Review

John Frith
Meditation:

Coventry, , United Kingdom
Publisher: Warwick Music Publishers
Date of Publication: 2010
URL: http://www.warwickmusic.com

Primary Genre: Solo Bass/Contrabass Trombone - with organ

English composer John Frith has written extensively for brass and winds. Meditation for bass trombone and organ was composed for Jonathan Warburton. As the title suggests, the piece begins slow and pensively. The timber of the bass trombone is well complemented by the richness of the organ. The piece travels through several key and meter changes before building in intensity near the end with showering sixteenth-note figures on the organ manuals. An accessible piece, nothing is technically difficult for the bass trombonist; range extends AA-flat–a-flat1. The organ part is not demanding, written on three staves with no registration indicated. This piece is suited for recital and for use in a liturgical setting. A sample score and midi excerpt can be found at: www.warwickmusic.com.

-Patrick Lawrence
University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point