manheim died rather suddenly and her passing left the composer with a deep feeling of regret at having taken her and so many other ICS musicians for granted.

The composition consists of 3 lengthy phrases. The first epitomizes the grief at her passing. The 2nd presents her life and consists of 3 phrases, all starting the same but each striving higher. The final section is her legacy, what she leaves behind.

The live performance features Mr. Kempton as soloist with the Island Chamber Symphony.

John Frith's new work One Nation for Trombone and Piano is written in A-B-A format, beginning with a dramatic and declamatory section which leads into a more somber, lyrical section and then returning to the A section to finish off this fine work of about 4 minutes in length, appropriate for moderately advanced performers (all in bass clef). This work would work very well for young performers looking to find a challenging contemporary work with lots of contrasts.

This work is dedicated to Gordon Cherry.

My first season with the Oregon Symphony was 1962-1963. I was so excited when I was told that I was accepted into the Portland Symphony (now Oregon Symphony), I danced and jumped up and down. I can still see myself. Its was like winning the Powerball. I was only 17 years old. What is equally amazing is that 45 years later I retired from a career that very few people can ever experience. I was bass trombonist my first year in the Oregon Symphony and was principal trombonist my third year. I also traveled with the New York Metropolitan Opera National company for 84 weeks as principal trombonist and was bass trombonist of the Portland Opera for 18 years. I played in the Peter Britt Orchestra for two seasons and also in the Anchorage, AK. music festival. I was a scholarship winner to Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass. and the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan. I was privileged to perform with Leopold Stowkowski and Erik Leinsdorf. None of this would have been possible without my early training with the Portland, Youth Philharmonic under the leadership of maestro Jacob Avshalomov.

I have met many famous people and have played the world's greatest music. The Oregon Symphony music directors and conductors have been magnificent and have each brought many special talents to the orchestra. I remember special concerts featuring Jack Benny, Danny Kaye, Isaac Stern, Leonard Rose, and many others.

During my time in the Oregon Symphony I developed a hobby of making batons for some of the conductors who visited our orchestra. Most recently, I made batons for Itzhak Perlman, James DePreist, Carlos Kalmar, Riccardo Mutti, Murry Sidlin, Hannu Lintu, Karel Mark Chichon,

Andre Watts, and many others.

Since establishing the Alan Pierce Piano Service in 1976, I have tuned pianos for the Oregon Symphony, Andre Watts, Lawrence Leighton Smith, James DePreist, Murry Sidlin, Norman Leyden as well as for many churches, schools and prominent piano teachers. Most recently I tuned the piano in the home of world famous Janet Guggenheim. One of my most special memories was an all expense paid trip to Scottsdale, Arizona to tune the piano of a prominent surgeon. While in Arizona, I had the chance to spend time with the late James DePreist who had a home in the area. For two summers, I also served as piano technician for the Sunriver Music Festival I am currently the president of the Reno chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild.

Most recently I got to meet Geoge Curran, bass trombonist of the New York Philharmonic. My wife and I traveled two times to hear him perform my Romanza and Scherzo for bass trombone and piano. What a thrill to hear a world famous trombonist perform my music. I am very honored that George Curran recorded my music on his latest CD. (Vital Signs)

Robert Coulter's arrangement of Eight Duets for Euphonium and Tuba or Two Tubas by Handel is a great way to get together to play or even record yourself and play back over the track. The music can be performed by Euphonium (mostly middle register) and Tuba or with two tubas with an F Tuba on the top part.

These Eight Duets are perfect for a recital, the teaching studio, or just for fun, appropriate for intermediate to moderately advanced performers, and total about 15 minutes of great music.

Erik Ralske has beautifully arranged Bach's famous melody "Arioso" for Horn Quartet taken from Cantata No. 156 & Clavier Concerto No. 5. Mr. Ralske has added written out ornaments that make the music sound as if it came from heaven.

This work can be performed by advanced performers.

Beethoven's great chamber music is second to none, however, there are very few instances where the Trombone as an instrument can fit into the style of the music. With the Scherzo from String Quartet, Op. 18, No. 4, arranger Kevin Dombrowski has found the perfect fit. A quartet of trombonists at the advanced level will love performing this wonderful five minutes of music.

David Fetter's brilliant new work Situation Update - Suite for Tenor Trombone and Concert Band is written in three contrasting movements totalling almost 11 minutes in length:

1. Swift

2. Longing

3. Exit Music

Swift is marked "Intense" and is very rhythmic and angular. Longing is a beautiful lyrical movement marked "Cantabile" and Exit Music is marked "Lively" mixing chromatic, lyrical and syncopated segments, ending in a giant climax.

Both the solo and accompaniment parts are written for advanced performers.

The work's premier was performed in 2015 by retired Principal Trombonist of the Boston Symphony, Ronald Barron and accompanied at the Piano by Pianist Larry Wallach.

Here is what Mr. Ewazen has said about Situation Update:

"I had the pleasure of hearing Ron Barron play David Fetter's exciting and virtuosic new work for Trombone and Piano, "Situation Update?. David's music allows the Trombonist to sing and soar in 3 contrasting movements filled with vivid colors, beautiful and expressive harmonies, and a wonderful flowing rhythmic energy. The outer movements crackle with

energy, showcasing the amazing technique of soloist Ron Barron, as the melodic line shifts and changes with playful abandon, while the middle movement is heartfelt and lyrical, with beautiful melodic lines, supported by resonant, gorgeous harmonies. The work is a real tour de force and

rightly deserves to take its place as a significant addition to the Trombone repertoire."