Review

Johann Jacob Froberger
Ricercare and Fantasia: arranged for Four Trombones

Arranged by Ralph Sauer

3 tenors (2 in tenor clef), 1 bass

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2022
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 4 trombones

Johann Jacob Froberger (1616-1667) was a German composer, keyboard virtuoso, and organist. He was well-known during his lifetime, and modern scholars consider him to be one of the most important keyboard composers before Johann Sebastian Bach. He is known to have composed a set of 12 ricercares; scholarly opinion now doubts the ‘authenticity’ of #13. It has an interesting formal structure; parts enter in imitation and in ascending order at 3 and 4 measure spacing, the evolving texture becoming increasingly complex and chromatic. The section from mm76-97 based on 16th note patterns at quarter = 92 is quite challenging for all parts. Whoever its composer was, there is no doubting the mastery displayed in this piece. Maybe, I dare to suggest, it might actually be by Bach, who as a youngster in Ohrdruf is known to have made copies of works by Froberger.

Fantasia No.1 is the 1st of a set of 6 Fantasias published during his lifetime and indisputably by Froberger. It is subtitled ‘Hexachord’ and begins with the first 6 notes of the G major scale played in unison, then re-appearing in various permutations as the music becomes freely contrapuntal, increasingly complex harmonically with a gravitational pull to E major.

These arrangements, both in the key of G major, are for 3 tenor trombones and bass trombone. 1st and 2nd parts are given in tenor clef, 3rd in bass. 1st part tops out at d2 (optional d1); 4th goes down to C (optional GG). Publication of these pieces helps fill a significant gap in existing trombone repertoire.