Product Description
First published in Flowers for Children, Volume 2 in 1844, Lydia Maria Childs poem, "The New-England Boy's Song about Thanksgiving Day," describes a sleigh trip to Grandfathers house to commemorate the national day of thanks and the anticipation of the tasty food that will be consumed in celebration thereof. Why were they in a sleigh in a New England late November? Because the Little Ice Age was still extant in the early 19th Century and there was snow on the ground! Later, maybe in the 1870s, the poem was set to a tune, the composer of which is unknown. As years passed, the words were changed to "Grandmothers house," the song was adapted to a Christmas carol and the title changed to the first line of the poem, "Over the River and Through the Woods."
This rollicking brass quintet version reflects the mood of the poem, moving along briskly and with a rhythm that suggests a ride in a one-horse sleigh. Each of the five instruments gets a moment in the spotlight. There are two changes of time signature but tempo is constant throughout. The key changes three times, and both trumpets play one short B above the staff.
This arrangement was completed in 2017, and performance time runs about 4 minutes, 21 seconds. The arranger, Les Smith, will be happy to provide substitute parts (for example, treble clef baritone for trombone) at no charge; contact him directly at lessmith61@bellsouth.net. For more arrangements by Les, enter "Sweetwater Brass Press" (without the quotation marks) in the search box. (Also, purchase of this piece entitles you to your choice of another of his arrangements at no charge; send a copy of your purchase receipt directly to him at lessmith61@bellsouth.net.)
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.