Review


Vittorio Monti
Czardas:

Arranged by Bruce Dunn

Trumpet in C, horn in F, trombone

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

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 3 brass

Originally written for violin in 1904, Vittorio Monti’s Czardas has since been transcribed for almost every solo orchestral instrument. Bruce Dunn’s brass trio arrangement of Czardas features the trombonist with the solo part. Set in the original key of D, the form of this arrangement closely follows the original version.

The brass trio format presents a basic challenge: with the trombonist playing the melody, there are only two voices available to outline the harmony—both of which are usually higher in pitch than the trombone. The bass voice is often missing from the harmonic progressions in this arrangement. When the bass voice is most necessary for harmonic function, the melody is traded off to either the horn or trumpet so the trombone can fill in the low pitches in the harmony. While this solves one problem, it creates another. The soloist never gets an opportunity to rest throughout this arrangement—a problem familiar to anyone who has performed brass trio repertoire.

Despite the limitations of the trio format, this is otherwise a well crafted arrangement. The runs lay well on the trombone in this key, and the part generally lives between G and b-flat1. The horn and trumpet parts provide mostly accompaniment with a few interludes where they pick up the main melodic material for a few measures at a time.

Bruce Dunn’s Czardas is available from Cherry Classics Music as either a physical copy or digital download. The trumpet part is available in both the key of B-flat and C. This arrangement is sure to find itself on many brass trio and trombone recital programs for years to come.


Reviewer: Greg Strohman
Review Published June 19, 2023