Review

Charles Gounod
Three Romances without Words:

Arranged by Ralph Sauer

Trombone and piano

Vancouver, BC, , Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2013
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Piano score and trombone part

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with piano

Few things in the world of brass music are as reliable as the excellent arrangements of Mr. Ralph Sauer. He expends great effort in making his arrangements both playable and as true as possible to the composer’s original. The present set of three Romances, originally for piano solo, are a good case in point. Sauer has transposed the songs to keys or ranges which suit the trombone: The first Romance, The Periwinkle (la Pervenche) has been transposed from B major to F major; the second, The Brook (Le Ruisseau) down a half step from G-flat to F; the third, The Evening (Le Soir) also down a half step, from E-flat to D. Each Romance contains notable features. The trombone melody of The Periwinkle covers a range from c to g1 and moves primarily in quarter notes at a moderate tempo. The Brook is about the same tempo, but its rhythmic pattern is more active. The trombone part consistently uses quarter notes, dotted eighths, and sixteenths for a sensation of a faster and flowing melody; the piano part consists primarily of arpeggios up and down in 16th note triplets. The Evening moves at a calmer pace, with a marking of Andante and an accompaniment pattern of eighth note chords.

This enjoyable set of short pieces, while not challenging in a technical sense, present the player with the opportunity to work on musical interpretation and beautiful sound for a successful performance. It is highly recommended.