Review

Franz Joseph Haydn
Achieved Is The Glorious Work from "The Creation" :

Arranged by Ralph Sauer

eight trombones with optional timpani

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2011
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 8 trombones

Most trombonists are familiar with this work from Donald Miller’s arrangement for four trombones published by Ensemble in 1965. In Haydn’s original orchestration this music is much more complex and is presented twice: 37 bars in Part Two Number 26, then after a short vocal trio, the full work in Number 28. Both pieces are for chorus and full orchestra, including three trombones. These trombone parts, especially the notoriously difficult bass trombone part, are present in some editions but not others, and anyone interested in this history should read Edward Solomon’s excellent article on the British Trombone Society’s website.  

Miller arranged only the music from Number 28 in his quartet version, and in order to reduce the parts from a full chorus and orchestra down to four trombones many lines and counter melodies were eliminated; thus the entire arrangement lasts just under four minutes. In this transcription Ralph Sauer has kept closer to Haydn’s original, expanding the length by combining Numbers 26 and 28 and expanding the texture by giving the orchestral parts to trombones 1-4 and the choral parts to trombone 5-8. The key is B-flat, same as Haydn’s, and an optional timpani part adds heft to the bass line in trombones 4 and 8. A few rhythmic figures are simplified to eliminate ornaments and Sauer retains many note values that were changed in the older quartet version. These are just a couple examples of the meticulous work done in this excellent transcription:  everything is faithful to Haydn’s original, down to the slurs aligning with the choral melismas in the text.

The suggested seating arrangement puts both bass trombones in the middle and the high trombone parts at the ends, which makes performing this piece much easier.  It should be mentioned that this is quite a difficult arrangement when played at a true Vivace tempo, including rapid technical passages transcribed from the string parts and a high d2 in Trombone 1.  The two bass trombone parts are similar to the original and will reinforce the instrument’s famous orchestral excerpt. Measure numbers are given at the beginning of each line but placing rehearsal letters at each section will make rehearsing easier. Manuscript and part layout is excellent. This is a major addition to the literature for trombone choir.

-David Mathie
Boise State University