Little Fugue: Brass Quartet Score & Parts

David Marlatt's transposition solves a real problem without compromising the architectural integrity of Bach's counterpoint. Brass quartets often struggle with the original key's extreme upper register demands, so opening this masterwork to more ensembles means more students can experience fugal logic at its finest. The arrangement retains every voice and gesture of the original; it simply makes the piece playable.

The fugal subject arrives with geometric precision, then fractures and rebuilds across four voices in a kind of architectural dance. There's an intellectual satisfaction to following each voice's journey, but the piece never becomes cold; Bach's harmony warms the mechanical beauty of his counterpoint at every turn.

Any brass quartet ready to tackle Baroque polyphony without the range obstacles that the original key presents. This works for advanced high school ensembles, college non-majors, and community brass groups looking for accessible yet sophisticated repertoire.

• Treat each voice as a complete melodic line. The strength of this arrangement hinges on hearing four equal instrumental voices, not a melody supported by harmony.
• Mark entrances of the subject lightly in rehearsal, then remove those markings before performance. Your section needs to know where the theme lives, but your audience should hear only seamless counterpoint.
• Adjust your balancing as the fugue develops. Early statements of the subject should speak clearly; later stacked entries benefit from a more blended, less soloistic approach.
• Use the score to identify which voice carries structural weight at any given moment, then shape your dynamics accordingly. The harmonic drive of a fugue depends on forward motion through the voices, not uniform volume.

Pair this with other Baroque or contrapuntal works to build a thematic concert section, or place it late in a program where the ensemble's technical confidence is on full display. Its contest and festival appeal makes it ideal for those seeking pieces that earn recognition without sacrificing musical substance.

• Tracking multiple independent melodic lines simultaneously
• Understanding fugal architecture and subject manipulation (exposition, development, stretto)
• Balancing voices in dense polyphonic textures
• Executing clean entries and exits across a four-part ensemble
• Baroque articulation and phrasing conventions
• Reading score layout and understanding transposition contexts