TromboneChat

Hey folks,

Looking for suggestions for good trombone quartet music, for Christmas caroling!

Thanks!

The Elkjer books. He sorta released them as small volumes (so you have to buy all of them to have all the best songs). But you gotta make a living.

Otherwise the green Salvation Army books, though some of those pieces require the "optional" 5th book. Top parts may have to read trumpet clef, I can't remember if they are all available in concert pitch, bass clef. They have an inverse bell curve -- they are easy playing for low level groups and the songs will be recognisable, they aren't that good if your group is decent, and I've heard really great groups use them to fill in a bigger set and they sound like a million bucks.

I had a set of books called "Christmas Time" published by Kjos. You can buy the 1st, 3rd, and 4th parts in bass clef. I used the Bb treble part for 2nd (read tenor clef). I wish they had published the 2nd part in bass clef too.

Another possibility is the Tuba Christmas books, although you will need some really strong bass players for the lower parts (1st and 2nd are intended for Euphonium, so they lie nicely on trombone).

Our quartet has used these:
https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/25 ... c/21547338

They are 25 straightforward sightreadable fairly simple arrangements of most of the standard carols. We used it for a singalong last week, and it worked well. They are full size sheet music, not marching books.

And then I always recommend this one for anyone who ever plays in a church: 500 hymns for instruments. Several transpositions available. The bass clef book has 4 part in bass clef for all hymns including religious christmas carols.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/184955994954?c ... aeec9a63a1

Also, of note, unless you live next to Hickey's Music or the like, good luck getting a Christmas quartet book by Christmas, which is already arguably too late for impactful caroling. They were out of stock for about half the Elkjer stuff last year and we ordered in Oct.

Also check out the Trombone Christmas books.

Although they are for LARGE trombone choirs and the top parts are pretty strenuous!

Bonearzt wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 9:15 pm Also check out the Trombone Christmas books.

Although they are for LARGE trombone choirs and the top parts are pretty strenuous!

The Trombone Christmas™ books work fine with one on a part, but there's six parts and the 1st part is definitely an endurance test.

The TubaChristmas® books are four parts (with a lot of doubling on some tunes), but the Harvey Phillips Foundation is pretty adamant about them only being used for official TubaChristmas® events.

hyperbolica wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 8:44 pm Our quartet has used these:
https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/25 ... c/21547338

Plus it's a digital download so you don't have to worry about shipping. Might be a winner for that reason alone at this point in time.

JohnL wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:14 pmThe TubaChristmas® books are four parts (with a lot of doubling on some tunes), but the Harvey Phillips Foundation is pretty adamant about them only being used for official TubaChristmas® events.

Really? I've played TubaChristmas a few times and never heard/read anything to that effect.

More to the point, I don't see why Harvey Phillips Foundation would have any say about what people do with sheet music once they've bought it.

spencercarran wrote: ↑Thu Dec 16, 2021 7:13 am

JohnL wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:14 pmThe TubaChristmas® books are four parts (with a lot of doubling on some tunes), but the Harvey Phillips Foundation is pretty adamant about them only being used for official TubaChristmas® events.

Really? I've played TubaChristmas a few times and never heard/read anything to that effect.

More to the point, I don't see why Harvey Phillips Foundation would have any say about what people do with sheet music once they've bought it.

You don't understand copyright law then, my friend. The copyright holder retains ALL rights to public performances of their music. They get to say how much the license would cost, and indeed whether you get to perform it in public legally at all.

Now, if the Tuba Christmas book is covered by ASCAP or something, they probably gave up some of their say in how you get to perform it as long as the blanket license is fulfilled by the venue, but if it's not, they absolutely have a say in what you can do with it for public performances.

Caroling around on your street or your backyard? They probably don't care, and you're likely covered by fair use.

harrisonreed wrote: ↑Thu Dec 16, 2021 2:40 pmYou don't understand copyright law then, my friend. The copyright holder retains ALL rights to public performances of their music. They get to say how much the license would cost, and indeed whether you get to perform it in public legally at all.

I suppose I don't! I would've guessed that you would at least be in the clear for non-commercial performances. I don't see any mention of restrictions in my TubaChristmas book, but the homepage does say

TUBACHRISTMAS is a registered and copyrighted property of the H.P.F. Commercial exploitation by any individual or organization is strictly prohibited.

So if I read that right, you can't sell tickets to a concert that you call Tuba Christmas without permission from HPF. Casual carolers playing the arrangements on a street corner are, if nothing else, probably too small to be worth the hassle to HPF of saying anything, even if doesn't fall within the letter of the law.