Steal Away: Brass Quintet Score & Parts

The familiar melody carries the weight of testimony and resilience. Arranged in chorale style, it gains a meditative quality—voices moving in sustained harmony, solid and grounded. The tuba's animated lines add inner life and movement, preventing the piece from feeling static.

Brass quintets at the high school and early college level looking for programming that honors a meaningful musical tradition without overwhelming players who are still building technical facility. Festival and contest circuits regularly feature spirituals, making this a logical addition to the repertoire when you need something beautiful that won't derail your rehearsal schedule.

• Balance the melody so it sings through the chorale texture. Whoever carries the tune should lead gently; the surrounding voices are there to support, not compete.
• Give the tuba line room to breathe. Those moving passages aren't filler; they're what drives the harmonic motion, so the tuba player needs confidence and clarity.
• Let the spiritual's inherent dignity shape your tempo and phrasing. Resist the urge to rush. The power is in restraint.
• Work the dynamic arc as an ensemble. The chorale style is deceptive in its simplicity; genuine control across the full range requires everyone listening together.

Program this alongside other American musical traditions—hymn arrangements, folk songs, or historical concert spirituals for singers. It works equally well as a standalone spiritual or as part of a program exploring sacred and secular traditions in brass writing. The accessible level makes it suitable for pops concerts, community performances, or educational showcase events.

• Sustaining steady harmonic support while listening to inner voices
• Balancing melodic lines within a chorale texture
• Reading moving counterline parts (especially for tuba)
• Musical interpretation of spirituals and their cultural significance
• Ensemble blend in sustained passages