Category: Chamber Music / Brass Quintet
Instrumentation: 2 trumpets, French horn, trombone, tuba
Duration: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Upper intermediate to lower advanced

Let’s End With a Waltz is a brass quintet written for the Lyric Brass Quintet. The work begins in a darker character, with a falling motive passed among the instruments before a broader melody emerges in the trumpets. A contrasting theme follows in the French horn, giving the ensemble’s middle voice a lyrical and expressive role.

After developing these thematic ideas, the music gradually dissolves into a lighter waltz, bringing the piece to a graceful and unexpected close. The work reflects Baxter’s clear formal design, melodic directness, and attention to balanced chamber writing within the brass ensemble.

Suitable for upper-intermediate to lower-advanced players, Let’s End With a Waltz gives each instrument an active role in shaping the musical argument. Its progression from darker motivic writing to a light waltz makes it effective for brass quintet recitals, contemporary chamber programs, and concerts seeking a concise work with both dramatic contrast and charm.