Review

Leoš Janáček
Fanfare: from Sinfonietta

Arranged by Cory Mixdorf

6 tenors, 1 bass trombone, optional timpani

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2019
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 7 trombones

Janáček composed his Sinfonietta in 1925/26, and the Fanfare with which it begins and ends has been described as ‘one of the most joyful outbursts in the history of Czech music.’ The composer said that he wrote about ‘beauty, joy and strength.’ Throwing caution to the wind, he begins with a series of progressions in open 5ths, and goes on to write one of the most exhilarating pieces in all of music. Originally scored for a full brass section, the music adapts idiomatically to the trombone ensemble, comprised of 6 tenor and 2 bass trombones, and with an equally important part for the timpani.

The transcription is suitable for a mixed level ensemble with most of the difficulty in the upper parts and the lower parts comprised largely of long notes in the middle register. Bass trombones however are the only parts playing the triplet figures from mm47-58. It is in the original key; 1st part range is A-flat-b¹ and bass 2 range E-flat-b-flat. 1st and 2nd parts are in tenor clef, the rest in bass.

Neither the number of timpani required nor their tuning is specified. Altogether 9 notes are needed, range A-flat-b-flat. I am grateful to Kevin Radomsky for help with this; he advises that “you should be fine with four timpani as long as the pitch gauges are in working order.” If they are not, I guess you might need the whole set. Dr Mixdorf is currently Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas.