Review

Jean Baptiste Arban
Method for Trombone and Baritone Bass Clef:

Arranged by Charles L. Randall and Simone Mantia. New Edition edited by Alan Raph.


New York, NY, United States
Publisher: Carl Fischer
Date of Publication: 2013
URL: http://www.carlfischer.com

Primary Genre: Study Material - method
Secondary Genre: Study Material - etude

Since my review of the new Carl Fischer edition of Jean-Baptiste Arban’s Method for Trombone and Baritone Bass Clef  (ITA Journal Vol.43, No.4, October 2015), the publisher has brought out a new printing that addresses one of the major criticisms of the edition. At 360 pages–a whopping 99 pages longer than Fischer’s previous edition–it is simply not possible to keep this weighty tome open on a music stand. This new edition, distinguished by a new catalog and ISBN number, features a high-quality, flexible spiral binding that is a welcome addition.
 
While the earlier printing included a compact disc with PDF piano accompaniments and audio tracks of the accompaniment to 10 of Arban’s 12 Fantasies and Airs With Variations that make up the final section of the book, this new printing does away with the CD in favor of an online MP3 download; a download code is included in each copy.
 
While the spiral binding is a significant improvement to Alan Raph’s edition, it unfortunately comes with a higher price tag; the book now has a list price of $39.99 instead of $29.99 for the non-spiral bound edition that also remains in print. Buyers will need to exercise care when placing an order for this publication to ensure they get the spiral (catalog O23XSB) or non-spiral bound (catalog O23X) edition they would like. Finally, and regrettably, the publisher did not take the opportunity to correct the many errors that appeared in the previous edition when making this new printing.

-Douglas Yeo
Arizona State University (retired)
Boston Symphony Orchestra (retired)