Review

Marco Bordogni
10 Melodious Etudes:

Arranged by Nir Fishkin

Brass Quintet: 2 B-flat trumpets, F horn, trombone, tuba

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2021
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts.

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 5 brass

The vocalises of Italian composer, operatic tenor and pedagogue, Giulio Marco Bordogni (1789-1856) have, for generations of brass musicians, been a staple of our pedagogy. Originally composed by Bordogni for use within his vocal studio while he was Professor of Voice at the Paris Conservatory, the vocalises were subsequently incorporated into teaching materials developed by Andre LaFosse, as well as famously published as 120 Melodious Etudes by Joannès Rochut.

This inventive set of 10 Melodious Etudes for brass quintet is an excellent and well executed idea arranged by Nir Fishkin and published by Cherry Classics. In these fine arrangements, the melodic phrases of the vocalises are elegantly handed off between all the instrumentalists in the ensemble. This collection will serve as both an outstanding pedagogical tool for student quintets and as a welcome addition to the repertoire for potential performance, valuable for both young and experienced players to develop and maintain a fine-tuned sense of balance and phrasing as they pivot between melodic and accompanimental roles within the ensemble.

The numbering system of Fishkin's arrangements correspond with all of the familiar keys with which we are accustomed in the Rochut edition for trombone in the following order: Fishkin No.1 equals Rochut No.2 (or F1=R2), F2=R3, F3=R12, F4=R4, F5=R17, F6=R6, F7=R16, F8=R13, F9=R5, and F10=R3. Range for each instrument is comfortable and conservative for proficient players. The notated range at written pitch for the two B-flat trumpet parts extends from b2 down to b; the F horn part is notated from a2 down to g; the trombone part extends from g1 down to F; and the tuba part extends from c1 down to FF. I highly recommend these 10 Melodious Etudes as a valuable new edition to your chamber music library.