Woodwind Quintet Blog

I have just completed a new edition of Grainger's Walking Tune for "wind five-some".

From Grainger himself:

This piece is based on a little tune I made on a 3 days' walk in the Scottish Highlands (in 1900) as a hummed accompaniment to my tramping feet. It was worked out and scored in 1905.

From the LA Times, a review of William Kraft's new "Encounters XIII" for wind quintet and percussion:

The new "Encounters XIII" is for wind quintet and percussion. In a discussion before the premiere, Kraft and Jeff von der Schmidt, who conducted, agreed on their dislike of the sound of combined flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon. But that is what percussionist Ken McGrath, who commissioned the score, wanted. And given that McGrath saved up for 20 years to be able to afford the commission, a wind quintet is what he got.

The Portland Symphony Orchestra Woodwind Quintet performs Peter and the Wolf.

I just completed my wind quintet transcription of Stravinsky's Ragtime.

"Not unnaturally, the work is fairly close to Histoire in style; but jazz influences twist its melodic line into even more sinuous chromaticisms and - a remarkable thing in his works of this period - the common time signature is unchanged throughout its 178 bars."

From the Denver Post, wind instruments are a breath of fresh air in chamber music concerts. The review mentions both Beethoven's Op. 16 and Mozart's K. 452.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer, a short review of the debut of Valerie Coleman's Concerto Afro-Cuban for Wind Quintet and Orchestra.

Several groups have requested a transcription of Handel's Messiah. I will try to get out as many movements as I can before the holiday season arrives. Feel free to contact me if you would like to request a specific selection.

Overture & Pastoral Symphony
And the Glory of the Lord
For unto us a Child is born

The Whichpond Music woodwind quintet library is still available at 40% off. Recent additions include 2 Mozart Overtures (Ascanio in Alba & La Finta Giardiniera), Respighi's Serenata, Honegger's Fugue, Faure's Pavane, and Vaughan Williams' 8 English Carols.

From the IDRS - the 24 Wind Quintets of Antoine Reicha available for download. The 6 quintets of Op. 88 are available to nonmembers.

From Koch International Classics - the new Imani Winds release Josephine Baker: A Life of Le Jazz Hot!

In honor of Baker's centennial, Imani Winds has created "Josephine Baker: A Life of Le Jazz Hot!," a musical biography that celebrates the remarkable spirit of this internationally renowned entertainer and the enduring mark she made as a performer and as a public figure. Ms. Baker's works, which flourished in Paris during the European period of expressionism -- and the height of America's jazz era -- are particularly a source of inspiration for Imani Winds, whose overall mission is to discover the links between African and European music and their omnipresence in American culture.

From the Dorian Quintet - a list of their most performed works. Not surprisingly, the leader - at 433 performances - is the Ibert Trois pieces breves.

Free sheet music download - "And all in the Morning" from my transcription of Vaughan Williams' 8 English Carols.

Individual parts in .pdf format:

Flute
Oboe
Clarinet
Horn
Bassoon

The complete publication is available from the link above. The first person to contact me will receive a complimentary copy.

Edited to add - the free music has been claimed. Check back again for more offers.