Running with the theme of spectacular brass fanfares, today we have Mannheim Steamroller’s Hark! The Herald Trumpets Sing.

Yes, I said trumpets.

No, it’s not that “Hark!”.

While it does borrow some melodic elements of the other song, this one is a Steamroller original. It’s done in the antiphonal brass style, where you have two separate brass ensembles on opposite sides of the listener (or one in front and one in back) playing different parts of the same song in a call-and-response pattern. I’ve listened to, and performed in, a couple of these, and the effect is really cool. It literally adds a whole new dimension to music.

You won’t get the full antiphonal brass experience from a recording, but this composition is extremely well done and I thoroughly enjoy it even as a “plain” brass carol. The best part, though, is that it forms the perfect pair with a certain other song which I’m going to present tomorrow, so stay tuned....

You can now get the entire series of songs as a Spotify playlist.