Herald the Holidays: B-flat Bass Clarinet
Herald the Holidays: B-flat Bass Clarinet Sheet Music Preview

Herald the Holidays: B-flat Bass Clarinet

By Robert W. Smith

Grade: 3.5

Item: 98-PC-RWS1505_BC
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Description
Open your next holiday concert with this fanfare and flourish for the concert band. Using familiar carols and holiday melodies, Herald The Holidays is a glorious and celebratory fanfare that musically proclaims the beginning of the season. Musically rewarding, yet quick to prepare, this is an excellent programming choice. Happy Holidays!

Original Item#: RWS-1505-00

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Additional Details
Series: RWS - Concert Band
Publisher: RWS Music Company
SKU: 98-PC-RWS1505_BC

More about this title

About the Composer: Robert W. Smith

Robert W. Smith

Robert W. Smith stands among America's most recorded composers for concert band and orchestra, with over 400 published works performed internationally across North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. His symphonic works like The Divine Comedy and The Odyssey have become repertoire staples, while pieces such as The Tempest have secured permanent places in the developing ensemble canon. Smith earned his Bachelor of Music Education from Troy State University and his Master of Music from the University of Miami, and has conducted and clinicked throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Italy, Austria, and the United Kingdom.

Beyond the concert hall, Smith's compositions have graced national broadcasts, from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to the Olympic Games, and from the opening ceremonies of Dodger Stadium to international state functions. The majority of his extensive catalog is published through Alfred Music, making his work accessible to bands at every level.

Why we love this

Smith crafted this piece specifically for the moment when your audience settles in, giving you a confident and musically substantial opener that requires minimal rehearsal time. The integration of familiar carols lifts the piece beyond generic fanfare writing, creating immediate audience connection while your band gets to play something genuinely fun. At Grade 3.5, it sits in a sweet spot where most intermediate bands have the chops to sound polished without extensive preparation.

What to expect

Bright, ceremonial, and unmistakably festive. Smith builds an atmosphere of joyful proclamation through energetic fanfare writing and the warmth of recognizable holiday melodies, creating a piece that feels both substantive and welcoming.

Who it's for

Concert bands at the intermediate level (Grades 3 to 4) looking for holiday-specific repertoire that honors musical craft while respecting preparation timelines. Directors programming holiday concerts want an opener that signals celebration without derailing rehearsal focus, and this delivers exactly that.

How to get the most out of it

  • Treat the opening moments as a conductor's statement: your clarity on the downbeat sets the celebratory tone for the entire piece.
  • Balance the familiar melodic content against the harmonic foundation; the carols work best when the accompaniment figures remain transparent rather than overwhelming.
  • Manage the dynamic shape of the fanfare sections so they feel genuinely triumphant without veering into forced or overstated territory.

How to use it

Place this at the top of your holiday concert as the curtain-raiser, letting it establish the season's spirit in your audience's minds before moving into deeper or more introspective repertoire. It pairs beautifully with more lyrical or contemplative holiday arrangements in the middle of your program, offering programmatic contrast without genre whiplash.

Skills your students will build

  • Articulation clarity in fast fanfare passages
  • Balancing independent lines within a full ensemble texture
  • Sustaining bright, energized tone across multiple dynamic levels
  • Ensemble precision in synchronizing rhythmic figures across sections
  • Responding to conductor gesture for sectional entrances and ensemble cohesion

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