Review

Ralph Sauer
Practice with Bach Volume 3: 38 etudes based upon the Six French Suites (BWV 812-817)
Bass trombone

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

Etude book

Primary Genre: Study Material - etude

This collection is part of a series, now up to four volumes, for all of the brass instruments, including trumpet, horn, trombone [alto, tenor and bass], euphonium and tuba. Additionally, Volumes 1, 2 and 3 are offered in a collection all together for all the trombones, euphonium and tuba. As for the purpose of these etudes, Mr. Sauer says it best in the foreword to the third volume:

Volume 3 of Practice With Bach is a continuation of my idea of making etudes from the keyboard works of Johann Sebastian Bach. These 38 studies are from the Six French Suites (BWV 812-817). Two general tempo suggestions are given Moderato and Lento. Moderato can mean any speed from moderate to fast. Lento implies a slower pulse. The etudes work well at many different speeds, so please experiment. Articulations are mine (with help from Glenn Gould). Dynamics are not indicated because many different sound levels can (and should) be explored. Additionally, playing these studies on the tenor trombone will be excellent practice for the low register. I would suggest always playing with a full tone and letting the dynamic rise and fall naturally with the musical phrase. Although not intended for public performance, I hope that you will find these etudes technically challenging and musically rewarding.

While the technical demands on the player can be extreme, the results can represent a great payback, in terms of both musical value and technical fluency. Brass players are not always in a position to learn much about the keyboard works of Bach, but with this series of etudes, an important start has been made. Apart from the French Suites, on which the third volume is based, the material includes preludes from the Well Tempered Clavier Vol.1, Partitas Vol.2, Goldberg Variations Vol.4. Mr. Sauer obviously has a great deal of material he can work with, not to mention the possibility of books of etudes based on the music of other composers. This is a worthy effort to develop tools for building technique and musicality. Bravo, Mr. Sauer!