15009 – Down by the Riverside

Traditional Spiritual

Arranged for 8 part trumpet ensemble by Roger Harvey

Difficulty: Medium

Price: £20.00

Programme notes:

Spirituals, like folk songs, seem to lend themselves to all sorts of arrangements for varying combinations of timbres without losing their original charm and spirit. Spirituals in particular share their roots with jazz and react well to a swing treatment.

Performance notes:

Play in a rhythmic and bouncy manner. Quavers are all swung apart from where marked. The opening solo can be slightly varied if the player wishes. Play in a smeary style with a few bends. The accompaniment in the middle voices should be slightly covered, hand over bell.

The second chorus can be improvised, ad lib, if preferred but be careful to match the accompanying figures where necessary.

The plunger chorus can also be improvised. It should growl and sound rather ‘dirty’. The ‘screamer’ passages in trumpet 1 can be played on a piccolo if necessary.