Review

Tom Ervin
Sixty Counterparts: Duet Accompaniments to the Voxman Selected Studies for Trombone:

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Publisher: Tom Ervin
Date of Publication: 2011

60 pages

Primary Genre: Study Material - etude
Secondary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 2 trombones

In 1992 Tom Ervin made a big splash with the publication of his excellent book, Twenty Counterparts, a set of newly composed duet parts to the first twenty etudes in the Bordogni-Rochut Melodious Etudes. He has now lent similar ingenuity to a larger project, providing duet parts to the Voxman Selected Studies. I have long been a fan of these studies and love the idea of a complete set of duet parts to go along with the original etudes. As with Twenty Counterparts, Ervin does not include the original etudes but has wisely chosen to line up his duet parts so that the same measures are on the same lines. For example, if both players start at the beginning of line five they will be in the same place. Compositionally, these duet parts complement nicely. When the original etude “gets busy” Ervin usually chooses a simpler accompaniment to keep things from becoming too dense. He often quotes short motives from the original and sometimes has a little fun throwing in a standard quote here and there. I noticed brief appearances of themes from Bruckner’s 4th Symphony, Berlioz’s Hungarian March and even a little “76 Trombones” during that little march in the key of A-flat. One or two of these etudes might be rhythmically awkward to get started. For example, during the vivace 2/2, E minor etude, the original part starts with two eighth-note pickups while the duet part has to jump in on the second of these two notes. Fortunately, these situations are the exception rather than the rule. One other minor concern is the occasional odd placement of articulation marks away from the note heads.

As I read through these duets, I was fascinated at how often it sounded as if the original duet were the accompaniment part. It is a good testimony to Mr. Ervin’s creative skills that, upon hearing the duet part to the second C-minor etude for example, it became difficult to hear the music as anything but a duet. On some etudes, the duet part seems a bit more strained but, for the most part, things make good sense together with the duet parts clearly playing the subservient role.  

If you use and enjoy the Voxman Selected Studies, Tom Ervin’s Counterparts make an excellent creative addition. I could even see two strong high school trombonists using some of these duets for a solo and ensemble festival. Trombonists are always looking for more good duets. With this book, our duet libraries just got better.

-Brad Edwards
University of South Carolina