Review

William Whiting
Navy Hymn: Eternal Father Strong to Save

Arranged by Tom Camp

Eight trombones

Auburn, New York, United States
Publisher: Tom Camp
Date of Publication: 2016

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 8 trombones

Tom Camp is a retired band director from central New York. This eight part arrangement comprises six tenor and two bass trombones. The parts and score are self-published and printed by the composer. The cost of each is not listed. The arrangement begins straightforward with an opening exposition. It is in the next phrases that issues arise. While this work has some interesting ideas, the overall impact is muted by a loss of harmonic direction. Deviation from the original chord structure is unique, but also is a bit convoluted.  While this could be construed as personal preference, the wide knowledge of the original work and the esteem in which it is held makes these alterations seem noticeably out of place. Additionally, counterpoint lines and additional melody lines seem needlessly busy and complex. The parts are arranged with first trombone carrying the melody and all others lower in harmony throughout. This causes two issues. First the trombone one part has endurance problems and second, the other parts have limited opportunity to play melody. In this reviewer’s opinion, they limit the effectiveness of the work.