Review

Various
Christmas Carol Collection Volume 1 for Trombone Quartet:

Arranged by Jeffrey Reynolds


Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2006
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 4 trombones

Few things are more pleasant than trombones playing Christmas music. Jeffrey Reynolds makes a satisfying contribution to the genre with this collection of nineteen Christmas carols. The collection, arranged for four or five trombones, includes a variety of carols.  Some are well-known, like Away in the Manger, Silent Night and Joy to the World, but some are lesser known, including several Moravian carols, a Basque carol, the strikingly beautiful Oi Betleema, and the Catalonian Gift Carol.  

Many of the selections are uncomplicated, one-stanza chorale settings, but several are longer, more involved arrangements that might be useful in a concert venue. Two of the longer arrangements, Deck the Hall and Jingle Bells, are jazz settings. Reynolds also includes four selections for five trombones—Carol of the Bells, O Little Town of Bethlehem, and Away in the Manger are especially enjoyable.

Technical requirements are modest in this collection but successful performances demand a strong first trombone player; the first part comprises a challenging “above the staff” tessitura, up to e flat2. Average players will be able to negotiate the remaining parts. A double valve is not necessary but will ease performance of the bass trombone (tuba) part. Please note that the publication makes liberal use of tenor clef in the top four parts, a barrier for some young performers. This reviewer has already put this collection to good use and recommends it to others.

-Paul Overly
Bob Jones University