Review

William D. Pardus
Three Moods for Trumpet and Trombone with Piano:
Trumpet, Trombone, and Piano

Salem, CT, United States
Publisher: Cimarron Music Press
Date of Publication: 2009

Primary Genre: Chamber Music

William D. Pardus is Professor Emeritus of Music at Keene State College of New Hampshire, and an active composer and arranger. His recent original work, Three Moods, was written in the fall of 2007 as an entry in The International Trumpet Guild's annual composition competition.

The piece is cast in three movements. The first is entitled “Jaunty” and is a playful 6/8 interplay between brass and piano. The second movement, “Mysterious,” is a spooky, brooding work enhanced with brass in bucket mutes. The last movement, “Jubilant” is the fastest and is quite rhythmic and energetic. The whole work can be described as contemporary tonal with a mix of tertian and quartal harmonies. 

The range of the trombone part spans A to b-flat1; trumpet spans written c1 to c3. There are a number of large leaps, leaps of a fifth or sixth, with most of the work being linear.  Rhythmically, the parts are moderately complex. This piece is appropriate for medium-advanced players. I found the whole piece quite rewarding to play, and I’m usually hard to please when it comes to modern works. I highly recommend it and hope to perform it soon, myself.

-Don Babcock
Eastern Michigan University