Review

Louis Colombo Setzer
Solo Literature for Trombone and Harp: An Annotated Bibliography

Vancouver, , Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2017
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com
Language: English

Spiral bound annotated bibliography. 101 pages. Also available in iBook format.

Primary Genre: Study Material - book

One might not think of the trombone-harp duo as a category containing many works. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of works included in this study. As Setzer points out in his abstract, there are over 100 compositions for harp and trombone dating back to 1954; 50 of these pieces are originally composed for this combination.

 

Setzer’s annotations include publication information, performance details, audio resources and notes on duos that have  commissioned works. Setzer grades the difficulty of the pieces on a five-level scale and provides criteria for each difficulty grade. I appreciate the composers’ comments on the pieces when available. Often these comments arise from email exchanges between Setzer and the composer. I also appreciate the inclusion of URL’s for composer websites although, with the passage of time, the accuracy of these links can be expected to diminish. Also quite helpful is the inclusion of discography information including references to upcoming recording projects.

 

Setzer’s annotations are quite informative.  However, when a quoted email exchange with the composer is presented, Setzer seems not to include observations of his own. That’s unfortunate since the composer comments, while interesting, often don’t provide the kind of descriptive detail that Setzer provides in his own annotations. Sometimes his annotations quote, with citation, from Robert Kehle’s guide to alto trombone literature.

 

As one reads through these annotations, the impact of such duos as Duo Haroz, Nitzan and Adina Haroz, and Duo AttemaHaring, Brandt Attema and Astrid Haring, can be felt. It should also be noted that Mr. Setzer has also been active in performing and commissioning works for this instrumentation. If you wish to learn more about solo literature for trombone and harp, this is an outstanding resource. We are all indebted to Mr. Setzer for his scholarship.