Angels We Have Heard on High Trumpet Duet

Angels We Have Heard on High

Trumpet Duet

MTR 0243 4148

Traditional French

Arr. Eddie Lewis

Add something special to your Christmas program with this Angels We Have Heard on High trumpet duet arrangement.

This is duet number six in our Trumpet Christmas Carol Duets series. It’s a series that serves as something of a sequel to the Trumpet Hymn Duets series that has produced one hymn duet book so far. The objective behind both of these series is to honor the mood and harmonies of the original Christmas carols and hymns. That’s what we’ve done with this arrangement of Angels We Have Heard on High.

Most of these arrangements tend to be almost like theme and variations pieces. Each new verse in the arrangement brings with it a different treatment. In this arrangement of Angels We Have Heard on High we have broken from that approach. Instead, each verse is more ornamented that the previous verse. The structure of the arrangement is the same throughout. The only changes, besides a modulation, are ornamental.

Trumpet Apprentice Skill Level

The highest note in this trumpet duet arrangement of Angels We Have Heard on High is A above the staff. Because of the imitative nature of the arrangement, both trumpet parts have the same A as their highest notes. This puts both parts in our Trumpet Apprentice skill level.

On the surface this arrangement looks like it is really at a lower skill level. There’s nothing in the piece that would require extra practice for a typical high school student. However, the action doesn’t stop once you get started. The lines become more technical as you get deeper into the arrangement and there’s no time to relax when you go from one verse to the next. So a little practice is necessary to have the mental stamina to get through the piece without mistakes.

That said, physically, this is a fairly easy arrangement.

Practice Recommendations

My first practice recommendation is to plan your breathing ahead of time. There are places at the beginning where both trumpet players can breathe at the same time, but later in the piece it’s necessary to stagger the breaths.

Also worth taking a look at is the sixteenth triplet beginning on F sharp above the staff. The second note of the triplet is G sharp and the 2-3 fingering is an enharmonic to F sharp. If you only use your fingers for the triplet, then it will sound as three F sharps instead of sounding like a mordent.

Angels We Have Heard on High Free Trumpet Play-Along

We have a free trumpet play-along for Angels We Have Heard on High 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 Angels We Have Heard on High, please click on the following link:
Angels We Have Heard on High Free Trumpet Play-Along