Review

Gabriel Fauré
Three Romances without Words Op.17:

Arranged by Ralph Sauer


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

Primary Genre: Solo Bass/Contrabass Trombone - unaccompanied

Mr. Sauer continues to turn out quality brass music at a high rate of speed. Originally conceived for piano, he has put the bass trombone version of Three Romances in the keys of B-flat [original, A-flat], c minor [original, a minor] and B-flat [original, A-flat]. The new piano part is carefully adapted to fit well with bass trombone regarding octave displacement. The solo part is relatively simple, playable by college or talented high school level bass trombonists. The only complications involve rhythmic displacement of an eighth note near the end of the first Romance, chromatic complication in the second Romance as well as extension into the upper range and, in the last Romance, a need for rhythmic precision in the large number of dotted eighth–sixteenth patterns in the melody.

The version for tenor trombone is close to the original in key structure; first Romance in G, second in a minor and third in G once again. Range tends to be rather high, reaching to c2 several times in the last Romance. The trombone part is given entirely in tenor clef. These pieces are nicely melodic and lie well for each instrument. They make a fine study of melodic playing and good phrasing, bearing in mind that the tenor trombone version might be a bit more difficult for younger players than that for bass trombone due to its high tessitura.

-Philip Brink
Mahidol University College of Music