76 Trombones

Meredith Willson

Meredith Willson (arr. Leroy Anderson; adapt. Jay Bocook)

General Info

Year: 1997
Duration: c. 3:25
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Hal Leonard
Cost: Score and Parts - $70.00 | Score Only - $7.50

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III, including:

Bass Drum
Chimes
Crash Cymbals
Orchestra Bells
Police Whistle
Snare Drum
Xylophone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

This fabulous arrangement has been a trademark of the Boston Pops Orchestra for years! Legendary arranger Leroy Anderson cleverly mixes Sousa march strains in and around the rousing march from The Music Man with a skill that just can't be duplicated!

- Program Note from publisher

Seventy-Six Trombones is the signature song from the musical play The Music Man (1957), which was written by Meredith Willson. The song also appeared in the 1962 film and in the made-for-TV movie adaptation in 2003. It is also a piece commonly played by marching and military bands.

In the musical, "Professor" Harold Hill uses the song to help the townspeople of River City, Iowa, visualize their children playing in a marching band by recalling a time when he saw several famous bandleaders' bands in a combined performance. While an average-sized high school marching band might have about 10 musicians playing the trombone, and a large college marching band seldom has more than 30 trombonists, the band that Harold Hill describes to the villagers includes 76 trombones, 110 cornets, "more than a thousand reeds", double bell euphoniums, and "fifty mounted cannon" (which were popular in bands of the late 19th century).

The love ballad Goodnight My Someone, which immediately precedes "Seventy-Six Trombones" in the musical, has the same tune but is played in 3/4 time, at a much slower tempo.

In Willson's hometown of Mason City, Iowa, the song is honored (along with the whole plot of The Music Man) in a building called "Music Man Square", which is located next to Willson's boyhood home. In one large room, there are 76 donated trombones hanging from the ceiling.

- Program Note from Wikipedia

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

University of Findlay (Ohio) Symphonic Band (Wes King, conductor) - 7 March 2021
Sacramento (Calif.) Symphonic Winds (Tim Smith conductor) – 13 October 2019
Gold Coast Wind Ensemble (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) (Clinton H. Dawley, conductor) – 20 November 2016
Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps Symphonic Band (Kelly Watkins, conductor) - 11 April 2015
Austin (Texas) Symphonic Band (Richard Floyd, conductor) - 29 September 2014
Eden Prairie (Minn.) Community Band - 20 July 2013

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Brown) (1951/1979/2019)

All Wind Works

76 Trombones (arr. Iwai) (1957/1992)
76 Trombones (arr Cable) (arr. Cable) (1957/)
76 Trombones (arr. Anderson, adapt. Bocook) (1997)
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (arr. Moss) (1951/2004)
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Brown) (1951/1979/2019)
May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You (arr. Leidzen) (1950/1951)
The Music Man (arr. Buckley) (1957/2002)
The Music Man: Highlights (arr. Reed) (1957/1959)
Selections from "The Music Man" (arr. Lang) (1957/1958)
Selections from "The Music Man" (arr. Vinson) (1957/2000)
Unsinkable Molly Brown, The: I Ain't Down Yet (arr. Yoder) (1961)

Resources

Seventy-Six Trombones, Wikipedia
Willson, M.; Anderson, L.; Bocook, J. (1997). Seventy-Six Trombones: From Meredith Willson's The Music Man [score]. Frank Music Corp.: [United States?]