I Don’t Want to Play in Your Yard: Trumpet Feature
Horn - Digital Sheet Music

Horn,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba - Level 4 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1104138

Composed by H.W. Petrie. Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. 19th Century,Children,Comedy,Pop,Wedding. 28 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #707372. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.1104138).

      Howard W. Petrie was a composer of popular music active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of his most popular songs was “I Don’t Want to Play in Your Yard,” published early in his career, 1894. The song underwent a revival in the mid-1950s when Peggy Lee recorded it. It also figured prominently in the popular 1981 film Reds.

Lyrics are credited to Philip Wingate, and his first verse sets up the story. Two little girls were next-door neighbors and best of friends. One day, however, a quarrel arose and “hot tears were shared.” One announced, “You can’t play in our yard.” The reply of the other forms the familiar chorus:

I don't want to play in your yard, I don't like you any more,

You'll be sorry when you see me sliding down our cellar door,

You can't holler down our rain-barrel, you can't climb our apple tree,

I don't want to play in your yard, if you won't be good to me.

      The second verse tells of the reconciliation. The two girls miss each other. They kiss and make up and remain friends “all thro’ life.” But “in sweet dreams of childhood” we still remember the controversy of the yard.

      This version features the group's Trumpets somewhat taking the roles of the two little girls. It retains the F major key in which it was written, changes tempo four times (in addition to a few rallentando/a tempo instructions) and includes two short, rather simple cadenzas, one for each Trumpet. It starts (rather incongruously!) with the eight 4/4 measures of “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary” then transitions to ¾ for the remainder of the piece.

      Trumpets predominate with melody and lead. However Horn and Trombone do occasionally come to the fore to provide introductions, call-and-response figures and recapitulations. Both Trumpets play a few notes above their staff—G# and A—but for the most part, all instruments perform within their normal playing range. Performance time is about three and a half minutes to perform.

      Completed in 2022, performance time runs about 3 minutes, 34 seconds. The arranger, Les Smith, will be happy to provide substitute parts (for example, treble clef baritone for trombone) at no charge. He would like to receive your suggestions, comments, corrections and criticisms. For more arrangements by Les, enter "Sweetwater Brass Press" (without the quotation marks) in the Sheet Music Plus or Sheet Music Direct search box. (Also, purchase of this piece entitles you to your choice of another of his arrangements at no charge; send a copy of your purchase receipt directly to him at lessmith61@bellsouth.net.).