Concerto for Two Trumpets and Winds: Concert Band Conductor Score

This arrangement lets your trumpet section play an authentic Baroque masterwork without simplification. David Marlatt's scoring preserves Vivaldi's original trumpet writing while giving your band a richly voiced accompaniment, creating a performance that feels both historically grounded and fully realized. The three-movement structure and modest technical demands at Grade 3 make it ideal for building student confidence in classical literature.

Bright and ceremonial, yet intimate. The natural trumpet's piercing clarity cuts through warm harmonic support, and the dialogue between the two soloists feels like two musicians enjoying a conversation in a sun-filled room. The elegance comes from restraint, not decoration.

Conductors looking to program early music with strong soloists, especially those seeking a Grade 3 work that doesn't sound juvenile or overly simplified. This concerto gives your trumpet players the chance to shine on a recognized masterpiece while your band develops ensemble balance and sensitivity to solo-plus-accompaniment textures.

• Shape the falling arpeggios with a gentle lift at each phrase ending rather than letting them drop away. Vivaldi's brevity demands clarity.
• Balance the two trumpet soloists carefully in the opening movement. They should cut through the ensemble without straining; if you're struggling to hear the dialogue, the accompanying parts may be too loud.
• Pay attention to the fanfare figures in all three movements. These gesture outward, so encourage the trumpets to project them with character without sacrificing the elegant proportions of the line.
• Use the half-scale passages as opportunities for clean articulation and uniform tonguing across both soloists. Precision here will showcase the simplicity Vivaldi intended.

Program this early in a concert to set a formal tone, or pair it with other Baroque or early Classical works to build a themed set. The moderate length and straightforward key areas make it an effective opener that wakes up the audience without demanding their complete attention from the first note.

• Balance and blend in a solo-plus-accompaniment texture
• Natural trumpet harmonic series and partial tuning
• Articulation clarity in scalar and fanfare figures
• Ensemble listening and rhythmic unison across different voice ranges
• Recognition of three-movement concerto form
• Breath management for sustained melodic lines without chromatic escape