Product Description
It took Johannes Brahms some 21 years to finish his First Symphony, but it was certainly worth the wait. A consensus masterpiece, Brahms First is outstanding, considered one of the finest symphonies coming out of the Austro-German tradition. Many see the finale as the centerpiece of this work, especially its main theme, the wonderfully noble chorale. But of course, every movement of this symphony is comprised of compelling melodies. The work is full of them. Some of the most beautiful occur in the slow movement, the second, which is marked "Andante sostenuto." In this arrangement, those melodies are transformed into a moving setting for brass quintet, a musical expression of release and calm.
This arrangement retains the symphonys E major key for the movement, however it does translate much of the music into a lower octave to accommodate brass instrument ranges. As a result, most notes are within normal playing range of Trumpet, Horn, Trombone and Tuba, respectively; possible exceptions: Trumpets do play A and A-sharp above their staff, Trombone plays one brief F above the staff and Tuba plays E below the staff. The music does contain quite a few eighth-note triplets, off-beat eighth notes, 16th notes and even some 16th-note sextuplets. For most, however, such potential problem areas will be offset by the suggested tempo of quarter note = 52. The important aspect of playing this piece is to observe and follow the dynamics and to listen to each other. Finally, Brahms beautifully poignant violin obbligato near the end of the movement is shared by Horn and Trumpet. Your musicians and your audiences will love it.
Completed in 2021, performance time for
Andante sostenuto runs about 7 minutes, 25 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 or Sheet Music Direct search box. (Also, purchase of this piece entitles you to your choice of another of his arrangements at no charge; send a copy of your purchase receipt directly to him at lessmith61@bellsouth.net.)
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.