Quartets & Trios for Trombones or Sackbuts, and some for Brass Quartet,
edited or arranged by John Kilpatrick

John Kilpatrick's
Home Page		   Clarinet & Saxophone quartets Various Links
click the above to download it


The music on this page is all in the public domain and may be freely used, and be altered if required; please preserve any copyright notices or whatever makes the arranger of originator clear.
PLEASE NOTE: I may not liberally add expression, slurs, etc., especially to early music. Absence of these does not mean play unmusically!

Many of these pieces are available in MuseScore* ( ), which is a free notation program downloadable from here .
Generally the older uploads are in Overture, and the more recent in MuseScore. The symbol represents MIDI.

* some in MuseScore 2, others in MuseScore 3 - there may be some format issues reading MS2 files in MS3
 

Free Quartet Music
(+ trio + quintet)		 Trombone clefs: A=Alto, T=tenor, B=bass; in some pieces the 4th part needs to be a bass trombone.
Many pieces are suitable for Sackbuts, though the description is always given as Trombone.
Clefs are sometimes chosen by chance rather than by wisdom.

JOHN KILPATRICK

Antique Suite
(trombones or sackbuts)

 Trombone trio TTT or TTB A suite of 4 movements loosely inspired by Susato. In Bb.

About 4 minutes.
the 3-part version is played from the 4-page score;
the 4-part pdf has score and parts.
Trombone quartet TTTB

SUSATO
(arrangements)

For an Urtext edition of Danserye complete, see danserye page;
This edition is available in Musescore so may be downloaded and pieces from it arranged at will.

Danserye Selection 1
Nos. 2,7,18,22,37,43,54,32

 Brass quartet Trp, Hn, Tbn, Bass All or a subset may be played as a suite. The pieces have been transposed to lie within the range of the instruments. The bass part is best played on bass trombone or euphonium (rather than at tuba pitch, say).
(Please add your own dynamics & expression.)

Danserye Selection 2
Nos. 20,39,52,29,41

 Brass quartet or quintet
  Trp, Hn, Tbn, Bass, [BG]		 Similar to above. An optional extra part (BG) has been added.
The first 3 pieces are on the same theme "Mille ducas en vostre bource".

Basse Danses 1 & 2
Danserye Nos. 1 & 2

 Trombone quartet ATTB/TTTB These three each comprise Danserye pieces that can be played on four equal (or nearly equal) instruments.

Basse Danses & Morisque
Danserye Nos. 9, 6, 5

 Trombone quartet ATTB/TTTB

Allemaigne, Pavane & Galliarde
Danserye Nos. 29, 38, 50

 Trombone quartet TTTB

BEETHOVEN

Three Equali

 Trombone quartet TTBB  

CHERUBINI

O salutaris hostia (Bb)

 Trombone quartet TTBB from IMSP for voices TTBB

JOSQUIN des PREZ

Alma Redemptoris Mater

 Trombone quartet BBBB From CPDL (James Gibb) for voices TTTB.

HANDEL

Lascia Ch'io Piango

 Brass quartet 2 x Trp, Hn, Tbn  

MARINI

Canzon 3

 Trombone quartet ATTB/TTTB  

MENDELSSOHN

Zwei geistliche Choere
Beati mortui; Periti autem.

 Trombone quartet TTBB Two male-voice (TTBB) unaccompanied motets:  
Set in the original key.

Lift Thine Eyes

 Trombone trio BBB From Elijah, transposed down an octave

MOZART

Ave Verum Corpus

 Trombone quartet TTBB Arranged from choral piece; transposed down a fifth.

NANINI

Hodie Christus natus est

 Trombone quartet BBBB    

PALESTRINA

Adoramus

 Trombone quartet BBBB Arranged from choral pieces with narrow voice ranges,
e.g. SSAA.

Ave Maria (I)

 Trombone quartet BBBB

Ave Maria (II)

 Trombone quartet BBBB

SCHEIN

Two pieces à 4
Intrada; Padouana

 Trombone quartet TTBB from Banchetto Musicale

SCHEIDT

Canzon Cornetto

 Trombone quartet TTBB These pieces are arranged from guitar versions on IMSLP.
In Christe Some liberties are taken with the pitch and order of the parts.

Christe, qui lux es et dies

 Trombone quartet BBBB

VECCHI

Mi vorrei trasformare (il grillo)

 Trombone quartet BBBB "The Cricket"; a humorous madrigal.

VICTORIA

Two motets
Ave Maria; O vos omnes.

 Trombone quartet TTBB From choral pieces;

(O vos  & Duo transposed down a fifth)

Duo Seraphim

 Trombone quartet TTBB