Review

Various
Three Early Sacred Pieces:

Arranged by Jeff Reynolds

Trombone Quartet: four trombones: 3 tenor, 1 bass trombone

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

Score and parts.

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 4 trombones

The use of trombones in sacred music is a long and well-documented tradition. For centuries, composers have harnessed the sonorities of groups of trombones to portray connections to the heavenly, and sometimes, not-so-heavenly. The Moravian Church is well-known for its use of trombones in liturgical music and this tradition has long been championed by retired Los Angeles Philharmonic bass trombonist, Jeff Reynolds. In addition to founding the Moravian Trombone Choir of Downey, Reynolds has been involved in recording this music on multiple occasions as well as creating arrangements of this music and similar pieces. His arrangement titled Three Early Sacred Pieces includes the Passion chorale “O Sacred Head Now Wounded,” by H.L. Hassler, harmonized C.H. Graun, which Reynolds notes is used by the Moravians during Passion Week, Heinrich Isaac’s “Cum esset desponsata,” and Josquin des Prez’s “Tu solus qui facus mirabilia.” Isaac and Josquin were roughly contemporary with one another, having been born in the 1450s and passing not long before or after 1520. The composer of the chorale melody, Han Leo Hassler, was born in 1564 and died in 1612. Reynolds has arranged these three works for four-part trombone ensemble. The first part comes in both alto and tenor clef parts; the other parts are in bass clef.

The first movement proceeds much like one would expect of this chorale, though perhaps with a slightly different harmonization at times. The second movement is both the quickest of the three and the one in which the parts are the most independent. The third movement has sections that are chorale-like, interspersed with sections where the parts operate in pairs and sections where the parts are relatively independent.

The piece are playable by a wide variety of groups. The highest note in the first part is c², though the part does linger at and just above the top of the tenor clef staff. The bass trombone part ventures down into the trigger range at times but spends most of its time in the bass clef staff. Young and developing groups will benefit from the opportunities to work on ensemble playing and on independent parts in the second and third movements. Jeff Reynolds has created another nice addition to the repertoire that can be used both in recital/concert and for liturgical purposes.