A Child’s Garden of Jazz for Brass Quintet by Henry Wolking Brass Quintet - Sheet Music

SKU: CY.CC2407

As an adult I occasionally try to remember and or capture child-like experiences—maybe not so much the actual event, but the emotive atmosphere left from impressions long ago embedded in the psyche.
Each movement of this work is based on spontaneous and uncalculated musical imagery of dreams and childhood reflections. I have deliberately avoided the professional composer’s bag of developmental tricks and worked for a more free flow of simple melodic ideas: they go wherever they want.

Movement I

Inspired by the feelings I had growing up on Merritt Island Florida with my older sister Barbara. This music was a gift to her on the occasion of her 2004 marriage in Flemington New Jersey. It was originally scored for a brass quartet with which I performed. I have written three other brass quintets, and when I started thinking about this one (my fourth) this seemed like a logical choice for a first movement.

Movement II

Based on a tune that came to me in a dream. It is dedicated to my wife Lois (we also married in 2004) and has a formal title of "Wake Up To A Melody". I originally scored it for jazz band-more specifically for the excellent Salt Lake Alternative Jazz Orchestra, and it has recently been recorded by that group. I like the simplicity of this melody, and felt it would make a natural second movement for this brass quintet.

Movement III

The third and most difficult movement is Tangoragrondo. It is literally a rondo with a turn-of-the century (19th-20th) ragtime melody/gallop occupying the A theme followed by a Tango (inspired by trips to Santiago Chile) for the B theme. The return to the rag (A theme) is then followed by a fantasy development (C area) with a return to to the rag (A theme) followed by a coda that recalls material from the first movement. The form is quite simple- ABACA-Coda.
The material was originally developed as a movement for my double concerto "Letting Midnight Out On Bail" written for the Duehlmeier-Gritton piano duo and orchestra. It was recorded by the Warsaw Philharmonic and has been released on CD. A second version for two pianos has also been recorded and released by the Duehlmeier-Gritton piano duo. This orchestration for brass quintet will be the final resting place for this chaotic rondo.

Henry Wolking.