Lord, Gimme a Little Nudge: Brass Quintet Score & Parts

Inviting and uplifting, with the warmth of a spiritual sung in community. The piece balances introspection with joy, acknowledging human fallibility while ultimately pointing toward grace and encouragement.

Brass quintets at the medium-difficult level who want repertoire that speaks to both players and audiences with genuine voice. This works for ensembles that can navigate flowing lines and blend well, and who are drawn to sacred music that feels contemporary rather than archival.

• Lean into the gospel phrasing; allow natural rubato in the accompaniment voices to support the soloist's expressive lines.
• Balance the ensemble so the lead voice projects clearly while the harmony stays warm and supportive, not overpowering.
• Let the optional percussion parts enhance the rhythmic groove if your ensemble has percussionists available, but the piece stands complete without them.
• Treat the spiritual character with sincerity; the fun comes from honest playing, not irony or self-consciousness.

Program this alongside other sacred works for a concert that explores spirituality across different musical languages, or pair it with lighter fare to create a program that shifts between reverent and celebratory moods. It also serves well as a closing piece for services or interfaith events where the message transcends denomination.

• Gospel and spiritual phrasing conventions
• Ensemble balance between solo and accompanying voices
• Blending sustained harmonic passages
• Articulation clarity in rhythmically active passages
• Expressive flexibility and rubato within ensemble contexts