Review

Marco Bordogni
Twenty-One Vocalises: edited for bass clef and low bass clef

Arranged by Ferdinand Gumbert and John Ericson


Tempe, Arizona, United States
Publisher: Horn Notes Edition
Date of Publication: 2016
URL: http://www.hornnotes.com

Primary Genre: Study Material - etude

Every trombonist owns a well-used copy of the Bordogni Vocalises adapted for the trombone by Johannes Rochut in 1928. These vocal etudes have been a staple in trombonist’s practice regimen to work on lyrical legato playing. John Ericson, Professor of Horn at Arizona State University, has created a new edition by revisiting the 1880 edition by Ferdinand Gumbert. While similar to the Rochut edition, the Gumbert provides more articulations and fewer slurs, providing the performer with more musical variety. Ericson’s edition follows Gumbert closely, but eliminates the provided breath marks, occasionally cuts full bars of rest or long-held notes, eliminates trills, and writes out most of the ornaments. Ericson also includes helpful performance notes on the first page, addressing how to approach these vocal etudes musically. The Bordogni-Gumbert-Ericson Collection comes in Standard Treble Clef, Low Treble Clef, Standard Bass Clef, Low Bass Clef, Extra Low Bass Clef, and Ultra Low Bass Clef. For those familiar with the Rochut edition, the Standard Bass Clef version retains the same keys and registers, A-flat to b-flat1, while the Low Bass Clef version is lowered by the interval of a perfect fourth, E-flat to f1. The Low Bass Clef version is written in a perfect register for bass and tenor trombonists alike to work on their middle to low registers. It serves as a great in-between from playing the Standard Bass Clef as written and playing it down an octave, which gets difficult quickly. Sold at an incredibly reasonable price and in a convenient .pdf e-book format to travel with you anywhere, this new edition of the classic Bordogni Vocalises is a must.