Music For Horns

American overture is a piece written for Col. Chester E. Whiting and the US Army Field Band in 1953. It is known and sometimes feared for its virtuoso horn parts, so this arrangement in a way is an extension of that thought, by eliminating the rest of the band and making the horns the sole feature. The best way to get an idea about the work is by listening to one of the many performances on Youtube. The arrangement is quite faithful to the original in terms of brass parts, however many of the woodwind lines were omitted and replaced by simple chords. Most of the piece is not all that difficult, just towards the end notes at the high end start creeping up, and not always approached in the most convenient way. Still, the character of the original is captured very well, and with the addition of the percussion section, this could be one popular item in every advanced ensemble’s repertoire.