Review

Benedetto Marcello
Sonatas 1-3 and Sonatas 4-6 :

Arranged by Mike Hall with keyboard realization by Rebecca Bell


Vancouver, BC, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2007
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with piano

Originally conceived for cello, the six sonatas by Venetian composer Benedetto Marcello have become a staple in the trombonist’s repertoire. Despite not being a professional musician, Marcello’s music has been transcribed and arranged by many composers, including J.S. Bach, Rossini, Bizet, and Verdi. Mike Hall, the trombone/euphonium professor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, has edited Marcello’s original sonatas, published in two sets: Sonatas 1-3 and Sonatas 4-6. Each set of three sonatas includes a score with keyboard realization, a performer’s guide to Italian Baroque ornamentation and embellishment, and the solo trombone part. While the score includes the keyboard realization, the figured bass is also provided. The performer’s guide, entitled Performing the Benedetto Marcello Solo Sonatas includes a wealth of information on topics consisting of, “Affekt and the Italian Style,” “Solutions for Essential Ornaments,” “Gracing,” and “Tips for Embellishing.” In addition to describing the technicalities of each ornament, Hall provides excerpts from the sonatas as written, and then beneath the excerpt notates each ornamentation as it could be executed in that example. Particularly useful is Hall’s discussion of different types of trills and solutions specific to the trombonist. In the soloist’s part, the staff labeled Signor Marcello is the solo line, while the staff above it, marked “trombone,” is blank. This blank staff is included for the trombonist to have room to notate their choices of embellishments and ornamentations as they have learned from the performer’s guide. Because there are few written rests in the original, Hall has included optional rests for the soloist to help with endurance if needed. With the inclusion of the performance guide, a resource not always provided, Hall’s edition of the Marcello sonatas is both a great starting point for trombonists new to the pieces, and for seasoned players looking for a more authentic performance. A recording of all six Marcello sonatas is available at www.odu.edu/~jhall

-Russell Ballenger
University of Mary