Smick, Smack, Smuck

From Wind Repertory Project
John Philip Sousa

John Philip Sousa (arr. Stephen Bulla)


General Info

Year: 1878 /
Duration: c. 3:55
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Manuscript
Cost: Score and Parts - Free

For availability information, see Discussion tab, above.


Instrumentation

Full Score
Solo Voice (written for tenor)
Flute (div. a2)
Oboe (div. a2)
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III (I div. a2)
B-flat Bass Clarinet
Bassoon (div. a2)
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Cornet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Tuba
Percussion I-II (4 players), including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Bells
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Snare Drum


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

This hilarious – but gory – theater song needs explanation lest the reader misunderstand the young John Philip Sousa. It was written for a minstrel routine, with narration between the three verses and the trio; Sousa wrote the narration as well as the music.

It is the story of a hapless young man who courted an unattractive girl who "...had a wart upon her nose and eyes that looked just like a crow's." She was seemingly bashful and retiring, but on the third date her beau discovered that she had an abnormal passion for kissing. A marathon began. Her kips became raw, her teeth came through her jaw, and her mouth became four feet wide. After a week, he took her to a "doctor shop" and had her cheek glued up.

- Program Note from John Philip Sousa: A Descriptive Catalog of His Works


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • United States Marine Band (Jason K. Fettig, conductor; Kevin Bennear, baritone voice) – 10 January 2016


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources

  • Bierley, P. (1973). John Philip Sousa: A Descriptive Catalog of His Works. University of Illinois Press; Urbana, pp. 96-97.
  • United States Marine Band Library, correspondence