The popular song ?Five Foot Two? dates back to 1914. So who wrote it? Good question, since the song was changed so often. Leo Feist, Inc. published a version in 1925 crediting Ray Henderson with music; Sam Lewis and Joseph Widow Young, with words. That same year The California Ramblers made the song?s first recording and used the Feist-published version. Since then, ?Five Foot Two? has been recorded many times by many different artists as well as being used in film and TV productions.
This arrangement was inspired by a vocal interpretation the arranger heard in the 1950s while working at an Adirondacks resort hotel. It starts and ends with brief slow sections but most of the way through breezes along at a suggested 112 tempo. All notes are within normal playing range of the five instruments, although Tuba does play its lowest E and F a couple of times. The melody consists mainly of half notes, quarter notes and whole notes, but the variations include lots of eighth notes and a few tricky rhythms. Written as a companion piece to Sweetwater Brass? popular ?Somebody Stole My Gal,? this ?Five Foot Two? is upbeat and fun and includes plenty of delightful 1920s-style doo-wacka-doo and ricky-ticky turns.
Completed in 2020, performance time for ?Five Foot Two? runs about 2 minutes, 39 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 SheetMusicPlus search box.

If you can afford only one ?Up On The Housetop? for your brass quintet, this is the one to get. It is a hoot! It starts with an introduction that is definitely in a hurry; Santa?s sleigh may even have a klaxon on board to blast loitering birds out of the way! The arrangement moves on at the same fast clip, having fun with the melody and never letting up. As it reaches the halfway point, the tempo seems to slow down, but this is just an illusion; tuba and horn keep it moving. Racing toward the end, the conclusion recalls the introduction and finishes with a great, upbeat wind-up. Click on the ?Listen? button, and get set for an exciting Christmas ride with Santa.Tempo is halfnote = 138 throughout. There are some high notes and jumps. Trumpet 1?s highest note is B-flat5 (high C); Trumpet 2, A-flat5 (B-flat above the staff); Horn, F5 (high C). Trombone?s highest jump is from B-flat2 to E-sharp4. Horn has several 6-note jumps. This arrangement was completed in 2012, and performance time runs about 1 minute, 41 seconds. The arranger, Les Smith, can be reached at lessmith@ufl.edu. For more arrangements by Les, enter "Sweetwater Brass Press" (without the quotation marks) in the SheetMusicPlus search box.