O Little Town of Bethlehem Trumpet Trio

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Trumpet Trio

MTR 0343 4146

By Phillips Brooks and Lewis H. Redner

Arr. Eddie Lewis

Add a little variety to your trumpet Christmas music program with this original arrangement of O Little Town of Bethlehem.

This trumpet trio version of the popular Christmas carol begins with tag team duets for the first verse (in the key of F/E flat concert). Then there is an interlude going into the second verse, which is reharmonized in the relative minor (D/C concert minor). The last chord of the second verse is D7 which is used for a quick modulation to G/F concert in the last verse. There is an amen tag at the end.

The tag team duets in the first verse are meant to give the players a chance to rest. This is the type of arrangement that is appropriate for Christmas gigs. The problem with trumpet trios is that many arrangements don’t include resting time. This is especially true with Christmas carols. This can lead to too much down time between songs. The tag team duets help add a little variety to the “texture” of the arrangement while also giving the players an opportunity to rest.

The most interesting verse in this arrangement is the middle verse, in the relative minor key. It has a reverent sound with a little more dissonance than in major. The only section that didn’t work in minor is in the third phrase of the Christmas carol. So we barrowed back from the major (D major) for three bars before returning to the minor key again.

Trumpet Apprentice Skill Level

The highest note in the first part is B flat above the staff. There are two of these and most of the part is in the staff.

Other than the range in the first part, the rest of the piece is relatively simple.

Practice Recommendations

Phrasing is the biggest concern in this arrangement of O Little Town of Bethlehem. It is very important to breathe between phrases and to move the dynamics up and down to make the music sound human. This also requires special attention to the dynamics.

Pura Alegria Free Trumpet Play-Along

We have a free trumpet play-along for O Little Town of Bethlehem in our You Play First Chair video series. The original purpose of the series is educational. Trumpet students from around the world are using these play-along videos to practice their sight reading. But the videos also offer a wonderful opportunity for trumpet players to try these sheet music compositions and arrangements before they purchase them. To access the play-along video for O LIttle Town of Bethlehem, please click HERE.