Review

Ted Vives
The Music Lesson:
for two trombones, soprano, and piano

Los Alamos, NM, United States
Publisher:
Date of Publication: 2010

Primary Genre: Chamber Music

The Music Lesson is a three-movement work commissioned by the Professional Music Teachers of New Mexico, an affiliated organization of Music Teachers National Association, celebrating the 60th anniversary of PMTNM. The composer writes “ in addition to a desire to show gratitude for music teachers, the inspiration for The Music Lesson came from painting by the French artist Henri Matisse entitled La Lecon de Musique (The music lesson).” Ted Vives (b.1964) is a graduate of Florida State University and also holds an MM and PhD in music education from the University of Florida. He is a trombonist as well as composer and educator, and Manduca Music Publishing and Survives Music publish his compositions. The three movements are entitled: Who dares to teach…, Music is your own experience, and …a Soul to the Universe. The text for the work comes from a variety of sources including famous composers, music educators, musicians and philosophers and is well edited and moving. All four parts are playable by college level musicians with range for the soprano, and two trombone parts fitting easily into undergraduate performance abilities.  The piece is designed as theater work with the two trombone players participating in a “lesson,” with call and response being the primary mode of motivic development. The soprano part also plays a part in the lesson through the text, including many times when the trombone parts are literal interpretations of what the soprano has just sung. The harmonic language of the trombone parts is tonal; the two parts move in 3rds and 6ths when not echoing each other. The soprano part by contrast is much more chromatic and will provide an ear training challenge for the younger vocalist. The piano part serves primarily as the harmonic accompaniment to the other three. This is an interesting work with an important and useful message. It also provides the young trombonist and vocalist with an opportunity to participate in a chamber music combination that is somewhat rare in our repertoire. I recommend this work, especially for undergraduate students and their professors looking for chamber music on their recitals. 

-Thomas Zugger
Capital University