Review

Franz Joseph Haydn
Six Baryton Trios:

Arranged by R.R. Revarthen


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

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with piano

Known as the “Father of the Symphony” with over one hundred penned, Franz Joseph Haydn also broke the centum mark with another musical form, the baryton trio. The baryton, which fell out of use towards the end of the eighteenth century, is a bowed string instrument roughly the size and shape of a cello that has a second set of strings that both vibrate sympathetically to the primary set and can also be plucked. Haydn composed the trios for his baryton-playing employer, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, who requested new compositions for his instrument of choice. Robert Revarthen has adapted the solo lines from six of these trios while also realizing a piano part from the accompanying voices.
 
While transcriptions of Baroque sonatas are frequently performed on the trombone, notably those by Benedetto Marcello and Ernst Galliard, Revarthen’s edition provides a look into the next evolution of the genre, the Classical era sonata. Only two of the trios begin with slow movements as was common in the Baroque, and only one has four movements with the others containing three. Haydn frequently uses theme and variation movements, a new form he also explored in his symphonies, while also including minuet movements common to Baroque dance suites. The use of harmonic progression over several movements further diverges from Baroque practice. While earlier sonatas typically remain in the same key throughout, Haydn’s baryton trios progress to either the dominant for fast inner movements or subdominant for slow inner movements before returning to the tonic for the finale.
 
Trombonists will find many similarities to the aforementioned Baroque sonatas in their performance demands. Because the original solo voice is a stringed instrument, it contains few rests to breathe or otherwise recover. Furthermore, while the solo line does not extend above g1, there are a significant number of extended passages in each trio above c1 that demand a high level of endurance. Performers will also be challenged to apply stylistically appropriate improvised ornamentation on the repeated sections. While these challenges exist, numerous musicians have proved that such works cannot only be executed beautifully on the trombone, but can also serve as a pedagogical tool for students.

-Erik Shinn
The Florida State University