Review

Johannes Brahms
Die Nonne und der Ritter Op.28, No.1:

Arranged by Elliot Chasanov

Tenor Trombone, Bass Trombone, Piano

Vancouver, BC, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2012 / 2023
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Piano score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 2 trombones
Secondary Genre: Chamber Music

Brahms wrote this setting of a poem by Joseph von Eichendorff in 1860, seven years after he met Clara Schumann. It’s one of four vocal duets for alto and baritone comprising Opus 28, published in 1864. It’s a hauntingly beautiful setting of some deeply melancholy poetry - two people have fallen in love but cannot be together; the last two lines are ‘Farewell, world! May God protect those who wander madly in darkness!’ and I think it will be impossible to play this music without some feeling of sadness creeping into your performance.

The melody is based on a trochaic meter, unvarying through the first 99 measures, and used in 40 of the remaining 63. The largest melodic interval in either trombone or tuba part is a 6th; most are major and minor 2nds and 3rds. Phrases typically extend over two to four measures, calling for sensitive breath control throughout. All but 20 out of 161 measures are marked at a dynamic of mezzo-piano or less; the first 90 measures are pianissimo.

This arrangement is in A minor. Range for the tenor trombone part, which is given in bass clef, is c-sharp - f1, and for the bass trombone/tuba part is D - b. Both parts have adequate rest measures. The low register of the piano is used extensively, going down to DD.

Elliot Chasanov recently retired as Professor of Trombone in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign after a 41-year tenure.