Review

Camille Saint-Saëns
Cavatine Op.144:

Arranged by Dr. Wade Goodwin


Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2024
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Piano score and solo part

Primary Genre: Solo Bass/Contrabass Trombone - with piano

Trombone solos composed by major composers throughout history are unfortunately a rather brief litany, but overall make an important contribution to the repertoire. Pieces like the Rimsky-Korsakov Concerto, Hindemith Sonata, or Milhaud Concertino d’Hiver will always have historical prominence in the trombone repertoire, but few other pieces acquire this gravitas while achieving broader musical accessibility than that of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Cavatine, Op. 144 for trombone and piano. Originally written for the trombonist George W. Stewart in July 1915, most likely as a thank you gift for Stewart organising a successful trip for Saint-Saëns to attend the San Francisco World’s Fair that summer, Cavatine was instantly an important addition to the trombone solo repertoire. Stewart commenting that Cavatine was “unquestionably one of the most beautiful pieces written for the trombone” still has as much validity 111 years ago as it does today.

Dr. Wade Goodwin has expertly arranged this masterpiece for the bass trombone. Transcribed a fourth lower to the key of D-flat, the range of this arrangement sits comfortably for the modern bass trombonist from EE-flat to a-flat1 (with optional c2 in the finale). Unlike other bass trombone arrangements of the tenor literature, this piece does not lose its inherent and original character. The title Cavatine is in reference to a concise, unadorned opera aria; in this case a deliberate indication to the vocal style of the trombone. Rather than in a tenor tessitura, the listener can now enjoy a bass or baritone lyric aria in the B section. The opening and closing sections are still idiomatic for the instrument with arpeggios and extended scale passages, now with a shade of darker color indicative of the bass trombone. Dr. Goodwin has faithfully transferred the dynamic and articulation markings. Breath control with phrasing is not problematic in this bass version, as Saint-Saëns effectively applies vocal-like phrasing from the start.

This arrangement serves as a delightful pedagogic and performance opportunity for the tenor/bass doubler to perform a familiar piece on the bass trombone, or for the bass trombonist to add an exciting opener/closer to a recital program. While this arrangement would serve wonderfully on an undergraduate program, it would also function nicely for the avid high school bass trombonist.