Review

Traditional
Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho:

Arranged by Timothy Myers

3 tenors (2 in tenor clef), 1 bass

San Francisco, CA, United States
Publisher: Ascenda Music Publishing, LLC
Date of Publication: 2023
URL: http://www.ascendamusic.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 4 trombones

Born out of the struggles and hardships of slavery, the spiritual Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho has become an iconic representation of resilience and faith. It is a powerful affirmation of the miraculous power of God on behalf of the children of Israel, and also serves as a metaphor for the struggles and aspirations of African American slaves. It began to appear in collections of spirituals in the late 1800’s and its infectious optimism has been widely embraced by both church-going and concert-going audiences. Timothy Myers, retired trombonist with the St. Louis Symphony, has rewarded us with an entertaining trombone quartet arrangement of this popular spiritual.

Dedicated to the trombones of the St. Louis Symphony, the arrangement targets advanced players. It begins freely in a gospel style. The entrances are approximated and the rhythms flexible. The performers are tasked to meet at the fermata that ends the introduction and begins the metrical portion of the arrangement. The ensuing music is very fast and highly syncopated, but performed with straight rhythms. Although the lower two parts are somewhat less challenging, all of the parts will require mature players. The top two parts are scored in tenor clef and are essentially interchangeable. Both rise to a high c2 and have relatively high tessituras. Myers adroitly passes the melodies throughout the ensemble. Any advanced trombone quartet will enjoy both the challenges and the joy of this arrangement.