Saint-Saëns – L’Éléphant from The Carnival of the Animals (Brass Quintet)

Arranged by Tom Whitehurst, this is a joyful and descriptive solo for Tuba, as it tries to emulate the movement of an elephant. For secondary schools, colleges, professionals, amateurs and community performing groups.

Review: "Here are three short pieces featuring members of the brass family, arranged effectively by British trumpeter Tom Whitehurst. The famous tenor aria by Leoncavallo features the horn. The part peaks at g" and offers a nice opportunity for quintets in school concerts to demonstrate the lyrical and passionate capabilities of our instrument. Likewise, L'Elephant features the tuba with similar deftness. The Finale, familiar to many as the dance of the flamingos in the Disney movie Fantasia, places the burden on first trumpet, though all instruments have moments of excitement in this fast and furious arrangement. While high school level players should be able to comfortably handle the first two pieces, the suggested tempo of the Finale may require more proficiency to pull off. Whitehurst clearly knows what he is doing, and I am happy to recommend these to any quintet that plays school concerts." – Jeffrey Snedeker in The Horn Call, May 2013

Biography

Whitehurst, Tom

Born on the 21st December 1960 Thomas George Whitehurst passed his Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Sheffield in July 2012, but his roots are 23 years of service with the British Army Bands, performing all over the world, and where he attained the rank of Sergeant. Since leaving the Army in 2000 Tom gained employment as a brass teacher for Nottingham Performing Arts and within this role he conducts the Concert Band Choir and arranges music for them - he is also the leader of the Swing Band and Brass Group. Other roles Tom has are Musical Director of the Bestwood ‘Black Diamonds’ Training Brass Band and leader of the Bestwood Swing Band.