Brassworks 4 Publishing

461 Sunrise Parkway, Farmington, NM 87401: www.brassworks4.com:


Christmas Trios, Volume 1 by various composers, arranged for three horns by John Jay Hilfiger. BW347, 2006, $16.00.

Christmas Trios, Volume 2 by various composers, arranged for three horns by John Jay Hilfiger. BW 355, 2006, $16.00.

Three Hymns of Thanksgiving by various composers, arranged for three horns by John Jay Hilfiger. BW378, 2006, $13.00.

Praise to the Lord - Variations for four horns, by John Jay Hilfiger. BW327, 2006, $14.00.


I have had the good fortune to review many arrangements by John Jay Hilfiger over the past few years, and these new editions are consistent with what I have seen before. Mr. Hilfiger has certainly been busy, and has found a useful niche in providing playable arrangements that are suitable for middle school and younger high school players.

Voume 1 of the Christmas Trios contains "O Come All Ye Faithful," "Silent Night," "Deck the Halls," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "Joy to the World," and "Angels We Have Heard on High." Volume 2 consists of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Good King Wencelas," "The First Noel," "Angels from the Realms of Glory," "We Three Kings of Orient Are," and "Wassail Song." The Three Hymns of Thanksgiving are "Come Ye Thankful People, Come," "Songs of Thankfulness and Praise," and "Now Thank We All Our God." Although none of these seem to be truly sing-along arrangements, I suppose they could be since the melodies are intact throughout, spread generously to different parts. These are not necessarily transcriptions either - there is a range of styles within each collection and across all three editions. The overall ranges of the different parts fall within the typical expectations for middle/high school players, with only occasional ascents above the treble staff or descents below f. Each arrangement consists of a verse or two, occasionally with a well-placed interlude. The Thanksgiving hymns have the added nice touch of short prefatory historical backgrounds of the hymns themselves. I can see using these for performances at church or seasonal gatherings or gigs where these songs are appropriate. My students who read these with me pronounced them "fun." I agree.

Mr. Hilfiger's Praise th the Lord - Variations is similar to those above, but different enough to be mentioned separately. The quality of the arrangements is very much the same - three verses separated by interludes, each with a different style. The melody is shared by most of the parts in different octaves. The parts are distributed in typical fashion, with the ranges descending according to the part number (thus, second horn plays in a higher tessitura than third), and the fourth has to contend with notes down to c. When dealing with four horns in the same range previously covered by three, the texture is a little muddier, but Mr. Hilfiger use some effective contrasts in texture to keep things from bogging down. Again, it is nice to have music of reasonable quality for a younger age-group. JS