Review


Patrick Lawrence
Solo Literature for Low Brass and Organ: A Guide to Unexplored Music for Recitals and Liturgical Settings

Monee, IL, United States
Publisher: Write Mind
Date of Publication: 2019
Language: English

280 pages

Primary Genre: Study Material - book

This book is appropriately subtitled “A Guide to Unexplored Music for Recitals and Liturgical Settings.” Lawrence’s forward states it well: “In here, you’ll find solos spanning every dimension, from stretched-collar serious to utterly laughable. From serene and reflective to bold and bombastic. From baroque to avant-garde. From easy to extremely challenging. Some are perfectly straightforward. Others require an array of mutes and every tricky technique that composers can imagine…”

Lawrence begins with a brief historical discussion of low brass solos with organ and the development and understanding of the organ. The bulk of the text is comprised of title listings sorted by composer. Each work has a bibliographic citation with four categories: instrument, difficulty (including range), technique, and mutes. A brief narrative follows with relevant biographical, analytical, organ performance, and recording(s) information. Separate chapters effectively organize solos by difficulty and instrument – find your solo options here and then backtrack to the aforementioned chapter for detailed information.

This book is a result of Lawrence’s DMA dissertation work. He includes scholarly references to related literature, additional resources, discography, and publishers and contact information; it should be in every teacher’s library. At the time of this writing, Dr. Patrick Lawrence is professor of low brass at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Reviewer: David Stern
Review Published June 24, 2023