Dry Bones : For Brass Quartet / arranged by Howard J. Buss.

The well-known African American spiritual ( the foot bone's connected to the leg bone, the leg bone's connected to the... ), arranged for brass quartet (2-1-1 or 2-0-2) by Howard Buss, makes a memorable concert feature or a rousing musical offering in church. Part 3 of the music can be played by either a trombone or a French horn (both parts are included). Multiple players may be used on each part to expand the ensemble. This arrangement is hugely influenced by jazz. There is an extended 2-part introduction which begins hymn-like, and then breaks out in a jubilant jazzy section. This is followed by a more traditional rendering of the spiritual; however, as the music reaches its climax, the jazz licks from the introduction are brought back as counterpoint against the main melody of the spiritual. The result is exhilarating, and for a bit of humor, just as the work ends, there is a tongue-in-cheek plagal cadence. Grade IV.

1 score (4 p.) + 4 parts (2, 2, 2, 2 p.); 28 cm.

Edition Number: B 1015
Distributor Number: B1015