Blaze Away: Brass Quintet Score & Parts

Holzmann's march writing cuts straight to what makes the form work: clear phrasing, singable melodies, and rhythmic vitality that players feel immediately. The Eighth Note Publications arrangement preserves these strengths while crafting genuine brass quintet textures rather than simply reducing a band score. For a festival or concert, Blaze Away delivers the energy and polish your audience expects without demanding virtuosity beyond the level.

Blaze Away radiates optimism and forward motion from its opening notes. The piece maintains the ceremonial dignity of a formal march while staying light enough to feel approachable, never demanding that players sacrifice musicality for showiness.

This arrangement suits quintets working at the intermediate level who want a piece that combines historical significance with immediate musical satisfaction. It's ideal for groups preparing for contests or festival performances where a march fits the programming and showcases both ensemble blend and individual musicianship.

• Keep the march tempo steady and crisp; this piece lives by its forward momentum rather than rubato or expressive indulgence.
• Balance the melodic line across your voices so that the tune remains prominent even when it passes between upper and lower instruments.
• Address the characteristic syncopations in the accompaniment figures with rhythmic precision; they define Holzmann's style.
• Use dynamics to shape the contrasting sections and build interest through the repeat, rather than playing the same intensity throughout.

Open a concert with this classic to establish energy and confidence, or place it strategically in a mixed program to provide contrast with slower or more contemporary works. It's particularly effective in festival contexts where judges expect to see both standard repertoire and solid ensemble control.

• Playing sustained harmonic backgrounds while tracking independent melodic movement
• Interpreting syncopated rhythmic figures common to early 20th-century American band music
• Balancing multiple trumpet or cornet parts in tight harmonic intervals
• Executing clean dynamic shape and articulation across sectional transitions
• Matching tone color and vibrato within a homogeneous brass ensemble