Highlights (from Christmas Oratorio): 3 Trumpets & Keyboard Score & Parts

Marlatt's arrangement captures the grandeur of Bach's trumpet writing while making the Christmas Oratorio accessible to brass ensembles that would never perform the complete work. The dual organ scores in D and B-flat mean your trumpet section can perform on the instruments they actually own, without transposition headaches or compromises to the original voicing.

These excerpts pulse with Baroque dignity and ceremonial brightness. The chorale sections sit in the warm middle register of the trumpets, creating a noble, almost processional quality, while the Aria showcases the trumpet's capacity for singing lyricism within its natural technical range. The organ underpinning provides harmonic weight that feels both intimate and grand.

This arrangement serves brass ensembles and trumpet choirs seeking substantial sacred repertoire with genuine musical weight. It appeals to directors programming Christmas concerts who want Bach's legitimacy without the logistics of a full oratorio, and to advanced trumpeters looking for challenging exposed playing in a stylistically important context.

• Balance the three trumpet lines carefully in the chorales; these are not unison passages but rather a trio texture where each voice contributes equally to the harmonic structure.
• Use the organ part to anchor ensemble intonation, especially in the sustained notes of the chorale sections where the pipes provide a steady reference pitch.
• Shape the famous Aria with phrase direction from the solo trumpet line; treat the accompanying parts as responsive rather than merely supportive.
• Allow the timpani to breathe in its rhythmic figures rather than doubling every organ bass note; this creates clarity and period-appropriate articulation.

Frame this as a substantial work within a Christmas concert, capable of standing alone or introducing a larger vocal or choral work. The arrangement works particularly well in the first half of a program, where its brightness and formal structure set an expectant tone before moving into other seasonal repertoire.

• Playing Bach-style articulation and phrasing in a Baroque context
• Balancing a three-part trumpet texture with distinct harmonic independence
• Reading organ scores and responding to keyboard leadership
• Transposing between D and B-flat trumpet parts on sight
• Sustaining long tones with harmonic accuracy in chorale-based writing