Captain Kangaroo (puffin' Billy) is currently unavailable

About this arrangement

Brass Ensemble - Digital Download SKU: A0.808693 Composed by Edward White. Arranged by F. Leslie Smith. Contemporary. Score and parts. 39 pages. Sweetwater Brass Press #4760441. Published by Sweetwater Brass Press (A0.808693).     On a visit to the Isle of Wight, British composer Edward George White came across an ancient steam locomotive bearing the sobriquet "Puffing Billy." Inspired, White wrote the similarly titled "Puffin’ Billy" in 1952. The tune was recorded by a group labeled "Melodi Light Orchestra" and was included in the Chappell Recorded Music Library, a collection of tunes that could be used as incidental music in various types of productions. Both British and U.S. producers made use of the library; two stand out. One was BBC’s Children’s Favourites, which adopted "Puffin’ Billy" as theme music in 1952 and continued its use for 14 years. The second was Captain Kangaroo, a new 8 a.m. weekday children’s program launched by CBS-TV in October 1955 starring Bob Keeshan as the title character. Each episode opened and closed with "Puffin’ Billy" and would do so until 1974, making it White’s most recognizable composition.       This brass quintet version follows the 1952 Melodi Light Orchestra recording pretty closely. It retains the key signatures of the original-G to B-flat, then back to G-and the tempo (cut time; half note = 112). Trumpets’ highest note is their A above the staff; trombone has one F above the staff. Tuba’s very last note is G below the staff. The rest is pretty much within normal playing range. Trumpets get somewhat of a workout with chromatic runs in sections E and F. Most will find this an easy piece to play.   This arrangement was completed in 2019, and performance time runs about 2 minutes, 54 seconds. The arranger, Les Smith, will be happy to provide substitute parts (e.g., treble clef baritone for trombone) at no charge; contact him directly at [email protected]. For more arrangements by Les, enter "Sweetwater Brass Press" (without the quotation marks) in the SheetMusicPlus 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 [email protected].) This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of popular titles and original compositions from a variety of voices and backgrounds. The length, difficulty, and retail pricing are determined solely by the discretion of the person who arranged or composed it. About Digital Downloads Digital Downloads are downloadable sheet music files that can be viewed directly on your computer, tablet or mobile device. Once you download your digital sheet music, you can view and print it at home, school, or anywhere you want to make music, and you don’t have to be connected to the internet. Just purchase, download and play! PLEASE NOTE: Your Digital Download will have a watermark at the bottom of each page that will include your name, purchase date and number of copies purchased. You are only authorized to print the number of copies that you have purchased. You may not digitally distribute or print more copies than purchased for use (i.e., you may not print or digitally distribute individual copies to friends or students).