Aria for Brass Quintet, HWV 410

In the the summer of 1979 I attended the very first Empire Brass Quintet Symposium at Tanglewood in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. At the introductory concert, they introduced us to a transcription of work by Handel: Two Arias. I remember listening to them perform it and thinking, “Wow, I would love to play that piece! It’s fantastic. These guys make it seem so easy.” In recent years, I have turned my attention back to this work. This piece was originally scored for 2 Oboes, 2 Horns and Bassoon, which makes it perfect for a brass quintet transcription. It is a light, airy, charming little-known work by a great master. It makes for a perfect program opener.

World Parts are available for this score when you purchase it as a PDF download.  Instrumentation for standard and a number of alternate parts make this playable by almost any 5 piece brass ensemble:

Part 1 – Bb Trumpet (alt. C Trumpet)
Part 2 – Bb Trumpet (alt. C Trumpet)
Part 3 – F Horn (alt. Eb Horn, Bb Baritone T.C.)
Part 4 – Trombone B.C. (alt. Bb Trombone T.C.)
Part 5 – Tuba B.C. (alt. Eb Bass T.C., Bb Bass T.C)