Review

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
Six Lieder, Op. 7:

Arranged by Ross Holcombe

6 tenors (two in tenor clef), 2 basses

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

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 8 trombones

In this arrangement of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel’s Six Lieder Op. 7, trombonist Ross Holcombe beautifully crafts this work for voice and piano into a luscious trombone ensemble composition. Written with eight parts (six tenors and two basses), Holcombe makes this work accessible for different sizes of ensembles as seen in his program note here: “Each of these lieder are arranged with two trombone parts playing the vocal melody in unison and six other parts playing the piano accompaniment. Any of these lieder may be played as a trombone octet with one player per part or a trombone choir with multiple players per part. As a third option, these lieder may be played by a soloist with trombone sextet or choir accompaniment, omitting the other part which also contains the melody.” Holcombe highlights in the score which parts have the melody in each movement. 

With the sharing of melodic material across all parts, this arrangement is a fantastic opportunity for student musicians to practice having main figures and balancing moments when they no longer have the melody. The first part exchanges between tenor and bass clef and its range caps at c2 while the second bass trombone part goes down to GG. Several of the lieder are written in compound meters and it is important to note the challenging rhythmic figures of the third lied, Frühling. While in a simple duple meter the musicians pass around sextuplet rhythms and have moments of hemiola which masterfully create a dense texture as seen in the piano part of the source material. Overall this work is a delightful arrangement that showcases Hensel’s compositional depth and brings light to an underrepresented composer. The rhythmic detail in these lieder combined with the opportunity for lyricism in the melodies make this arrangement perfect for collegiate and professional ensembles alike. 

Holcombe’s arrangement of Six Lieder Op. 7 is a highly recommended choice to program on a recital or concert.