Six Dances for Brass Quintet: Brass Quintet Score & Parts

Hovhaness brings melodic generosity and rhythmic vitality to the brass quintet without demanding virtuosity beyond reach. These six dances move efficiently through contrasting moods and tempos, giving your ensemble variety in a single rehearsal and offering each voice clear musical identity rather than filler parts.

A sequence of miniatures that honor folk tradition and modal color. The dances move with clear pulse and often employ repeating figures that feel both hypnotic and propulsive, inviting listeners into the harmonic language without demanding complexity for its own sake.

Brass quintets working at intermediate to advanced levels who want rewarding material beyond the standard transcription repertoire. This collection serves players ready to balance ensemble cohesion with individual voice projection.

• Balance the melodic lines carefully across the quintet; the principal voice shifts among instruments, so mark when you hand off thematic material and ensure that player brings it forward without overwhelming.
• Attend to the rhythmic character of each dance; Hovhaness often layers simple repeating figures that can blur together if intonation wavers, so lock your pulse and tune vertical sonorities.
• Use the natural resonance of the brass sound to sustain longer phrases and create legit connection between sections rather than treating each dance as an isolated fragment.

Program these dances as a complete suite on a recital, or select individual movements for variety in a mixed brass program. They sit comfortably alongside twentieth-century band music or other contemporary chamber works and work equally well as a closing set that leaves audiences with rhythmic energy.

• Balanced ensemble intonation across changing harmonic environments
• Melodic phrasing and voice independence within compact textures
• Reading and maintaining modal and folk-inflected harmonic language
• Rhythmic precision with repeating figures and layered ostinatos
• Sustaining legit ensemble sound through changes of key and color