Review

Scott MacInnes
Song for You:
4 tenor, 1 bass trombone

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

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 5 trombones

Scott MacInnes composed Song for You for his wife. It is a beautiful, pop style ballad in 4/4 meter, at a moderate tempo, scored for five trombones—four tenors and one bass, as recorded by iTromboni on "T'Anguish." The melody is soaring and lyrical. It begins in the first trombone part, makes its way through all the parts, and ends in bass trombone. It is set in A-flat major and is almost exclusively diatonic. While each of the five trombone parts takes turns playing it, the melody is written into the first part for about half of the piece. The accompaniment consists of harmonies that are almost exclusively triadic and rhythmic textures that are rarely syncopated. The first trombone part spans up to d-flat², while the bass trombone part contains pitches as low as FF and features a prominent melodic line which is entirely below the bass clef. The inner three parts are relatively moderate in terms of range and difficulty.
The Scott MacInnes Song for You is about three minutes in duration and perhaps best suited to any trombone quintet with a strong lead and bass trombonist. One might imagine it best functioning as a lighter encore piece or on a performance in need of stylistic variety. It might also just be a fun piece to read through with a group of friends.