Review

Georg Philip Telemann
Three Viol Fantasies:

Arranged by Ralph Sauer

Tuba or bass trombone alone

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2018
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score

Primary Genre: Solo Bass/Contrabass Trombone - unaccompanied

These pieces come from a set of 12 Fantasias that Telemann composed in 1735. They were thought lost until re-discovered in 2015 in a private collection in Germany. They were published and recorded the following year. Each of the selections included here are a little over three minutes in duration. The overall range is FF-sharp-f1. Though similar in style, they are quite varied in their technical challenges, which include ascending and descending patterns, a variety of articulations and trills, for which "bass trombonists may substitute mordents" and large intervals up to two octaves.

Fantasia No.1 in F minor (originally C minor) features Adagio and Allegro sections in 4/4 meter, characterised by ascending and descending patterns, and an Allegretto section in 6/8. Fantasia No.2 in F major (originally D major) contains an Allegro section in 3/4 meter, in which large intervals predominate, a lyrical F minor Andante section in 2/4 and a concluding Presto in 4/4. Fantasia No.3 in E-flat major (originally B-flat major) comprises an Allegro section in 4/4, a brief C minor Largo section in 4/4, and a boisterous 2/4 Allegro, in which not the least of the challenges presented will be breath control. It is an interesting set of pieces and I think bass trombone players will find them useful and enjoyable for both study and performance.