Professor Frank Marion Davis (1839-1896) was an American educator, singer, and composer of both hymns and secular works. Among his secular works were a number of collections of polkas and waltzes written for solo piano. This series of works presents arrangements of a number of Davis’ compositions prepared for the instrumentation of Alford’s “Hungry Five” polka band books and serve as a fine addendum to those familiar pieces. While the clarinet parts tend to be the most active, they often feature diatonic scalar patterns. All parts should remain accessible to most intermediate-level players.

• The “Blue Bird’s Call” Polka (originally published in 1876) contains onomatopoeic chirps in the clarinet parts that make for a light and fun addition to any program.
• “Good Enough” Polka (originally published in 1874) is an example of Davis’ standard composition form used throughout most of this collection.
• “Harvest Home” Waltz (originally published in 1873) adds a pleasant waltz to the collection. Its melody is first presented simply,then embellishments are added as the piece continues.
• Davis’ aptly-titled “Jolly Friend” Polka (originally published in 1874) is a jovial tune with a bouncy melody that moves the clarinetists nimbly around a bit!
• “Lake-Side” Polka (originally published in 1874) has more participation in the Trumpet and Trombone parts than are found in much of the rest of this collection.
• “Nimble Toe” Polka (originally published in 1874) passes the melodic and accompaniment elements around the ensemble for a bit of variety for the players.

This downloadable PDF package contains a set of full scores and a set of folio-sized parts (2 songs per page) that are ready to go for your German band's Oktoberfest OomPah gig!

Also available individually as linked above