Review

Ralph Sauer
Practice with Bach Volume 4 for alto trombone: 32 etudes based upon the Goldberg Variations (BWV 988)
Alto trombone

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

Etude book. 32 pages.

Primary Genre: Study Material - etude

Part of a series, these challenging etudes in alto clef are intended for alto trombone but can be tackled by tenor players wishing to challenge their high range. The melodies are drawn from Bach’s Goldberg Variations and are transposed up a minor third (in key) from the original. These etudes are all in the key of B-flat major with a range of b-flat to f². The tessitura sits mostly between c¹ and c².

The melodies are, well, written by Bach with all the beauty one might expect. Sauer adds light articulation markings which, as he points out in the foreword, are partly inspired by the performances of Glenn Gould. As with any Baroque music written for another instrument, there is always concern about breathing pauses; the cello suites come to mind. While these etudes do have some longer runs, there are no unreasonably long passages if played on alto trombone. The longer runs plus higher tessitura make for a good endurance test. These etudes also provide practice with larger beat subdivisions and wide leaps. Printed ornaments include trills, acciaccaturas (upper grace notes) and mordents. It might have been nice to see the inclusion of a page or two devoted to execution of these ornaments on alto trombone. The etudes range in length from a half page to two pages. Some etudes do proceed through a page turn but, given their length, this usually cannot be avoided. In the case of No.4 and No.7, it might have been best to opt for additional white space so that each etude could appear on a single page.

Typesetting is excellent and I appreciate the clean approach with limited editorial markings. If you want to challenge your alto trombone technique, and high range, while staying firmly in one key, these will do the job nicely. This is especially true if you love the music of Bach.