Once In Love With Amy
by Frank Loesser
Brass Ensemble - Digital Sheet Music

Brass Ensemble - Level 3 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.808700

Composed by Frank Loesser. Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Contemporary. Score and parts. 16 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #5020113. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.808700).

    Brandon Thomas’ three-act farce, Charley’s Aunt, opened in London in 1892 and was a huge success. It has since been performed and adapted many times. One such adaptation was Where’s Charley? a 1948 Broadway version with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser. Ray Bolger played the starring role as Charley, and its most memorable number was the second act’s "Once In Love With Amy." Every night Bolger would perform the number, then turn to the audience and invite them to sing along with him. They loved it, and Bolger would continue to perform it as his signature act for years even after the play closed.
    The rhythmic and melodic nature of "Once In Love With Amy," particularly its chorus, seems to lend itself to performance by musical instruments in the lower registers. And that’s what inspired this arrangement in which bass tuba carries the load with strong support from euphonium and tuba. All play the eight-measure introduction, while the verse-"I caught you, sir, having a look at her as she went strolling by"-features euphonium and tuba playing melody while bass tuba provides tempo and pulse. Then comes the familiar chorus-"Once in love with Amy, always in love with Amy"-and bass tuba takes over. The first time through, bass tuba plays melody with the other two providing accompaniment; the second time, bass tuba plays an intricate counterpoint while euph and tuba do a rather smooth swing version of the melody. Then comes the surprise ending in which all three participate.
    Most players will have little trouble. The arrangement consists of 75 measures in 4/4 time. There are several tempo changes; the fastest is quarter note equals 108. Key signature is G, changing to F at measure 44. All notes for euphonium and bass tuba should be within normal playing range. Tuba, on the other hand, plays quite a few G and A notes at the top of the treble clef.
     Sweetwater Brass Press also offers a similar version of "Once In Love With Amy" arranged for brass quintet.
    This arrangement was completed in 2020, and performance time runs about 3 minutes, 1 second. The arranger, Les Smith, will be happy to provide substitute parts (for example, treble clef baritone for euphonium) at no charge; contact him directly at lessmith61@bellsouth.net. For more arrangements by Les, enter "Sweetwater Brass Press" (without the quotation marks) in the SheetMusicPlus search box.