Top 50 Brass Quintets: Famous Brass Quintet Music
Standard Brass Quintet Repertoire
Strictly speaking, it would be presumptuous to say these are the "best" brass quintets; however, it is possible to at least compile a list of good, standard repertoire for the genre. This is a list of standard brass quintets that I’ve used in teaching brass chamber music at the university level at several different schools. Many of the pieces would be considered “classics,” in that they have stood the test of time, while others are relatively new. I emphasize that the list is not comprehensive by any means, just a good general starting point. I would also point out that, while the list will give the reader a good idea of the standard repertoire for brass quintet, there are many other excellent pieces out there, and it will pay dividends to explore new and exciting works in addition to the well-known literature.
Entries are listed alphabetically. Difficulty level is listed in parenthesis after each title: 1 (easiest) to 6 (hardest). Enjoy!
The List
Anonymous/ed. Robert King. “Sonata” from Die Bankelsangerlieder (3)
Arnold, Malcolm. Quintet (5)
Arutiunian, Alexander. Armenian Scenes (5)
Bach, Jan. Laudes (6)
Bach, Jan. Rounds and Dances (6)
Bach, J.S. “Contrapuncti” from Art of the Fugue (5)
Bernstein, Leonard. Dance Suite (5)
Bozza, Eugene. Sonatine (6)
Calvert, Morley. Suite from the Monteregian Hills (4)
Carter, Elliot. Brass Quintet (6)
Cheetham, John. Scherzo (3)
Dahl, Ingolf. Music for Brass Instruments (5)
Dukas, Paul. Fanfare from La Peri (5)
Etler, Alvin. Quintet (6)
Ewald, Victor. Quintet #1, #2, #3, and #4 (5)
Ewazen, Eric. Colchester Fantasy (5)
Ewazen, Eric. Frost Fire (5)
Ewazen, Eric. Western Fanfare (5)
Farnaby, Giles/Howarth. Fancies, Toyes, and Dreams (4)
Gabrieli, Giovanni. Canzona per Sonare 1-4, other canzoni (5)
Holborne, Anthony. Complete Music for Brass (3-5)
Horovitz, Joseph. Music Hall Suite (4)
Jones, Collier. Four Movements for Five Brass (4)
Koetsier, Jan. Brass Quintet, Op. 65 (6)
Lutoslawski, Witold. Mini Overture (6)
Maslanka, David. Arise! (5)
Maurer, Ludwig. Twelve Little Pieces (3)
Mouret, Jean Joseph. “Rondeau” from Fanfares avec une suite de symphonies (4)
Pezel, Johann. Funff-stimmige blasende Musik (“Five-part Brass Music”) (3)
Plog, Anthony. Animal Ditties (5)
Plog, Anthony. Four Sketches (6)
Plog, Anthony. Mini-Suite (5)
Plog, Anthony. Mosaics (6)
Previn, Andre. Four Outings (6)
Purcell, Henry/Jeremiah Clarke. Trumpet Voluntary (3)
Purcell, Henry. Voluntary on Old 100th (3)
Sampson, David. Distant Voices (6)
Scheidt, Samuel. “Canzona Bergamasque” from the Battle Suite (4)
Scheidt, Samuel. “Galliard Battaglia” from the Battle Suite (4)
Schickele, Peter. “Polka” from Hornsmoke (5)
Schuller, Gunther. Music for Brass Quintet (6)
Schuman, William. American Hymn (5)
Tilson Thomas, Michael. Street Song (6)
Tull, Fisher. Exhibition (4)
Air Force Brass Quintet (public domain image)
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Comments
Theo Hartman on February 25, 2013:
Hello, does anyone know about a top 40 list of brassquartets?
Theo Hartman
Trumpeter with Continuous Brass
kimballtrombone (author) on October 27, 2010:
Ryan,
Great! I'm glad it helped.
Ryan Guy on October 27, 2010:
Thanks so much, I've been trying to get together a few Brass Quintets and this has really aided my search.
