Edwin Eugene Bagley (1857-1922) was born in Craftsbury, Vermont, and started his music career at the age of nine as a vocalist and bellringer. In spite of never having had formal music lessons he became a successful cornet player, trombonist and composer. He moved to Boston in 1880, became solo cornet player in the Boston Theater, and traveled with the Bostonians, an opera company, for nine years, and later played with the Germania Band. He eventually settled in New Hampshire, where he directed several city bands. It is believed Bagley started composing the National Emblem in 1902 while on a train tour with his band, but was dissatisfied with its ending and threw the score out. Fortunately, some members of his band (the Keene, New Hampshire, City Band) retrieved it and secretly rehearsed the score in the baggage car, surprising him with a performance of the work in their next concert. Bagley later revised the work and it was first published in 1906. The first recording of it was made in 1908 by the band of Arthur Pryor, on the Victor Talking Machine Company label. It has since appeared in more than one dozen published editions. The National Emblem, which features an excerpt of "The Star Spangled Banner," deservedly became the most famous of Bagley's marches, and a standard of the American march repertoire. It is widely played in Independence Day celebrations, and is used by the US military for presenting and retiring the colors. John Philip Sousa, when asked to name the three most effective street marches ever written named two of his own works as the first two, and National Emblem as the third. This new edition by Richard W. Sargeant Jr. remains true to the composer's original orchestration, omitting the bloated extra instrumentation which was inserted by publishers over the years. As with the others in this series, it is designed to offer band directors and others interested in this genre newly engraved authoritative editions prepared from the primary sources using the composer's original instrumentaion, which is sometimes markedly different from that found in bands today.

One of the most popular marches ever written, the Colonel Bogey March was composed in 1914 by Lt. Frederick J. Rickets (1881-1945), under the pseudonym Kenneth J. Alford. Born in London, Ricketts enlisted in the band of the First Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment, at age fourteen, and later studied at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall. He served as bandmaster to several battalions, and was appointed Director of Music of the famed Royal Marines of Plymouth in 1930. He composed 19 known marches and several other light works under the pseudonym Kenneth J. Alford, but "Colonel Bogey" remains his most popular work. Opening with a characteristic two-note phrase (a descending minor third) it is said that the tune was inspired by a fiery and somewhat eccentric military man and avid golfer nicknamed "Colonel Bogey" who used to whistle the catchy notes instead of shouting "Fore" when about to drive a ball. By the early 1930s the Colonel Bogey March had sold well over one million copies, and became widely used for events both in the golfing world and the military world, as it is the authorized march-past in quick time for several Canadian battalions. Its popularity re-surged in the 1950s when the English composer Malcolm Arnold used it in his score of the film "The Bridge on the River Kwai." This new edition by Richard W. Sargeant Jr. remains true to the composer's original 1914 scoring, without the bloated extra instrumentation which was added by publishers over the years. As with the others in this series, it is designed to offer band directors and others interested in this genre newly engraved authoritative editions prepared from the primary sources using the composer's original instrumentaion, which is sometimes markedly different from that found in bands today.

Although Belgian composer C sar Franck completed his setting of Pslam 150 in 1883, the work was not published until six years after his death in 1890. Richard Sargeant's new edition, with English text based upon the King James translation, has been prepared with the chorus member's needs in mind. The chorus staves are produced in a large size with a text font selected for maximum readability even under less-than-ideal lighting, which the organ reduction has been produced in smaller, cue-sized notes for ready reference.

Composed at while returning from a concert trip to Italy, this setting of the Latin hymn text was possibly heard for the first time on 21 March of 1767 at the Kloster Seeon in Bavaria. The vocal score offered here is a newly engraved one in a very easy-to-read and convenient format designed for choruses, carefully edited by Richard W. Sargeant, Jr

Although Belgian composer C sar Franck completed his setting of Pslam 150 in 1883, the work was not published until six years after his death in 1890. Richard Sargeant's new edition, with the original French text, has been prepared with the chorus member's needs in mind. The chorus staves are produced in a large size with a text font selected for maximum readability even under less-than-ideal lighting, which the organ reduction has been produced in smaller, cue-sized notes for ready reference.

This work was once credited to Mozart but later discounted as being by him and attributed instead to the composer Jan Zach (1699-1773). Rcent Zach scholarship has largely discredited the idea of Zach being the composer. In any case, this work has remained quite popular for good reason regardless of who the actual composer may have been. This new, beautifully engraved vocal score edited by Richard Sargeant will be welcomed by choruses worldwide interested in performance or study of this delightful piece of Latin church music from Mozart's time.