If you can afford only one ?Up On The Housetop? for your brass quintet, this is the one to get. It is a hoot! It starts with an introduction that is definitely in a hurry; Santa?s sleigh may even have a klaxon on board to blast loitering birds out of the way! The arrangement moves on at the same fast clip, having fun with the melody and never letting up. As it reaches the halfway point, the tempo seems to slow down, but this is just an illusion; tuba and horn keep it moving. Racing toward the end, the conclusion recalls the introduction and finishes with a great, upbeat wind-up. Click on the ?Listen? button, and get set for an exciting Christmas ride with Santa.Tempo is halfnote = 138 throughout. There are some high notes and jumps. Trumpet 1?s highest note is B-flat5 (high C); Trumpet 2, A-flat5 (B-flat above the staff); Horn, F5 (high C). Trombone?s highest jump is from B-flat2 to E-sharp4. Horn has several 6-note jumps. This arrangement was completed in 2012, and performance time runs about 1 minute, 41 seconds. The arranger, Les Smith, can be reached at lessmith@ufl.edu. For more arrangements by Les, enter "Sweetwater Brass Press" (without the quotation marks) in the SheetMusicPlus search box.

Three LatinElegies to Lesbiais a setting of three poems written by the ancient Roman poet, Gaius ValeriusCatullus (84-54 B.C.E.). His muse in these poems is understood to beLesbia, the name believed to have been given by Catullus to his mistress.Lesbia was really Clodia, the sexually promiscuous wife of proconsul QuintusCaecilius Metellus Celer. Clodia was said to have many lovers, and Catullus?torment and obsession for her is well documented in 13 of his poems where thename, Lesbia, is used. His first poem addressed to Lesbia (Catullus 51) is a freetranslation of a poem by the ancient Greek poet, Sappho. Scholars havesuggested that Catullus chose the name, Lesbia, because of his affinity forSappho, who it is believed was a lesbian.

Odie et Amo (Catullus 85), one of the mostcelebrated elegiac couplets composed by Catullus, has inspired many composers withits duality of emotions. The most well-known setting is from Carl Orff?s Catulli Carmina, part of Trionfi, themusical triptych that also includes the Carmina Burana andTrionfo di Afrodite. Unlike Orff?s driving rhythms of outwardlyexpressive anguish, my setting is a more introspective interpretation. It is asif the music is surrendering to the mercurial personalities that Catullus andall humans possess, the tortured ability to hate and love at the same time.

Lesbia mi dicit semper male (Catullus 92) consists of two elegiaccouplets. Catullus? earlier poem, 83,brings some context to 92. In thefirst part of 83, Catullus says:

Lesbia keeps insulting me in front of her husband:

thisfills the fatuous idiot with delight.

Mule, doyou perceive nothing? If she shut up and ignored me

that?dshow healthy indifference;?

In 92, Catullus expounds on the idea of whyLesbia insults him in front of her husband. Catullus reckons that he is alwayscursing her, and he loves her. She always curses him, so she must love him aswell. In his desperation, Catullus uses his wit and humor to reason that hisobsessive love for Lesbia is reciprocated. This setting of 92 uses incessant driving rhythms in the women?s voices to paint thewords, ?Lesbia mi dicit semper male nec tacetumquam de me? (Lesbia always speaks ill of me, never shuts up about me). The repeating rhythmsreturn in the men?s voices when Catullus says he does the same, ?quia sunt totidem mea: deprecor illamassidue? (?it?s the same with me: I?m continually complaining.) The piececomes to a final rest after Catullus realizes the he will always be cursed tolove her.

Mea Lesbia (Catullus 87) also consists of twoelegiac couplets. Catullus was only one of Lesbia?s many lovers, and he oftenwrote of his jealousy and disdain for her unfaithful actions. This elegy waswritten at a time when Lesbia had been particularly cruel toward Catullus.Despite being broken hearted, his obsession with her never waned. In hisdespair and desperation, he basically says, ?My love for you is so great thatno other woman could possibly even know what love is.? This setting of 87 returns to a more introspectivenature where Catullus surrenders his love forever to Lesbia.