La Virgen de la Macarena: 4 Trumpets & 2 Flugel Horns with Percussion Score & Parts

Marlatt strips away the orchestral bloat and lets the trumpets shine. By replacing traditional accompaniment with carefully voiced trumpet and flugelhorn parts, he creates an arrangement that's both lean and powerful, making this a standout choice for brass competitions and concerts where ensemble cohesion matters as much as solo fireworks.

Urgent, celebratory, and technically dazzling. The arrangement captures the swagger and spectacle of the traditional bullfighting march while maintaining the brilliant vulnerability of a solo trumpet at its wit's end. You'll feel the weight of the supporting brass behind every high note and rapid passage.

Trumpet sections with at least one strong soloist and solid ensemble players who can execute tight articulation and maintain intonation through demanding register changes. This works equally well for advanced high school programs and college brass ensembles that need a crowd-pleasing showcase piece.

• Balance the solo trumpet's technical runs against the supporting voices; the accompanying trumpets should sit back enough to let the pyrotechnics breathe but stay locked rhythmically with the percussion.
• The Carmen quotation in the introduction sets the entire emotional arc, so shape it as a genuine musical statement rather than a throwaway reference.
• Lock the high notes in the cadenza with the ensemble during rehearsal before attempting them at performance tempo; intonation at altitude will be your biggest challenge.
• Use the percussion score to anchor ensemble entrances, especially in the faster passagework where ensemble precision prevents the arrangement from falling apart.

Program this as a concert closer or festival opener. Its brevity and built-in drama make it a natural vehicle for an awards night or fundraiser gala, and the cultural specificity gives you a chance to discuss the traditional Spanish repertoire in your program notes.

• Controlling upper register intonation and endurance under rapid passagework
• Balancing solo projection with ensemble blend across six parts
• Executing articulation clarity in fast Latin-inflected rhythms
• Responding to percussion cues in syncopated accompaniment figures
• Managing cadenza pacing and rubato within a structured ensemble context