Review

Keith Davies Jones
Rise Heart, Sweet Art:
Eight trombones

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Publisher: Available free of charge from the composer at keith@winnipegwelsh.org
Date of Publication: 2017

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 8 trombones

This work, written in 2017, is scored for trombone octet, consisting of 2 alto trombones, 4 tenor trombones, and 2 bass trombones. In style it is quite hymn-like and given the Welsh connections from the composer’s email address and indeed his name, I am tempted to state that the piece may be based on music from the Welsh choral tradition. The composer gives a playing time of approximately 2’30.” At a tempo marking of quarter = 120, there are no serious technical challenges, but range in the alto parts can be extreme, reaching up to f2. The work moves smoothly, principally in quarter notes and half notes, with frequent eighth note running passages in individual voices. The first 12 measures are introductory, followed by a soft statement of the chorale-like theme. The rhythm becomes a bit livelier, with lower voices in syncopation against eighth note movement in the top parts. Harmonically the setting is a rather uneasy mixture of quite traditional hymn-style harmonies with dissonant clashes and chromaticism. This is an interesting piece, making full use of the extended range of the trombone choir and utilizing the unique organ-like sonority of the trombone ensemble.