Capriccio for 5 trumpets (study score): Brass Quintet

This Capriccio demands real musicianship from an all-trumpet ensemble without becoming a technical exercise. The piece respects the voices individually while creating genuine ensemble challenges that teach listening and balance in ways a standard chorale arrangement cannot.

Spirited and conversational, with five trumpets in genuine dialogue rather than stacked harmony. The work sparkles with character while maintaining formal architecture, balancing playfulness with moments of genuine lyricism.

Advanced trumpet ensembles seeking substantial chamber repertoire beyond the standard quintet transcriptions. This work rewards groups with both technical security and interpretive maturity.

• Clarify the independence of each line early in rehearsal by having sections trade melodic and accompanimental roles, even if only for a few measures. This prevents any part from becoming truly background.
• Shape phrases across the full arc rather than phrase-by-phrase. Look for the larger contour and how the trumpet lines support or push against one another.
• Balance the study score against the full score when available to understand harmonic function. A part that appears secondary in the score may carry crucial harmonic information.

Program this as a standalone brass chamber work on a concert celebrating German contemporary composition, or pair it with similar mid-20th-century European works for winds. It also works well as the centerpiece of a brass ensemble concert exploring the quintet repertoire beyond the traditional French standard.

• Playing secondary roles with musicality and independence rather than mechanically filling harmony
• Voicing and balance adjustment across five equal instruments with no reduction to four-part writing
• Ensemble listening when all voices sit in similar registers and ranges
• Managing articulation consistency while maintaining individual character across parts