Product Description
Although published as a piano solo (1902), A Breeze from Alabama is subtitled "March and Two Step" and has a
dedication on the cover to P. G. Lowery (Perry George Lowery, 1871-1942), "World's
Challenging Colored Cornetist and Band Master." Thus, A Breeze from Alabama may well have been conceived as a march for military band
but published only as a piano solo. No band arrangement by
Joplin is known to exist, but Joplin could have done this, as he himself was a cornetist
as well as pianist, and had played cornet in bands like Lowery's many times.
Drawing on this information, the
present arrangement by James Siddons (2017) is based on the following assumptions:
1. A Breeze from Alabama
originated as a march (in march-trio form) for military band.
2. The 1902 publication is a piano
reduction of that band work. The melodic lines intended for cornet solo are generally discernible in the piano reduction.
3. A setting for piano duet (or
ensemble) keeps this work in the tradition of ragtime piano while also emulating the fulsome
tone colors of brass instruments to a degree that a solo piano cannot do. Thus this
arrangement is not a solo-and-accompaniment setting, but a setting for large ensemble with
soloist. It is collaborative music, akin to a concerto.
This piano duet part may be performed by two pianists at one piano, or
two pianists at two pianos, or four pianists at two pianos, or even six pianists at
three pianos, with or without a conductor. The cornet part may be played on trumpet.
There are three score or part versions for sale:
1. The full score is for use by a conductor or instructor. An audio track (mp3, virtual sounds) is posted here.
2. The piano duet (or ensemble) score has the Primo and Secondo parts shown on facing left and right pages as is standard for piano duet music. (No audio recording.)
3. The cornet (or trumpet) part is sold separately and has a rehearsal recording posted, in which only the piano duet music is heard. This arrangement features a cadenza for cornet composed by James Siddons. The cadenza is found in measures 115-119 in the score and cornet part. In the rehearsal recording, there is five seconds of silence beginning 2 mins, 44 secs into the audio track. The music resumes at measure 120. To practice with the cadenza, press "pause" on your media player; to practice without the cadenza, simply wait the silence out.
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.