Review

Arthur Pryor
Blue Bells of Scotland:

Arranged by Bill Reichenbach

Bass trombone and piano

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2020
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and solo part.

Primary Genre: Solo Bass/Contrabass Trombone - with piano

With a new version of Arthur Pryor’s Blue Bells of Scotland, Bill Reichenbach has adapted one of the most well-known tenor trombone showpieces for bass trombone, and by doing so, introduced this virtuosic work to aficionados of the larger horn. At first glance, the solo part is essentially an exact transposition of the original, lowered a perfect fifth from F major to B-flat major. Mr. Reichenbach has made a few changes to the marked articulations compared to the Carl Fischer version for tenor trombone,  but all are stylistically correct. More noticeable modifications include the removal of the repeats in variations 1 & 2 and the addition of triplet sixteenth-note ornaments in the twelfth complete measure of the first variation, replacing the accented ascending eighth-notes, c¹-d¹-e¹.

One of the appealing aspects of Arthur Pryor’s works is the fact that they tend to “lay well” on the instrument, often utilizing the harmonic series to great effect. Transposing the work down a fifth succeeds in moving the solo part to a more suitable range for the bass trombone, CC to f¹, but since the tenor and bass trombone share the same harmonic series, new challenges are presented. Specifically, the rapid octave slurs found in the opening statement and in variation 2 now require the same level of flexibility in the single/double trigger and pedal registers. Developing that technique should be a goal of every bass trombonist and this version of Blue Bells provides an enjoyable method of perfecting that skill.

For those interested in additional ways to showcase the bass trombone, this arrangement is also available for soloist with concert band. Blue Bells of Scotland continues to be a warhorse on band concerts and recital programs and there is no reason to assume that Mr. Reichenbach’s version will not be the same.