La Cumparsita: 6 Trumpets (3 Trumpets, 3 Flugelhorns) Score & Parts

David Marlatt's arrangement captures the swagger and sensuality of tango in a brass ensemble setting, and the split between flugelhorns and trumpets creates a rich, blended sonority that prevents the piece from sounding thin or shrill. Medium-difficult doesn't mean easy; the rhythmic demands and need for unified phrasing across six parts will push your section while remaining achievable at this level.

Intimate and sophisticated. The flugelhorn timbre lends warmth and nostalgia, while the rhythmic figures snap with urban sophistication. You're not playing a concert hall, you're playing a smoky ballroom where the dancers know exactly what they're doing.

Trumpet sections and brass ensembles looking for a showpiece that balances technical polish with immediate audience recognition. This works equally well for upper-level high school programs with capable soloists and community or college brass groups seeking a legitimate performance vehicle.

• Establish a clear, flexible pulse. Tango lives in the space between strict time and rubato; your best performances will feel danced rather than marched.
• Balance the flugelhorn voices against the straight mute trumpets. The flugelhorns should sit slightly forward, but the trumpets need enough presence to cut through in the sharper, rhythmic sections.
• Shape the melodic lines with inflection and slight dynamic pushes on the off-beat figures that define tango's character.
• Let the ensemble breathe together at phrase endings. Rushed cutoffs will deflate the sultry atmosphere this arrangement builds.

Feature this as a concert finale or encore; its familiarity creates an immediate connection with audiences who may not otherwise engage with classical brass literature. It also works beautifully as a contrasting piece in a program that otherwise focuses on symphonic or classical material, signaling that your ensemble can command multiple musical worlds.

• Sustained tone control across six independent parts
• Tango rhythmic phrasing and off-beat articulation
• Blending two distinct mutes and tone colors (trumpet and flugelhorn) into a unified ensemble
• Flexibility between strict rhythm and expressive rubato
• Sectional balance and dialogue between paired voices