About this reference guide
This brass quintet reference guide was created as a project for the MUS 758 (doctoral brass ensemble literature) class in the trumpet studio at James Madison University. The target audience for this guide is undergraduate college students interested in forming a brass quintet. This guide includes a curated list of suggested repertoire, links to helpful articles, links to purchase music, links to example performance videos, and links to professional brass quintet sites. While the suggested list of repertoire is in no means complete, the goal of this list is to provide suggested works without overwhelming students new to brass quintets and chamber music.
Performing in a brass quintet is an enriching musical experience that presents many opportunities for students to develop important skills. Some of these skills include the ability to effectively collaborate with colleagues, fine-tune individual performance technique, and develop individual musical independence/responsibility. Since each person in a brass quintet is the only person performing his or her part, the musical independence required can effectively elevate a students level of intonational awareness, dynamic balance, and blend of sound.
How this list is organized
The following list is intended to serve as a resource for undergraduate college students interested in forming a brass quintet. For the purposes of this list, we define a beginning quintet as one that has never performed together as an ensemble, an intermediate quintet as one that has performed together no more than twice, and an advanced quintet as one that has performed together three or more times.
Additionally, we considered the level of technical difficulty of each individual part and determined the beginning brass quintet to be most suitable for 1st and 2nd year college students, the intermediate brass quintet 2nd and 3rd year college students, and the advanced brass quintet 3rd and 4th year college students.
Select List of Repertoire
Beginning Brass Quintet
- Anonymous; Sonata from Die Bankelsangerleider, Robert King
- Ewazen, Eric; Bachauer Fanfare, Theodore Presser Company
- Gabrielli, Giovanni; Canzona No. 2, Robert King
- Gabrielli, Giovanni; Canzona No. 4, Robert King
- Maurer, Ludwig; Scherzo and Lied, Mentor Music
- Maurer, Ludwid; Three Pieces, Mentor Music
- Pezell, Johann; 3 Pieces, Robert King
- Pezell, Johann; 6 Pieces, Robert King
- Scheidt, Samuel; Gailliard Battaglia, Hal Leonard
- Vivaldi Antonio/J.S. Bach (arr. Baldwin); Concerto, Hal Leonard
Intermediate Brass Quintet
- Bach, J.S.; Contrapunctus IX, Chamber Music Library
- Calvert, Morley; Suite from the Monteregian Hills, Berandol Music
- Cheetham, John; Scherzo, Western International Music
- Crespo, Enrique; Three Spirituals, TBD
- Farnaby, Giles; Fancies, Toys, and Dreams, Chester Music, Ltd.
- Gale, Jack (arranger), Duke Ellington Suite, Vol. 1; TBD
- Gabrielli, Giovanni; Canzona per Sonare No. 2, Robert King
- Jones, Collier; Four Movements for Five Brass, Mentor Music
Advanced Brass Quintet
- Arnold, Malcolm; Quintet, Paterson Publications
- Bozza, Eugene; Sonatine, Alphonse LeDuc
- Ewald, Victor; Quintet No. 1, Ensemble Publications
- Ewald, Victor; Quintet No. 3, Ensemble Publications
- Frackenpohl, Arthur; Brass Quinet, Theodore Presser Co.
- Plog, Anthony; Four Sketches for Brass Quintet, Editions BIM
Additional Resources
Helpful Articles
- Brass Quintet: Tips and Tunes for the High School Brass Quintet, Beaumont Brass
- General Chamber Music: A Conversation with the H2 Saxophone Quartet
- General Chamber Music: A Practical Guide to Chamber Music Success
Reference Videos
Round Top Festival Institute Faculty Brass Quintet, Four Movements for Five Brass, Collier Jones
Canadian Brass, Galliard Battaglia, Samuel Scheidt
Madison Brass, Five Pieces, Ludwig Maurer
Carolina Brass, Sonata from Die Bankelsängerlieder, Anonymous
American Brass Quintet
Canadian Brass
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Brass Quintet
Round Top Festival Institute Faculty Brass Quintet
Seraph Brass
New York Philharmonic Brass Quintet
Empire Brass Quintet
Places to purchase music
- Canadian Brass Store
- Hickey's Music Center
- JW Pepper (Music Robert King Catalog can also be purchased here)
Professional Brass Quintets
- American Brass Quintet
- Atlantic Brass Quintet
- Boston Brass
- Canadian Brass
- Carolina Brass
- Center City Brass Quintet
- Dallas Brass
- Fine Arts Brass
- Harmonic Brass
- Meridian Arts Ensemble
- Rhythm & Brass
- Saint Louis Brass Quintet
- Seraph Brass
- Spanish Brass
- Stiletto Brass Quintet
- U.S. Army Brass Quintet